Gypsy
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Cititour.com Review
If there was ever any real doubt that Gypsy was, and is, the greatest musical of all time, the latest production with book writer Arthur Laurents now directing, and Patti LuPone at the helm, should silence the unenlightened. This transfer from the Encores Summer Series to the St. James Theatre is flawless.
LuPone as Rose, the stage mother of all time, is a driven and ferocious lion suffocating — her concept of protecting — her young daughters, June and Louise. The former destined for stardom and the latter to morph from an ugly duckling into the sophisticated real-life stripper Gypsy Rose Lee. The performance is the type upon which Broadway legends are built. LuPone is like an eel, slithering around her man, sliding in and out of vaudeville with the natural charm of a snake oil salesman. She’s determined and her presence has undeniable power. The classic first-act closer, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” is merely a prelude to the ultimate delivery of the 11 o’clock number, “Rose’s Turn.” Where previous Roses (Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury and Bernadette Peters) elongated the famous stutter of “m..m..mama, m..m..mama” built into Stephen Sondheim’s brilliant lyrics, LuPone pounces on the moment in a desperate growl, and actually makes Rose vulnerable and tenacious in one fell swoop.
The supporting leads, coming over from the original Encores production, are also up to the challenge. The trio of aging strippers, including Marilyn Caskey as a decrepit Electra and Alison Fraser as the delicate yet edgy Tessie, wring humor out of standing still. Boyd Gaines as Herbie, Rose’s manager/lover, has deflated the cartoon silliness often associated with the character and replaced it with pathos. Laura Benanti does a fine job of propelling the wallflower Louise into the feisty contender Gypsy, well equipped to take her mother on.
Gypsy is timeless. Its themes of family dysfunction, sacrifice and regret, are universal. Julie Styne’s dynamic score, now with a twenty-five piece orchestra, still soars. Arthur Laurents’ staging makes every moment in the show, be it emotional or frothy, land with impunity. Laurents and LuPone have redefined Rose and the result is a magnificent, powerfully entertaining juggernaut. Watch out, Gypsy is back in town!
By Lesley Alexander
Visit the Site
http://www.gypsybroadway.com
Cast
Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines, Laura Benanti
Open/Close Dates
Opening 3/3/2008
Closing 1/11/2009
Box Office
(212) 239-6200
Theatre Info
St. James Theatre
246 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
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