A different end to GYPSY — Page 2

It really seems like I remember something along the lines of what a previous poster said. I think I watched or heard something where there wasn't an ending scene, just the song. I think it was the original. Now, perhaps it was the way they said it, but I thought that it was kept that way for at least some time.

PJ-
While normally I am right with you on these things...wouldn't the cutting of the "faux rape" scene be cutting his own material?

This sounds about as bad as the production Andrea McArdle was in, where the entire cast came in to do back up during Rose's Turn.

---

See I thought the ending of Annie was the curtain goes down and then comes up with and adult Annie sittin there telling some kids.. "And that's how I became Mrs. Daddy Warbucks. Of course, he died on our wedding night and now I own EVERYTHING!"

---

Arthur Laurents would be way more likely to cut "Rose's Turn" than his final scene.

Arthur would be more likely to cut Rose herself from GYPSY than cut the final scene.

P

I have just read an interview with Laurents, Sondhiem, and Robbins speaking about Gypsy. Laurents and Sondheim said that when Oscar Hammerstein saw the show there was no scene after "Rose's Turn". The show's original ending was simply "Rose's Turn". Hammerstein only had two notes on the entire production, and one was that their needed to be some sort of closer for the audience, and there needed to be something that said that Rose is a human being, not this monster.

This is not all true.

The song "Rose's Turn" did not have an ending..instead while Rose was repeating "For me...For me.." the orchestra trailed off into so high squeaky violins and Gypsy walked in applauding. Sondheim felt a woman having a nervous breakdown would not stop to punch in a climatic note.

Hammerstein pointed out that the audience was so anxious to applaud Ethel that they weren't paying attention to the final scene. Hammerstein suggested putting in a big finish and letting the applause happen. And that is what they did. The final scene was ALWAYS there. (Until the folks at Theatre Unlimited got their paws on the show.)

---