AUDRA GYPSY Reviews- Page 22

[JasonC3]

Posted: 1/8/25 at 8:55pm

Ensemble1698878795 said: "JasonC3 said: "Ensemble1698878795 said: "Please go get a hobby that snaps you into reality."

Speaking of snapping into reality, please stop asserting your opinion is the definitive one on Joy Woods.Opinions obviously are mixed."

You’re literally delusional if you think “she’s not talented.” The industry would disagree. She’s not great in the role, that’s fine. Her nothaving talent is categorically false. When she’s on her 3rd Bway show and most of the haters on this board are hiding behindscreen names. But, go off, believe whatever gets you through 2025."

I don't know where any "you're ..." comes into play as my comment makes no assessment of Joy Wood's performance.  It only notes that your opinion is not definitive as evidence by other commenters here. 

And you're really not one to cry foul at others for so-called hiding behind a screen name, Ensemble1698878795 lol.

 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 1/8/25 at 9:08pm

I’m there now. Intermission. I know this is theatrical sacrilege but I don’t really care for Gypsy, but I got a $59 ticket in the mezz so why not. Fun fact - using the discount code “gimmick” made the $59 ticket price increase to $114. So there’s that. Beware. (I didn’t use the code. The seat is perfect.)

All of the above said, I kind of love this. It is the first time I have ever cared about this group of characters. I understand the comments about Audra’s voice not being suited to this role but for me, her acting is what sells it.

And yes, the sets are cheap and the orchestra sounds somewhat tinny, but overall, it is extremely enjoyable. 
 

Nicole has definite competition this June. 

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 1/8/25 at 11:18pm

There's been a lot of criticism for Audra's more classical voice, but I actually think her voice sounds more accurate to the time period (not that I'm looking for period accuracy in Gypsy, really. I like some anachronism). 

[kurtal]

Posted: 1/9/25 at 9:40am

OK, I saw this production for the third time last night.  The first time was *very* early in previews.  The second time was much later in previews.  And for the first time last night, I think the positives outweighed the negatives.

Everyone's acting is so much clearer and more grounded.  Audra has always been doing well, and Jordan Tyson has consistently been a bright spot.  But I really understood Joy's motivations as Louise more clearly throughout.  Their performance of If Mama Were Married actually gave contrast between the two characters and their journeys.  Joy's Louise is yearning for family and belonging -- and she's willing to sacrifice her own happiness to maintain the family unit that exists while Herbie is in the picture.  Her "YES!" to Herbie right before Everything's Coming Up Roses was poignant and heartbreaking.  

All I Need Is the Girl is still not great...but it's better than it was even just two weeks ago.  Weirdly it feels like they added significant amounts of choreography in the last few days of previews.  I still wish Kevin Csolak were sharper in his movement, but I wasn't distracted by its mediocrity this time (that may sound harsh, but the number was ROUGH the first two times I saw it...and now it's fine).

Interestingly, the character that I struggled with the most is Herbie.  If you just look at the text, Herbie is either a hornball or a lovesick puppy.  There's so much room for an actor to bring their own motivation to the role...and I'm still not entirely sure where Danny's Herbie is coming from.  It's still Danny Burstein, who on a bad day is great, so I'm not mad at his performance at all.  But now that the other roles have come into focus, his stood out more.

The show still feels slow.  Several transitions could have 10-15 seconds shaved off of them.  Several tempos dragged.  There's air to be sucked out of a lot of the scenes -- especially in the first act.

And I still am angry at the changes to the strip.  The whole purpose to You Gotta Get a Gimmick is to demonstrate to Louise that talent isn't important in burlesque -- as long as you have a gimmick to hang your act own.  This allows Louise, who, as we've seen throughout the show, isn't a gifted singer or dancer, to shine once she finds her own gimmick.  Which...IS TALKING TO AND INTERACTING WITH HER AUDIENCE.  And George C. Wolfe takes that moment of discovery away from Louise by changing the text.  And then, what, she had talent all along and can suddenly perform Josephine Baker style choreography?  It's inauthentic to who the character is.  Louise doesn't have talent (at least in the way that we often think about talent for performing on stage: singing and dancing), but she succeeds in spite of that because she leans into her natural skills of human engagement and personal observation.  And this new strip sequence robs her of that journey.

Even in spite of all of this griping -- I think this production has settled into something quite successful overall.  It's not perfect -- it's not anywhere near perfect.  But  the strengths of the show itself and the performances that have developed make it a strong if not thrilling night of theatre.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 1/10/25 at 5:35am

NYT: I’ve Changed My Mind. Audra McDonald Was Right.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/opinion/ive-changed-my-mind-audra-mcdonald-was-right.html?unlocked_article_code=1.oE4.-Tm3.Smgb9WhZI4g8

[ManOfLaMuncha]

Posted: 1/10/25 at 7:27am

I came across this on youtube and thought that this was an excellent Rose's Turn that I've never seen, but I've always been a fan of the actress :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jqU1Nl0zGU

Updated On: 1/12/25 at 07:27 AM

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 1/10/25 at 8:04am

MezzA101 said: "NYT: I’ve Changed My Mind. Audra McDonald Was Right.



https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/opinion/ive-changed-my-mind-audra-mcdonald-was-right.html?unlocked_article_code=1.oE4.-Tm3.Smgb9WhZI4g8"

I’m so impressed that he actually saw the show and then wrote a column recanting his original speculation, especially given how thoughtful his original column was. 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 1/10/25 at 11:19pm

So tonight I saw my first ever live Gypsy. I have seen the movie and also listened to several soundtracks, but a live Gypsy is always a special event.

Overall, I loved it! What a great musical! It was three hours long but never felt long. The book just carries you along and there's never a dull moment. There are also no small roles in Gypsy -- everyone is a real character and three dimensional. So I loved, loved, loved seeing it live.

I thought Audra was vocally incredible. I've listened to Ethel Merman and Patti Lupone and the other belters and while Audra does have a different vocal production, she now belts a lot more than she seemed to in early previews (there were a few recordings floating around). What's more, her vocal production seems more ... idk, Great Depression era? Remember Jeanette MacDonald and those operetta-ish stars? She truly throws herself into the role, and was crying real tears in "Rose's Turn." "Rose's Turn" predictably brought down the house, and earned her a standing O. But "Small World" was really touching.

With that being said, I thought second act Audra was stronger than first act. I thought Audra played Rose too crazy from the start. She seemed deranged from her entrance. I've come across quite a few real-life Mama Roses and what they all have in common is a kind of surface charm. Like they're just so fun and charming UNTIL you don't agree that their little darlings are STARS. I would have liked Audra to dial down the crazy a little. I also didn't agree to dressing Audra in dowdy church dresses from the beginning. Isn't Rose supposed to be a fairly attractive young single mom at the beginning of the musical?

The other weakness I thought was Joy Woods as Louise. I thought she was good as the shy wallflower, but I didn't buy her transfromation into burlesque star who has expensive tastes. Her final confrontation with Mama Rose fell a little flat.

I really loved Jordan Tyson (June). The way she grimaced while dancing the excruciatingly bad numbers was both funny and sad. I thought making June the light-skinned sister was pretty clever. And Danny Burstein did his usual great job as Herbie, although if there's one character I think is boring, it's Herbie.

The sets were okay -- kind of simple, relied on a few backdrop flats, but fluid and you always understood what was happening. I also enjoyed Camille A. Brown's choreo, although I would have liked to see Jerome Robbins' originals.

So overall, great time. Warning: the Majestic is EXTREMELY hot. I am someone who is always cold, and I was sweating throughout.

[binau]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 3:01am

Any news on a cast recording yet? 

[inception]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 7:28am

Yikes! When he says the following it just makes him sound even more racist:

"My second reason for revising my opinion is trickier. McDonald happens to be able to play “white” — or maybe raceless — convincingly."

So it's OK because Audra can "play white"??  What a load of bs.  

Why it is OK is because she's 1) a human being & 2) a great actress.  Her colour or whatever colors he thinks she can pass for should not be any consideration. 

 

MezzA101 said: "NYT: I’ve Changed My Mind. Audra McDonald Was Right.



https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/opinion/ive-changed-my-mind-audra-mcdonald-was-right.html?unlocked_article_code=1.oE4.-Tm3.Smgb9WhZI4g8"

 

[Bwaygurl2]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 8:21am

inception said: "Yikes! When he says the following it just makes him sound even more racist:

"My second reason for revising my opinion is trickier. McDonald happens to be able to play “white” — or maybe raceless — convincingly."

So it's OK because Audra can "play white"?? What a load of bs.

Why it is OK is because she's 1) a human being & 2) a great actress. Her colour or whatever colors he thinks she can pass for should not be any consideration.



MezzA101 said: "NYT: I’ve Changed My Mind. Audra McDonald Was Right.



https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/opinion/ive-changed-my-mind-audra-mcdonald-was-right.html?unlocked_article_code=1.oE4.-Tm3.Smgb9WhZI4g8"

"

I think he shares a thoughtful reconsideration; I don't find anything racist about it. Audra has played some parts in a "race- neutral" way, while playing Rose as unambiguously Black. 

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 9:28am

Bwaygurl2 said: "inception said: "Yikes! When he says the following it just makes him sound even more racist:

"My second reason for revising my opinion is trickier. McDonald happens to be able to play “white” — or maybe raceless — convincingly."

So it's OK because Audra can "play white"?? What a load of bs.

Why it is OK is because she's 1) a human being & 2) a great actress. Her colour or whatever colors he thinks she can pass for should not be any consideration.



MezzA101 said: "NYT: I’ve Changed My Mind. Audra McDonald Was Right.



https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/opinion/ive-changed-my-mind-audra-mcdonald-was-right.html?unlocked_article_code=1.oE4.-Tm3.Smgb9WhZI4g8"

"

I think he shares a thoughtful reconsideration; I don't find anything racist about it. Audra has played some parts in a "race- neutral" way, while playing Rose as unambiguously Black."

Agreed. Also, John McWhorter is African American. 

[VanillaIceCream2]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 2:12pm

I saw this production recently and was absolutely blown away by Audra. I had never seen Gypsy live, though I knew a lot of the music and I'd watched the Patti production at the NYPL library, and I'm glad this was my first "real" Gypsy. I just connected with Audra's Rose deeply and immediately; I experienced Some People as if I'd never heard it before, in the best way.

I love Audra's more operatic sound -- to me it sounds like the truth is just coming out of her, whereas with the belters I can hear and feel the effort in a way that takes me out of it, honestly. I've been listening to the 2008 cast recording and while Patti's performance is impressive, I don't necessarily need to watch her freight train Rose for three hours. That sounds exhausting! I saw all the shades of Audra's Rose and will be going back again. 

Perhaps because I loved Laura Benanti's Louise so much, I was disappointed by Joy Woods. I didn't know The Strip well enough to identify exactly what was different about it in the moment, but I wasn't convinced by Woods' performance, and I was left wanting more from the dressing room scene. Granted, I went with a little over a week of previews still to go, so I'm willing to give Woods some grace and allow that she could settle into the role well. But as others have said, I wonder if this is an issue of direction vs. her talent.

I'm not nearly as familiar with the show as others are, so I know this is sacrilege to suggest in a show that's praised as being a perfect book musical, but I think the role of Louise would be much easier to play if her transformation was a slower transition and she didn't need to turn on a dime from being the quiet, "untalented" girl to a successful stripper. If it's so difficult for many actresses to execute, maybe it's not given the full attention it could be.

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 8:23pm

I was disappointed. Audra’s trying new things but the production she’s in is sloppy and traditional. None of the supporting cast is strong enough to stand up to her. So she has nothing to fight against. It can leave her feeling adrift.

[starlightlocamotion]

Posted: 1/16/25 at 11:56pm

Loved this production! Audra is ravishing as ever. Danny, Jordan & Lesli are standouts as well. Joy is really strong as well ... I truly didn't feel her waver until the dressing room scene which seemed really forced. Likely the direction. I thought it was really great? No, the wheel was not re-invented. But did it need to be?

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 1/18/25 at 7:28am

Saw it yesterday and OMG Audra is revelatory! Gypsy to me has always been a star vehicle. Not that the characters are not three dimensional, but it’s just that the Mama Roses we’ve had, like Ethel Merman, Bernadette Peters, Patti Lupone, played the role as a diva, and it worked because of their portrayals. Audra’s performance feels so fresh and grounded, and I 100% agree with one of the previous posters saying that it is as if you are discovering the score for the first time. Audra’s acting reminds me why Sondheim is so loved by actors who sing, although Audra does both superbly. The operatic singing style took me a little bit to get used to, but once you get used to it it is intoxicating. Wolfe’s direction might’ve been spotty in places, but overall it is very smooth and clear, which cannot be said for many shows on Broadway recently. 

[homer212]

Posted: 1/19/25 at 8:58pm

I got to see today's performance and was completely blown away by it.  The production itself is impressive, and I don't understand, at all, the comments that compare it to the more bare-bones Patti LuPone production.  It's far more than that.  But it really is all about Audra and her incredible performance.  She displayed so much more pain and desperation in her motivation than I've ever seen in this character.  Both "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Rose's Turn" were truly, for me, gut wrenching.  I don't cry often, but I completely cried at the standing ovation of her Rose's Turn.  Just a completely amazing performance that will live with me for a very long time.      

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 1/20/25 at 3:27pm

I saw this recently and will try to limit my comments to things that haven't already been said by multiple people:

-  Audra was sensational, but I thought the production overall was outstanding as well. The audience was clearly hanging on every word, and for a 3-hour musical, it never dragged and seamlessly flowed from one scene to the next. That is not just a triumph of the central performance, but of the direction. During most of Act II, you could hear a pin drop.

- I didn't think the sets looked cheap at all.  Some of them were more stylized (and seemed inspired by vaudeville sets and/or the Depression), but they mostly served the scenes well and were fully realized without being overbearing. If anything, I would say they lacked a cohesive design vision, but it didn't bother me or distract from the performances.

- Joy Woods is not getting enough credit.  I thought she gave a heartfelt and layered performance and was by no means the weak-link that others have made her out to be. When she gave her big speech in the final dressing room scene, the audience clearly wanted to applaud, but restrained themselves given it would have broken the tension at the wrong time.  That said, I cannot for the life of my figure out why they got rid of most of the dialogue in the strip sequence. It left her with so little to work with to show her transition.  And it's great dialogue!  She didn't even get to say "I'm beginning to like this." 

- Danny Burstein was everything Herbie should be.  This was the first production of Gypsy I've seen where I found Herbie to be likable and the romance between him and Rose to be believable. I was genuinely sad when he walked out, and normally I don't care that much. He also got applause when he yelled at the stagehand in Act II.

- The racial undertones were so subtle as to hardly register at all. If part of the goal of this revival was to reinterpret the script with a black Rose, Louise, and June, I thought they missed an opportunity when the two men at the burlesque house are debating whether Louise can go on to strip. One of them asks, "what's the gimmick?" to which the other replies, "she's young" (or something like that).  If they had just inserted a pause before "young," I think the line would have taken a different meaning.

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 1/22/25 at 11:57am

Did anyone happen to see Shanel Bailey as Louise yesterday?

[MezzA101]

Posted: 1/22/25 at 5:11pm

Danny Burstein on Going Toe to Toe with Audra McDonald in Gypsy and Honoring His Late Wife Backstage | Broadway Buzz | Broadway.com

 

https://www.broadway.com/buzz/205128/danny-burstein-on-going-toe-to-toe-with-audra-mcdonald-in-gypsy-and-honoring-his-late-wife-backstage/

[The Rural Juror]

Posted: 1/23/25 at 1:09pm

Was lucky to get the opportunity to see this last Friday. What an experience! Audra is giving the performance of a lifetime and had me gasping several times. Her "Rose's Turn" was absolutely thrilling, and I will never forget the audience's immediate standing ovation when it was over. Oh, to be an audience member sitting right by the pass around. I can imagine only those with belt-loyalty being disappointed by this performance. 

I understand the critiques of the other aspects, but I wasn't really underwhelmed by any of it. Based on this thread, a lot has been improved as the show has grown. 

I'm also thrilled to see it doing so well financially. Has any past production of Gypsy done this well? 

Updated On: 1/24/25 at 01:09 PM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/23/25 at 1:20pm

The Rural Juror said: "I’m also thrilled to see it doing so well financially. Has any past production of Gypsy done this well?"

Based on a quick scan of the grosses for the 2008 and 2003 revivals, they were never sell-out hits even in their final weeks. This revival is doing much better than I think a lot of folks were anticipating, though we’ll see if that momentum gets them into recoupment status. The combination of material, star, and word of mouth (which is quite good outside the message boards) is really taking the production into unprecedented territory for the history of this particular show.

Updated On: 1/23/25 at 01:20 PM

[binau]

Posted: 1/23/25 at 2:08pm

The 'show score' reviews have also gone up a lot since previews. I'm starting to wonder if this is what has happened here: a lot of cranky Gypsy die-hard enthusiasts, myself included, packed the theatre during previews. And yes, we were annoyed at the lights on during the overture, the seemingly slow pace and lack of innovation, and the apparent lack of ground breaking performances (except Audra at least I could rave about). But we are not normal people. I bet many people might be experiencing the show for the very first time, too. That's amazing! I'm jealous. Imagine if this was the first time you ever heard or saw Gypsy before? Regardless of the production Gypsy is still Gypsy. My claim is that if the shows grosses hold after approximately 12 weeks it'll prove whether the show has mass market interest and word of mouth. If the grosses start to dip after 12 weeks I would guess it's not really resonating outside theatre circles and go the same way as Follies (2011), War Paint (2017), Company (2021). 

Updated On: 1/23/25 at 02:08 PM

[VanillaIceCream2]

Posted: 1/23/25 at 11:09pm

Has anyone sat in a box for this production? I'm leaning away from purchasing a box ticket because I don't want to be so far to the side, but I'd like to consider all of my affordable-ish options. 

[DanS3]

Posted: 1/24/25 at 1:21pm

Saw this last night. Audra McDonald’s performance is a once in a lifetime experience. She was incredible. I’ve only seen the Bette Midler movie so cannot compare Audra to the others who have played the role on Broadway, but, I’ve never seen a performance as good. We saw Sunset Blvd on our trip as well and Nicole was amazing, but Audra’s performance is far more emotional (most of that is probably because there is more “acting” in this show). Loved her and the show!  Gypsy purists may find things to criticize, but newbies will be blown away.