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.