Something I've been thinking of: One of the very different things about the Audra revival and Patti revival in my opinion is the stature of each of the stars at the time was/is very different, which gave each production a completely different subtext.
People may not remember this but it didn't used to be as 'cool' to like Patti AT ALL - and there was much more rivarly in the Bernadette vs Patti debates. Patti was kind of seen by some of her detractors at the time as this distasteful belter who couldn't articulate her lyrics properly and didn't really have subtly in her acting. Bernadette was a darling of theatre lovers, her Gypsy practically bestowed upon her with the prestigious privilege of having Sam Mendes direct her fresh of 'Cabaret' and 'American Beauty' (who originally chose Patti actually but Arthur Laurents blocked this in his bitter feud with Patti who wouldn't do his play because she found the pay offer 'insulting'....and recommended Bernadette to Sam Mendes instead). This would be yet another role that Bernadette 'stole' from Patti - Patti having unsuccessfully tried to replace Bernadette in Sunday (Sondheim famously complaining that Patti was belting in her audition), was up for the Witch in Into the Woods ("negotiations broke down - and then Bernadette got everything I asked for" - according to Patti's book). Allegedly complained in personal circles (according to that New York gossip forum I forget the name) that Bernadette was doing "Annie Get Your Gun" and called Trevor Nunn about starring in "A Little Night Music", who 'never called her back' (Bernadette of course replacing CZJ in the revival). I've since tried to get the gossip from some people who have worked with Patti, and someone dished that Patti has always been jealous of Bernadette's beauty and success - allegedly at one of her concerts backstage mocking Bernadette's voice when she told Patti she couldn't wait to see Patti in her show. Patti also had her embarrassing failure of being fired by ALW in "Sunset".
While Bernadette had Gypsy practically handed to her - she had to fight against type and ultimately couldn't win everyone over. The NYTimes raved but had some mixed reviews and a mixed audience reaction (although Bernadette's Gypsy will likely run longer than Audra's and Patti's). Hilariously, Arthur Laurents himself ended up being very difficult complaining about Sam Mendes' direction during previews, reporting on having screaming matches and steering a show in a way behind the scenes that apparently was very difficult for Sam Mendes. In an interview, Bernadette's Tulsa said that Sam Mendes was annoyed that Arthur Laurents was blocking his choices - for example Sam Mendes wanted to have Bernadette's face dripping with make up and being completely ruined after "Rose's Turn" but Arthur Laurents wouldn't have it. Ultimately, the revival was met with a chilly reception for the production and the NyTimes even describes it as surprisingly pedestrian after Cabaret - but Arthur Laurents might have held it back.
This mixed reception left a gap for Patti to potentially have reason to do the role - Arthur Laurents' Patti 'ban' apparently didn't matter outside of New York and Lonny Price directed Patti in a concert version of Gypsy 'out of town'. At this stage Broadway was certainly not the expected end destination after the Bernadette revival closed something like 2-3 years earlier. Someone sent Arthur Laurents a bootleg of the three big songs "Some People", "Everything's Coming Up Roses", "Rose's Turn" and he was impressed. Eventually he changed his mind and took it upon himself as a retirement project to 'right the wrongs' of the Sam Mendes production and offer to direct Patti herself in a concert version of Gypsy off-broadway at City Center. I understand Lonny Price was disappointed but accepted the fate that no one can get in the way of Arthur Laurents and Gypsy.
You can see that unlike Bernadette, Patti was not 'handed' Gypsy she was practically fighting for it. The NyTimes gave a mixed review to Patti in her off-broadway debut, so at this point it was very unclear if a Broadway transfer would even happen - NYTimes "gave a diffuse, narcissistic performance that seemed to be watching itself in a mirror." She was undeniably Patti with an exclamation point". However, the audience reaction was generally positive. People seemed to recognise that the role fit Patti like a glove and almost no one was complaining about her vocals. Plus, the wider cast seemed to be capturing 'lightning in a bottle' in a way that was not quite there in the Mendes revival. People didn't seem to mind that the Patti production was very, very cheaply mounted - in fact it allowed people apparently to 'focus on the performances'. Arthur Laurents found extreme ways to cut costs, such as getting rid of any literal lambs and replacing them with stuffed animals. And having extremely minimal and cheap sets.
Eventually, I believe Scott Rudin (of course) who was Arthur Laurents' 'best friend' (why is it not surprising that nasty people get along?) made the transfer to Broadway happen. Patti was very insecure about the NyTimes review - I understand at one point she didn't even want to have an opening night. In a shocking turn of events, the NYTimes gave a rave to Patti and said they'd 'eat their hat' (which I think Patti's husband if I recall told her backstage to great relief). Now, after all this Bernadette rivarly and losing out to the Sam Mendes Gypsy, after being fired from Sunset, after overcoming a previously mixed NYTimes review, Patti finally had overcome all obstacles and was in a production of 'Gypsy' that had the same kind of perfect casting you might have felt with Alice Ripley in next to normal or Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens.
To have Patti sing "Rose's Turn" had the same kind of subtle mirroring effect of reflecting her own personal career struggles the way that Nicole Scherzinger's performance in "Sunset Boulevard" does. WELLLL, SOMEONE TELL ME WHEN IS IT MY TURN? DON'T I GET A DREAM FOR MYSELF. And it felt like a stunning achievement for Patti to defy all odds to star in this production so soon after the last revival, win a 2nd Tony award at least - IT'S BEEN 29 YEARS she screamed as the Tony band tried to play her out (Patti says publicly she believed she deserved to win for Sweeney and Anything Goes).
Audra's Gypsy is much more like Bernadette's Gypsy than Patti's Gypsy. She wants to do the role after Gavin Creel suggested she do it at a social occasion - and apparently can find the best in the business to mount a lavish revival straight on Broadway to great expense around her. She is at the peak of career respect and achievement. However, she DOES have to fight against vocal type which she knows and acknowledges is a stress (in the recent George Clooney interview).
HOWEVER, when Audra sings "WELLLLL SOMEONE TELL ME WHEN IS IT MY TURN" it doesn't really have the same effect as Patti's. In a strange way, if would take losing the Tony for Audra's Rose to have this kind of subtext.
The last thing I'll say is that the public stories for how each actress became interested to do the role is completely different. Bernadette has always known she wanted to play the role and wanted to make it happen. She was in the national tour of Gypsy and described hearing the Rose sing "Some People" as a child and wanted to do it. She gave an 'audition' of Some People at Carnegie Hall (with much greater vocal power than what she could eventually achieve in the show because her voice was peaking around 199
but according to the concert Director Richard J Alexander's podcast Bernadette is a 'complex' person and was very anxious backstage because she said she wanted to play the role and was afraid if she messed up the performance it would stop her doing the role. Bernadette also described the role as like going through therapy and found the experience very important for her.
Both Patti and Audra insist that the only reason they are doing the role is because others suggested they would be good for it. You can tell by her reaction that Patti loves challenging the perception that she was desperate for the role and her ego much prefers the narrative (which I'm sure is likely the reality but still) that she only did the role because others could see her immense talent meant she HAD to do the role and that it was practically forced upon her because the world just had to see it!111.
The backstage stories behind 'Gypsy' are part of the amazing saga and legacy of this show!
Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.
Updated On: 4/25/25 at 02:26 AM
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