Angela Lansbury in gypsy

I finally heard the cast recording of angela lansbury in gypsy. I think she played an Ok rose. What do you guys think of her performance or the cast recording?

I like her Rose, and Zan Charisse really makes Gypsy's numbers, esp the strip routine, come to life. I don't like the way the songs have been laid out for the recording: Combinging the Farmboys/Newsboys numbers into one montage is awful. The British accents, esp. Tulsa's, are distracting. (THis is a very American show!)

SO, I still prefer the Merman original overall. But Lansbury - while she doesn't quite have the voice for it - sure acts the hell out of it.

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It really does, but after all it was written especially fo her. Just as Mrs Lovett was written for Angie.

Of the other cast albums:

Tyne Daly - was in poor health and voice whne the 1989 cast album was made. (She was better in the theatre.) So its a write-off.

The Peters revival cast is good. Some hated her some adored her in the role. I think she gives a fanastic performance, but it's not what the role requres.

Of the two film soundtracks, neither is essential but the Rihno CD (Russell/Kirk) offers the best version of "Gimmick." Frankly I never cared for anything on the Bette Midler CD (though I do like the film itself.)

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Lansbury's was the first i heard, so i have a special love for it...i like how she sounds like she'll stick a shiv in anyone who gets between her kids & the stage!

& that Zan Charisse is great!
*very difficult* to listen to Sandra Church after hearing Charisse.

& i love the orchestrations, because they sound so over-the-top cartoony!

Do you remember how good Daly was?

When I saw her (the Saturday matinee before the day before the 1990 Tony Awards) she was brilliant. True she was not the singer Merman wS, or even Lasnbury but her acting more than compensated,. (Anyone who has seen her TV and stage performances would never doubt this.)

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Without a doubt Angela was a magnificent Rose. She acted the heck out of the part. With Merman you got the anger of Rose's Turn with Angela you got the frustration and feeling of a breakdown - it brought tears to your eyes. I have rarely seen as great a performance.

I have mixed feelings about the recording. The British accents throw me off and the orchestra does not sound great. But is has Angela playing the role with heart and passion.

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Updated On: 3/9/08 at 02:39 PM

Thanks for posting that video, Smaxie.

She really knocked it out of the park.

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The very first Broadway show I ever saw was Angela Lansbury's "Gypsy." She was magnificent. She played it with a sense of fun, similar to the way Patti LuPone is playing it. Tyne Daly sometimes performed the role wonderfully - I never thought anyone would top her performance until Patti - but once when I saw it, Tyne went on with laryngitis, which was taking the concept of "the show must go on a tiny bit too far," and her voice would give out during the numbers!

I sat through one performance of Bernadette Peters as Rose; once was enough. Between City Center and Broadway, I've seen Patti five times already. I saw Tyne Daly about ten times. I wish I could have seen Angela Lansbury twenty. Angela's "You Tube" clips of Gypsy are brilliant.

I saw Tyne Daly do "Gypsy" here in LA before it went to NYC. I think it was summer of 1989. She was terrible.....UGH!!!! Really, really bad.

Okay, here we go again about Gypsy. Having seen all its NYC incarnations and lived with the score for the past 49 years, I think all the Roses I've seen have brought something special to the role. In order:

MERMAN: FANFARE!!!! To my mind, the best (sorry 'bout that, Arthur Laurents). She was such a presence on stage with that INCREDIBLE voice. One of the great, great, great performances EVER and what the musical theatre is all about.

LANSBURY: Fine performance. What sticks out in my mind most is the sympathetic spin she put on Rose. AND she was really sexy -- "You'll Never Get Away From Me" a fantastic illustration -- there was no denying the sex appeal she brought to it.

DALY: Beautifully acted and really convincing in the breakdown scene at the end (she really registered some of the hurt that is Rose). Not the greatest vocalizing, but a terrific performance.

PETERS: IMO, got better as she went along. It seemed she was trying too hard in the First Act; the Second Act came together. I'd rate it commendable rather than overwhelming.

LUPONE: Best vocally since Merman. I still get tingles when I think of the reactions after "Everthing's Coming Up Roses" and "Rose's Turn." Dramatically, it was well on its way last year at Encores! and I look forward to seeing it again.

And, as for the media:

RUSSELL: Better than most people give her credit for. No, she was not up to the vocal demands and the dubbing of Lisa Kirk in parts is pretty obvious, particularly if you're familiar with Kirk's voice. But Roz was a damn good actress and played it to the hilt.

MIDLER: Least favorite of the lot. If I'd never seen the show before, I might be a little less critical -- but she struck me as too mannered.

Who's next? I'm looking forward to the 100th Anniversary production already!!

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Ed-

I really enjoyed reading your comments. Thank you for sharing!

Lanbury was the best Rose. Well sung, beautifully acted. Enough said.

I always thought she was an odd choice for the role but then I've seen clips and heard the recording and I thought she brought out different colors to the show

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