CONFIRMED: Audra McDonald-led GYPSY to begin previews Nov 2024- Page 37

[OhHiii]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 5:53am

TBFL said: "Broadway Flash said: "They will need to bring in tons and tons of money if they want to recoup. This is going to be a big show. They have to get people to pay full price, no discount tickets. It’ll be interesting to see if Sunset Blvd ends up at Tkts"

Has there ever been a show at that theatre, that hasnt been at Tkts?"

….you mean the theatre that’s had the same show in it for 36 years that was famously catnip for tourists? 

[Strange Lupone]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 9:19am

The Producers — at least while the original cast was there.

 

Springsteen on Broadway.


But to your point — and given that theatre’s size, not really.

And this is the third time Sunset has played Broadway — and thus will have a star not really known outside certain circles.

 

[Kad]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 9:28am

Penna2 said: "
AND the show is called Gypsy, not Rose.”

Yes… Gypsy, and not Gypsy Rose Lee. It has a double meaning, as Rose is undeniably the main character. 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 9:47am

I’m comparing Sunset Blvd to Merrily in the sense that you have a buzzy revival with a star in it.  I wonder if Sunset was announced as a limited engagement, it would be better sold, as Merrily tickets seemed to fly by.  But Sunset is still selling well anyway, they will probably still have to go up on tkts to fill 1700 seats a night.   I could see them putting up balcony seats on TDF.   Into the woods was also announced as a limited engagement starring Sarah Bareilles and the box office did well. 

[Jjohansan]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 12:03pm

hmm

[Penna2]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 12:37pm

Kad said: "Penna2 said: "
AND the show is called Gypsy, not Rose.”

Yes… Gypsy, and not Gypsy Rose Lee. It has a double meaning, as Rose is undeniably the main character."

Gypsy is still Gypsy Rose Lee's autobiography. Rose Louise was writing about her mother, most definitely, but this is also the story of her evolution from a shy (unattractive and untalented...in comparison to her sister) to a star. It takes both women to make the show. You have to have a strong Louise to show the give and take between them...how the girl finally won the battle against the overbearing mother. 

[Soaring29]

Posted: 9/14/24 at 12:28am

The New Orleans concept seems weird to me as the show has the characters touring from place to place. 

[Soaring29]

Posted: 9/14/24 at 12:34am

singer234 said: "I had the same thought about her voice. I worry that this is a case of the “suttons” (aka an established musical theatre star who keeps taking on roles she’s not “right for” to push herself and because she wants to play them). Regardless, I doubt Audra would do it if she wasn’t sure she’d be brilliant, so I’m keeping an open mind!"

 

I think her voice will be fine- you hear her do a lot of strong mixing in her concert repertoire that will easily work here. It's an older style of belting for that part anyway, it's not a high belt role. 

 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 9/14/24 at 1:37am

I can’t wait for Sutton to do Gypsy.  She absolutely has to do it.  It’s the role she was born to play, possibly even more than Patti.  She’s too good of an actress and singer to be doing Mattress.  She comes out looking mediocre in it because the material is so terrible.  She was fabulous in Sweeney Todd! 

[TBFL]

Posted: 9/14/24 at 1:50am

OhHiii said: "TBFL said: "Broadway Flash said: "They will need to bring in tons and tons of money if they want to recoup. This is going to be a big show. They have to get people to pay full price, no discount tickets. It’ll be interesting to see if Sunset Blvd ends up at Tkts"

Has there ever been a show at that theatre, that hasnt been at Tkts?"

….you mean the theatre that’s had the same show in it for 36 years that was famously catnip for tourists?"

And that show is... ?

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 9/14/24 at 2:34am

I think she thought you were talking about the Majestic Theatre which is where The Phantom of the Opera played for 35 years, and is where Gypsy is going to be.  I’m assuming Sunset will be at tkts.  I thought they were going down the Merrily route of demanding a high ticket price with limited inventory, but it seems like they are trying to appeal to the masses.  I thought it would have been announced as a limited engagement but they haven’t done that either.  

[ChrisTyler1288]

Posted: 9/14/24 at 8:35am

Soaring29 said: "The New Orleans concept seems weird to me as the show has the characters touring from place to place."

Thank god somebody finally had the sense to say this. How can you change the “setting” of a show that doesn’t have a defined “setting”? You’re trying to tell me the concept of this show is Rose is only interested in breaking into the Vaudeville circuit in Louisiana? Doubtful. 

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/14/24 at 10:27am

ChrisTyler1288 said: "Soaring29 said: "The New Orleans concept seems weird to me as the show has the characters touring from place to place."

Thank god somebody finally had the sense to say this. How can you change the “setting” of a show that doesn’t have a defined “setting”? You’re trying to tell me the concept of this show is Rose is only interested in breaking into the Vaudeville circuit in Louisiana? Doubtful."

The only “source” for this was the ramblings of Broadway Flash. Virtually no one took it seriously and they were mocked for spouting such a strange and nonsensical claim when they first made it

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 9/14/24 at 10:36am

I will howl with laughter if this production is set in New Orleans.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 9/14/24 at 11:33am

At the start of this thread, nobody believed Broadway Flash when they persisted in saying that this production was even happening… so y’never know.

[Soaring29]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 8:50pm

Sutton still comes across as too young persona-wise but you know, the real Rose was younger than she is now when she got her kids into all this so I feel like the role could be played by younger actresses generally. We see young stage moms on shows like Toddler and Tiaras and in real life. The role has been played by older actors/character types for the most part which I think is a great thing but there should be more variety in casting. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 9:31pm

Also of note, Ethel Merman was only 50-51 when she created the role of Rose in the original Broadway production of GYPSY. Audra is 54, Lansbury was 49, Tyne Daly was 43, LuPone was 59, and Peters was 55. 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 11:09pm

If this Gypsy is a bust, I hope we get Sutton Foster Gypsy in a few short years just like the Peters to Lupone Gypsy. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 11:22pm

Someone like Lea Michele or Keala Settle or Da'vine Joy Randolph is, to me, a much much more interesting idea for Rose than Sutton Foster. Let Foster play Mame and Dolly and some of the other musical comedy leading ladies.

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 11:23pm

Broadway Flash said: "If this Gypsyis a bust, I hope we get Sutton Foster Gypsyin a few short years just like the Peters to Lupone Gypsy."

There was a lot more that went into that. Patti being famously banned from playing the role, and then being forgiven by Laurents who directed her in it to make up for his hatred of the Mendes' production was pretty much a once in a lifetime scenario. Patti was also close to aging out of the role. Updated On: 9/15/24 at 11:23 PM

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 11:36pm

Sutton Foster’s own mother was a show mom, and they had a VERY complicated relationship.  She had Sutton tapping in the womb. Sutton was cast in the chorus in the national tour of the Will Rogers Follies as a teenager.  Obviously, that’s very Louise, but she’d be perfect as Rose, it’s the role she was born to play.  Don’t be confused by her performance in Mattress, it’s dreadful material she’s dealing with.  Sutton is a brilliant singer, actress, and dancer, and quintessential Broadway star who absolutely must play Rose.  The score is perfect for her voice.  The role fits Sutton more than even Patti.  

Updated On: 9/15/24 at 11:36 PM

[Soaring29]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 11:53pm

I watched the Imelda Staunton version- I feel like she got misdirected because she overdoes it a lot. She's a great actress though.

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 11:55pm

People say Imelda was better in the theater, but her performance is horrific on that film.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/16/24 at 12:32am

ljay889 said: "Broadway Flash said: "If this Gypsyis a bust, I hope we get Sutton Foster Gypsyin a few short years just like the Peters to Lupone Gypsy."
There was a lot more that went into that. Patti being famously banned from playing the role, and then being forgiven by Laurents who directed her in it to make up for his hatred of the Mendes' production was pretty much a once in a lifetime scenario. Patti was also close to aging out of the role."

The other thing to remember is that both of those revivals lost money.

There was a brief trend in the 2000s where some major musicals received mixed-response revivals that the authors didn't love (GYPSY 03, LA CAGE 04, FIDDLER 04) and then were revived sooner than they should have been (in 2008, 2010, and 2015 respectively). And none of those productions made money. You could maybe lump FOLLIES (01 and 11) and a couple other titles in there too.

[Soaring29]

Posted: 9/16/24 at 1:57am

It seems like Riedel and Laurents ruined the 2003 revival of Gypsy, the former was particularly cruel.