Posted: 7/27/18 at 3:36pm
JBC3 said: "I wonder if it would work for/at Chicago Shakespeare or Goodman as both have fairly large subscriber bases."
Chicago Shakespeare did it in 2014 with Louise Pitre. 
Posted: 7/27/18 at 7:09pm
broadwaysfguy said: "ive been to a lot of music circus productions,,they are very good most of the time for regional productions, and are a LONG ways from a broadway level production. The head of music circus is a great guy and really fills a need in the sacramento area and the theatre in the round there is well constructed and delivered a lot of musicals to folks that dont get much quality except for touring broadway shows...
i would subscribe if it wasnt a 2 plus hour drive.
would like to see carolee this weekend, and when you add the 5 hour drive round trip you gotta really want it so i will just wish her well on this one...."
BART to Amtrak? It's worth it :) - and you get to let someone else drive while you relax! As someone that lives in Sacramento, and often has to trek to SF to see shows, I love that we have this every summer! I've been a subscriber off and on for a few years and always really impressed with what they are able to do on that stage.
And I agree that it's always wild to see the performers that are in multiple shows each season. Finishing one while rehearsing the next and preparing for the third (or fourth...)
Posted: 7/27/18 at 9:23pm
adamgreer said: "The production isn’t what interests people here. It’s the performance.
Of course this will never go near Broadway. I’m sure if she wanted she could play it regionally elsewhere. I’d love for Papermill to bring her in to do the show, but they seem to want to only do out of town tryouts for shows that claim to be “Broadway bound” these days.
I doubt this will be the last time Carmello has the opportunity to play this role, but her next chance certainly won’t be on Broadway."
Yeah, this is pretty much what I meant, and worded poorly earlier. My interest is in seeing Carolee perform as Mama Rose; the rest of the production is secondary to me (which is unusual, because I am typically someone who comments on the tech elements first and performances second when I'm picking shows).
Posted: 7/29/18 at 4:45am
Best and funniest “moo moo moo moo” I’ve heard, and I’ve seen lots (Angela Lansbury’s Gypsy, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Christine Andreas).
Carmello was fantastic and her Rose’s Turn was satisfying, right through the now de rigeur maniacal bowing after the audience has stopped clapping.
Dancing with Herbie (most believable one I’ve seen) was sexiest since Bette Midler. And top notch acting. The audience gasped loudly when she told Louise she would make her a star at the end of Act I.
Updated On: 7/29/18 at 04:45 AM
Posted: 7/29/18 at 6:21am
MS. Carmello is the grand dame of her generation but she missed a generation. In terms of age, she just missed the grand years of Ms. peters and the lady who doesn't know how to act, Ms Lupone (how this woman who is one of the worst actors made it as far as she did is incredible).
Its really too bad that she isn't a household name. Ms. Carmelo is one of the best performers broadway has to offer right now and more kids know who the leads of "be more chill" are (who sing in that whiny horrible american idol voice) than Ms Carmelo who is just epic in everything that she does.
Posted: 7/29/18 at 11:51am
This production looks leagues better than the Muny production that just posted clips. Although, I love the casting of the strippers in the Muny production.
Posted: 7/29/18 at 12:13pm
ljay889 said: "This production looks leagues better than the Muny production that just posted clips. Although, I love the casting of the strippers in the Muny production."
Leavel's voice sounded sort of strained/tired in those clips (not that a show should ever be fully judged by short video clips). It's amazing they could put the show up with like 10 rehearsals.
Updated On: 7/29/18 at 12:13 PM
Posted: 7/29/18 at 12:22pm
ladypresent said: "MS. Carmello is the grand dame of her generation but she missed a generation. In terms of age, she just missed the grand years of Ms. peters and the lady who doesn't know how to act, Ms Lupone (how this woman who is one of the worst actors made it as far as she did is incredible).
Its really too bad that she isn't a household name. Ms. Carmelo is one of the best performers broadway has to offer right now and more kids know who the leads of "be more chill" are (who sing in that whiny horrible american idol voice) than Ms Carmelo who is just epic in everything that she does."
Not to get off topic in this thread, and while I agree with you about Carmello, Patti can act circles around Bernadette. Bernadette is great when she plays the right role, but LuPone is by far the stronger actress.
Posted: 7/30/18 at 9:56pm
I’m late to post, and I think this show has closed already, but I still wanted to share a few thoughts. The performance was stunningly good. Carolee Carmello was just as electrifying as Mama Rose as she was as Mrs. Lovett. I too was taken with the collective audible gasp from the audience when she turned her attention on Louise. That was a moment to remember! The rest of the cast was terrific too, as was the orchestra. Thrilling!
I do think the show was hampered some by the theater in the round. There were many times I could not see the character’s faces when it mattered. I kept thinking how even more glorious this would be on a regular stage. The sets were serviceable, actually sometimes quite clever for the setting, but again necessarily limited. I was bothered some by the running up and down the aisles during the scene changes (though also somewhat impressed by the amazing effort). None of this dampened my joy.
I loved that the entry courtyard to the theater is filled with food and drink carts, making it a fun place to hang out before. If I had known that was there, I might have just had a cheeseburger dinner there. The staff there was also wonderfully welcoming.
Getting there from San Francisco was also fun! I took Amtrak from Emeryville for $58 round-trip. Amtrak parking is $5 a day, in the garage where Sho-Tunes-R-Us lives! (Or you can take BART to Richmond.) It’s a nice, relaxing ride. The Sacramento station is a 20-minute walk to the theater, or a quick bus or Uber ride. Recommended!
Posted: 7/31/18 at 4:45am
Posted: 7/31/18 at 6:58am
Posted: 7/31/18 at 11:02am
I was just wondering, will Gypsy still be revived on Broadway every 10-20 years or is the fact that Patti did it five years after Bernadette put the nail on another Gypsy revival on Broadway for a very long time and it will now only be done regionally like many other classic shows. If there is another revival, who will do it? Sutton Foster?
Posted: 7/31/18 at 3:31pm
I guess it depends on the outcome - if someone is producing this thinking it will make $$ I doubt we'll see it on Broadway in the next 10 years. But perhaps 20. If someone is producing this not expecting to make a $$ then who knows how soon it could happen.
Posted: 7/31/18 at 4:14pm
I have a feeling we're not going to see a major revival of GYPSY for quite a while. That show needs a special kind of leading lady, and there aren't many women who could pull it off AND sell tickets.
From the musical theatre world... Audra could probably surprise us all like she did with Lady Day. Sutton Foster? Idina Menzel? Cynthia Erivo in 15-20 years?
There are tons of women from the film/TV world who could act the heck out of the role (Laurie Metcalf, Nicole Kidman, Frances McDormand, Sarah Paulson, Viola Davis, Annette Bening, Janet McTeer, etc) but who knows if they could even carry a tune?
Posted: 7/31/18 at 7:15pm
I am of the opinion that it's never too soon to do another Gypsy revival. This, along with Hello, Dolly! should just always stay on Broadway with a revolving door of excellent leading ladies and guest stars. I also really want to see Carolee's take on both of these roles ugh
Sutton Foster would totally kill as Mama Rose but probably not for another 10 years. She still reads too young on stage (and on TV, for that matter). And yes, she would have box office draw with correct advertising.
Posted: 8/1/18 at 12:29am
