GYPSY 1989 revival

[David10086]

Posted: 8/7/17 at 8:49pm

I have a few questions about the GYPSY 1989 revival if anyone can shed some light for me...

I was able to see Tyne Daly in May, 1991. It was a show I didn't want to see at the time (POTO was all the rage and we couldn't get tickets and we were so disappointed) but got tickets by default. Long story short - it was probably the most memorable night in the theater for me, as I loved every second. It was not Tyne Daly I saw - but Mama Rose. One of my top theater experiences in the past 30 years.

So my question is - I know Daly left towards the end of 1990, and Linda Lavin took over. I had heard at the time, through friends in the theater circles, that Lavin was awful and the box office dropped. So my first question - did anyone catch Lavin in the show?  Was she really that bad?

I also heard at the time that when Daly left the show, it was running in the 'black' for investors, and when Lavin finished in early 1991, it was in 'the red'. The producers asked Daly to come back for a limited run (I think 4 months?) to help put them in the black again, and she did - and the show ended up making it's money back by the time she left in 1991. Does anyone else recall this story as the reason Daly came back (and it moved to the Marquis Theater)? 

As always, your thoughts and memories are appreciated! 

 

[EthelMae]

Posted: 8/7/17 at 9:07pm

I had (and have loved) Linda Lavin in so many shows that it was with regret that I found her to be so disappointing in Gypsy. Daly is no singer but Lavin's voice was hard to listen to. I loved Daly so much in that production that this return visit was a tough sit thru. 

I hadn't heard that story about Daly returning to the show at the Marquis later to make make money it had lost. But it makes sense.

Updated On: 8/7/17 at 09:07 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 8/7/17 at 9:34pm

Frank Rich makes some interesting observations in his pan of Linda Lavin's Rose.

Linda Lavin Takes Her Turn as Mama Rose

[yfs]

Posted: 8/7/17 at 10:11pm

Daly definitely came back. She closed the show at the St. James, as I recall, and moved with it to the Marquis where it ran about three months. Whether this made the difference between profit and loss I don't know, but the production toured quite extensively before it opened, and recouped a lot of its investment prior to the Broadway run. Daly was devastating in that show. 

 

 

[DAME]

Posted: 8/7/17 at 11:17pm

She really was bad in it.  And I love Linda.  Not only was her voice unbearable but her performance was full of bad habits that she couldn't hide.  Like facial ticks and always having to be busy with her hands,  There was a picture of her as Mama in the front entrance of the St James and someone had carved the word "bad" across her face.  It was like that for a few weeks.  It's always haunted me.  Hopefully karma slapped who ever did that really bad.

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

Posted: 8/7/17 at 11:32pm

When I saw the advertisement for Tyne Daly in "Gypsy", I believed it to be a huge joke.  I love the show and bought balcony tickets New Year's Eve weekend.  Her performance floored me, "Everything's Coming Up Roses" scared the holy hell out of me and her "Rose's Turn" was beyond amazing.  I really wish that she had done the CBS film instead of Bette Midler.  It was definitely one of the best Broadway expierenced in my life...

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 12:01am

It was interesting reading the other comments, because I didn't love Tyne Daly as Rose. I only saw her once, but I just didn't get all the praise.

On the one hand, I thought Tyne Daly overacted; on the other hand, I felt that Linda Lavin was just bland.  I never even noticed the ticks...just thought there wasn't much energy (could have been the performance) and remember asking myself 'how could such a talented performer be so uninteresting'?

I thought both of their voices were severely limited, not hard to believe when their two predecessors were Ethel Merman and Angela Lansbury, who was in incredible voice the 5 times that I saw her as Rose.

I have always wondered what my opinion of Daly's performance would have been had I not seen Lansbury.

PS -- I am one of the minority who thought that Bernadette Peters was excellent.  In fact, I think it may have been the best performance I have seen her give, and I have seen many since seeing On The Town 44 years ago.

 

[Producer2]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 1:09am

Tyne Daly left the show, took a well deserved rest, made a TV movie as a thinner blonde and was committed to open the show in London with her costar Jonathan Hadary as Linda Lavin took over on Broadway.  Linda Lavin closed the Broadway show before the winter slump set in, the Gulf War was going on and the London production was canceled.  Instead of trashing everything, they reopened on Broadway with Tyne in the spring at the Marquis and hoped for a long run which was only a few months.

 

 

Updated On: 8/8/17 at 01:09 AM

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 1:12am

Here are some youtube links to Lavin's performance in the show- 

https://youtu.be/gyvlr7pvoZk Rose's Turn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0MDvT1Qyxk. Everything's Coming Up Roses 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucelmzykiTc Some People from a Julie Styne TV Special 

As a big fan of the show, 'Lavin-gate' has always piqued my interest. I never thought I would be able to gage, for myself, what her performance was like. Well, for better or worse, god bless youtube. All I can say is that it must have been ....quite an interesting evening at the theatre. 

 

[DAME]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 1:30am

I couldn't sit thru even the first clip.  Too painful.  I am sure she would rather forget all this.  But I wonder if she has ever talked about it? 

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 8:50am

I saw the 1989 revival of Gypsy 9 times.  Seven with Tyne Daly, once with Jana Robbins (wonderful), and once with Linda Lavin.  It was my first exposure to the show.  I loved Tyne and this production.  Linda Lavin is a whole other story.  A good friend of mine and I still talk about her performance to this day.  I thought she was going to be good, but she was the exact opposite.  I can still hear her yelling "bah dah bum" during "Rose's Turn."

[David10086]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 9:14am

ChgoTheatreGuy said: "When I saw the advertisement for Tyne Daly in "Gypsy", I believed it to be a huge joke.  I love the show and bought balcony tickets New Year's Eve weekend.  Her performance floored me, "Everything's Coming Up Roses" scared the holy hell out of me and her "Rose's Turn" was beyond amazing.  I really wish that she had done the CBS film instead of Bette Midler.  It was definitely one of the best Broadway expierenced in my life..."

I could have written this post myself! I mean when Daly was near my aisle seat yelling "Sing out, Louise! Sing out!" I sat up straight and knew we were in for a real Broadway show. The 'joke' of Daly in the starring role turned out to be one of the most memorable, exciting, best Broadway experiences in my life as well. I still remember it like it was last month - and it was 26 years ago. (And I have no problem with her Cast recording - I love it.)

[nealb1]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 10:30am

I saw Tyne in "Gypsy" here in Los Angeles in July 1989 at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion before the show went to NYC.  My friend and I were so looking forward to seeing it.  Needless to say, we didn't care for Tyne at all.  We thought she was pretty bad.  Then she won the Tony - who knew?

Flash forward to Oct 1990, and I was in NYC and wanted to see Linda Lavin in it, but she was out that night and I saw Jana Robbins.  And, she was very good.  And, I remember an extremely talented newsboy.........Tony Yazbeck.......Even at that young age, he was fantastic!

[David10086]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 2:07pm

I do recall two things from an interview with Daly (about 15+ years ago on Larry King Live, I think)...

 

1. She was shocked and very disappointed that the television movie went to Midler, and not her. She recalled the meetings she had with the CBS honchos after her return in 1991, and how excited they were to make this movie for their network, with her starring in it. She was thrilled too, as CBS was 'her home for many years' (as she said) and she had a loyal fanbase. She felt betrayed when she read in the papers that Midler was going to star in the movie, and not her. 

2. Impressed with her 'Mama Rose', Andrew Lloyd Webber  wanted her for 'Sunset Boulevard' as a replacement 'Norma Desmond' on Broadway. She loved the show, but had to refuse. Physically, she found it would be too intense to run up and down that grand staircase several times a show, performing eight times a week. She swore off such musicals like that when she finished 'Gypsy'. 

[TheSassySam]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 2:15pm

Linda Lavin looks like Miss Hannigan trying to play Rose.

[nealb1]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 2:31pm

David10086, check out this clip at the 5:00 mark when Tyne discusses the tv movie "Gypsy."  She completely understands why she didn't get it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntGYwiggLN8

[David10086]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 3:14pm

Never saw that before - wonder if it was before or after the interview I saw with Larry King (I believe it was Larry King - I remember videotaping this long ago...it may have been in late 90s; I know it was after SB closed). Thanks for the link!!

 

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 8:00pm

DAME said: "I couldn't sit thru even the first clip.  Too painful.  I am sure she would rather forget all this.  But I wonder if she has ever talked about it? 

 

"

To my knowledge, she's never openly discussed it.

I can't think of anyone who has been more ripped to shreds than Lavin was for Gypsy. As Morosco pointed out, Frank Rich called her "a scrappy, pugnacious terrier snapping at everyone's heels."

Yeesh. Not wrong, but OUCH. 

 

[David10086]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 8:18pm

If I'm not mistaken, Lavin at one time did defend herself - and her performance. She said in at least one interview (to reporter Frank Evans):

"I did love doing it. I got a note from June Havoc with a picture of her mother. She said she was small and petite and sexy and seductive and she validated what I had done" 

Here is Frank Rich's review for those who never read it:

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/18/theater/review-theater-linda-lavin-takes-her-turn-as-mama-rose.html

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 8:25pm

^ well at least it wasn't all for nothing. Now that you mention that, I do remember seeing/reading that somewhere. 

If anyone knows if any footage that exists on youtube of Crista Moore's Louise, I'd be very interested to see it. 

Arthur Laurents (usually quite the curmudgeon when reminiscing about Gypsy) called her "incandescent" in one of his books, so I'd love to see/read more about her performance. 

Updated On: 8/8/17 at 08:25 PM

[Bette's Turban]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 8:27pm

Does anyone remember who replaced Jonathan Hadary?  When I saw Lavin in it I believe he was already gone.  But Frank Rich mentions him in his Lavin review.  Was it Harry Guardino?

[David10086]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 8:29pm

I thought Moore was great - played off very nicely with Tyne Daly.   I really believed they were a mother - daughter team on stage, not two actresses playing Mother and Daughter. 

[ComingUpRoses2]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 8:32pm

Daly, to me, was perfection as Rose. I've never seen a funnier, more salt-of-the-earth Rose in my life. It wasn't a big grandiose performance as so many tend to do when they play the character (a la Bette Milder, who rarely seems like a human being in her version). She felt like a real person and she was complicated, hilarious, pathetic, charming, terrifying, and heartbreaking. While she didn't have the ideal singing voice for it, you sort of forgot about it. I've never seen anything like it.

Linda Lavin sounded like a terrific idea on paper, but...I don't really know what went wrong. She had moments that were very good, but something was off and I've never been able to put my finger on it. Maybe she tried too hard? It's funny, because that clip of her singing "Some People" is, in my opinion, a damn near definitive version of the song. I love the way it starts small and builds. It's not a raging, angry version, but wistful - it gets you on Rose's side immediately. When you saw her do it in the show, it was completely different. It was the usual, angrier version you see all the time. Maybe Arthur Laurents directed her that way and she felt stuck in his vision?

Whatever happened, it was a fairly dull night in the theatre. I've never seen "Rose's Turn" land with such a thud before (as you can see in that clip). I still don't know why it didn't work. 

[DAME]

Posted: 8/8/17 at 8:32pm

 

"Does anyone remember who replaced Jonathan Hadary?  When I saw Lavin in it I believe he was already gone.  But Frank Rich mentions him in his Lavin review.  Was it Harry Guardino?"

 

Jamie Ross replaced Jonathan Hadary.  He also replaced Harry Guardino in Woman Of The Year. 

Updated On: 8/8/17 at 08:32 PM

[lovebwy]

Posted: 8/9/17 at 12:24am

I haven't read the other responses yet, but I saw Lavin. She wasn't very memorable. She underplayed it, with an Irish brogue. The least exciting Rose's Turn I've ever witnessed. I like her in other things, but she really was not very good in this.