GYPSY Previews- Page 15

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 12:37pm

I think that theater more than film is open to mixtures of color blind and race conscious casting as Wolfe’s production is. It’s similar to productions that play with different period settings in the same play or non-traditional gender casting.

That doesn’t mean it will always work but I think this is an ongoing project in the theater and I think Wolfe and Co. do some beautiful and haunting things with these layerings that add up and others that don’t. 

https://singleticket.substack.com/p/gypsy

 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 12:42pm

Jvj24605 said: "QueenAlice said: "It's Louise's dressing room and the set upstages the scene that plays on it."

Louise's opulent dressing room features a stunning portrait of Gypsy Rose Lee that contrasts with the "Look Rich, Feel Rich" billboard/mural that loomsin the background during the (I think) Together, Wherever scene.

Louise is surrounded by a degree of luxurythat Rose could only have dreamed of. I think the set design perfectly helps feedthe disappointment, fury, and pathos that Audra unleashes in hersubsequent Rose's Turn."

Well the set piece distracts from the scene. Which is more important to the story. So... And sorry, yes dressing room. I dunno why I hung on to the word apartment lol.

Updated On: 11/25/24 at 12:42 PM

[Jvj24605]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 12:45pm

OhHiii said: "Jvj24605 said: "QueenAlice said: "It's Louise's dressing room and the set upstages the scene that plays on it."

Louise's opulent dressing room features a stunning portrait of Gypsy Rose Lee that contrasts with the "Look Rich, Feel Rich" billboard/mural that loomsin the background during the (I think) Together, Wherever scene.

Louise is surrounded by a degree of luxurythat Rose could only have dreamed of. I think the set design perfectly helps feedthe disappointment, fury, and pathos that Audra unleashes in hersubsequent Rose's Turn."

Well the set piece distracts from the scene. Which is more important to the story. So..."

And I THINK the set designs further adds to and embellishes the many layers of the story.  So....

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 2:08pm

CurtainsUpat8 said: "I am a playwright with published works. "Gypsy" was written about the experiences of a white woman in a certain situation in a specific time and place. That experience would be different if the character was Black in the same situation and time and place. It would be written differently. You can't shoehorn the two experiences together. It doesn't do anyone any good.
Write a new Gypsy from a Black characters experience. So many of you are just reactive to anything racial and you are so sure that any show can be done by anyone. Yes, it can.. but it's not always going to work...
Write more shows for black people, that truly show the black experience. Gyspy ain't that. Neither are a lot of other shows that are being produced today. You pick a 75 year old show about white people and you wonder why things don't seem right with this new production. Something is off."

Obviously the show would be written differently if the characters were intended to be black, but I really dislike the mindset of "write a new show instead of doing this one." It ignores the obvious issues with modern Broadway producing that a revival of a beloved classic is inherently going to be more enticing that an unknown property - and unfortunately that's even more weighed down by the ghosts of A Strange Loop, which - while critically successful - flopped financially.

I LOVE seeing bold productions of classic shows that make me re-think and re-interrogate the scripts. I would see a production of A Streetcar Named Desire where Blanche was a refugee from Mars in a heartbeat. Some of my absolute favorite productions - the last revival of The Glass Menagerie, which I know was divisive on here, but I found to be a revelation, and Fish's Oklahoma! - were productions that made bold choices with existing material and unearthed new complexities in them and left the scripts virtually intact. Van Hove's Hedda Gabler remains one of my favorite pieces of directing I've ever seen. Even this year's Sunset BLVD is playing with contrasting directorial visions in ways that are both brilliant and ridiculous - sometimes at the same time. Does this mean that there should never be straight-forward productions of the shows again? No, but these productions force you to see them in a new way.

For all of its flaws, this Gypsy is playing with some really great things and exploring what it means for black bodies to inhabit these characters. Does it work all the time? No. Is there a lot of clarifying and fixing to be done throughout previews? Yes. But why not go for it and dive headfirst into an exploration of what this show means in 2024 with our more complex understandings of race and biases in America? It's a fable, not a biography.

I promise you, in 15/20 years, Gypsy will be back on Broadway. You will see it again - this isn't the last production it will ever have. The Mendes production didn't doom the material for all time. This production will work for some and not others. Maybe parts of it will work for you and not others. This board is a place to share each of our thoughts on the production.

Regardless of my qualms about the production (and I have many), I love that this show - and this production, with this vision - is on Broadway.

Updated On: 11/25/24 at 02:08 PM

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 2:11pm

BWAY Baby2 said: "The goal of the color blind casting- so prominent now in all sectors of show business- is to cast someone in a role who can act the role- regardless of their racial identity. Audra is not playing a BLACK woman- she is acting and singing a role as it is written- it is not a story about race and discrimination during the Burlesque era- so why would you expect it to be just because Audra was cast. Race is not broached in Gypsy- and in many shows- but many other subjects are explored. It is pointless to view every show through the lens of race just because a POC is playing that role."

This isn't a color-blind production. The casting is intentional and it articulates the themes Wolfe and the team are trying to explore through Laurents' script.

[yyys]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 2:31pm

Does Audra have a gay following? I noticed a lot of gay men this past weekend....or is it that just because gay men love Gypsy?

Updated On: 11/25/24 at 02:31 PM

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 2:40pm

yyys said: "Does Audra have a gay following? I noticed a lot of gay men this past weekend....or is it that just because gay men love Gypsy?"

 

Sigh.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 2:55pm

Sally Durant Plummer said: "CurtainsUpat8 said: "I am a playwright with published works. "Gypsy" was written about the experiences of a white woman in a certain situation in a specific time and place. That experience would be different if the character was Black in the same situation and time and place. It would be written differently. You can't shoehorn the two experiences together. It doesn't do anyone any good.
Write a new Gypsy from a Black characters experience. So many of you are just reactive to anything racial and you are so sure that any show can be done by anyone. Yes, it can.. but it's not always going to work...
Write more shows for black people, that truly show the black experience. Gyspy ain't that. Neither are a lot of other shows that are being produced today. You pick a 75 year old show about white people and you wonder why things don't seem right with this new production. Something is off."

Obviously the show would be written differently if the characters were intended to be black, but I really dislike the mindset of "write a new show instead of doing this one." It ignores the obvious issues with modern Broadway producing that a revival of a beloved classic is inherently going to be more enticing that an unknown property - and unfortunately that's even more weighed down by the ghosts of A Strange Loop, which - while critically successful - flopped financially.

I LOVE seeing bold productions of classic shows that make me re-think and re-interrogate the scripts. I would see a production of A Streetcar Named Desire where Blanche was a refugee from Mars in a heartbeat. Some of my absolute favorite productions - the last revival of The Glass Menagerie, which I know was divisive on here, but I found to be a revelation, and Fish's Oklahoma! - were productions that made bold choices with existing material and unearthed new complexities in them and left the scripts virtually intact. Van Hove's Hedda Gabler remains one of my favorite pieces of directing I've ever seen. Even this year's Sunset BLVD is playing with contrasting directorial visions in ways that are both brilliant and ridiculous - sometimes at the same time. Does this mean that there should never be straight-forward productions of the shows again? No, but these productions force you to see them in a new way.

For all of its flaws, this Gypsy is playing with some really great things and exploring what it means for black bodies to inhabit these characters. Does it work all the time? No. Is there a lot of clarifying and fixing to be done throughout previews? Yes. But why not go for it and dive headfirst into an exploration of what this show means in 2024 with our more complex understandings of race and biases in America? It's a fable, not a biography.

I promise you, in 15/20 years, Gypsy will be back on Broadway. You will see it again - this isn't the last production it will ever have. The Mendes production didn't doom the material for all time. This production will work for some and not others. Maybe parts of it will work for you and not others. This board is a place to share each of our thoughts on the production.

Regardless of my qualms about the production (and I have many), I love that this show - and this production, with this vision - is on Broadway."

This, all of this. Follow the advice in Sally's signature and take a ****in' Valium, the lot of you.

[FolliesCabaret]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 3:33pm

CurtainsUpat8 said: "I am a playwright with published works. "Gypsy" was written about the experiences of a white woman in a certain situation in a specific time and place. That experience would be different if the character was Black in the same situation and time and place. It would be written differently. You can't shoehorn the two experiences together. It doesn't do anyone any good.
Write a new Gypsy from a Black characters experience. So many of you are just reactive to anything racial and you are so sure that any show can be done by anyone. Yes, it can.. but it's not always going to work...
Write more shows for black people, that truly show the black experience. Gyspy ain't that. Neither are a lot of other shows that are being produced today. You pick a 75 year old show about white people and you wonder why things don't seem right with this new production. Something is off."

Do black people not deserve escapism? Does any production with a mostly black cast have to incorporate racism into its plot do make it "work" for you? Art isn't a car. It doesn't work or not work. It literally just is. Perhaps it doesn't "work" for you, but I don't believe you've seen it. You just think being a playwright means you can tout some kind of authority. I saw the first preview, had some issues, but loved this production. Especially knowing that if that was just the first preview, and with a longer preview period, this might grow into one of the best revivals of the season. I was so happy to see a June that looked like me and a Rose that looked like my mother in one of my favorite musicals of all time. In a world where you can suspend your disbelief to see and enjoy people breaking out into song, how can you not suspend your disbelief to be able to sit and let this story unfold with a black family. Do black people in your eyes need to come with trauma in order for you to digest us? 

Updated On: 11/25/24 at 03:33 PM

[Sleeper2]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 3:41pm

Oy.

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 4:07pm

yyys said: "Does Audra have a gay following? I noticed a lot of gay men this past weekend....or is it that just because gay men love Gypsy?"

 

They're in an abusive relationship with Gypsy.

[CurtainsUpat8]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 4:29pm

You know.... a play or musical belongs to the WRITER(S) of that show.   Not the Director or anyone else. I'm not a fan of "blind casting" because... we aren't blind. Words have meanings. Playwrights don't just pull them out of their asses. Again, this musical was written for a specific woman and her family and they are all white.  Why doesn't "blind casting" ever work in reverse?  Can we cast a white Dorothy in the Wiz? Or a white actor as CoalHouse Walker?  No, it would be a betrayal of the playwright.  And audiences, like most of the people here, would have a lot to say about that and rightfully so.  I have people writing me to ask me if females can play the male characters in my show that I have published. I say NO everytime. I don't care about losing royalties.

The decendents of some of these authors are greedy and should be ashamed of themselves.  They don't care what happens with the material as long as they are collecting huge dividends. I am not really talkiing about Gypsy with this comment. It's a general comment.

When you rent a script... you are not even allowed to change a STAGE DIRECTION if it's written in the published script. Of course, I don't agree with that... but the script belongs to the Playwright. Not the Director.

As for Strange Loop... It failed because it was an incredibly awful musical. It was a MESS.  I don't care if it won the Pulitzer and the Tony. It was an awful musical on all levels, aside from the amazing actors. The script, the music and lyrics, were terrible.

I couldn't be more liberal.  But I have been in this business a long, long time. It's not evolving... it's devolving. It's going backwards.

And yes, Hamilton is brilliant and the casting works incredibly well because it was WRITTEN THAT WAY....  See how that works? It was the intention of the author and he created the piece in a specific way.
You want to know why Kamala lost and Trump won?  I was fully supportive of Kamala. Because people look at bull**** like the 1776 from a few years ago and think it's ridiculous.  Again, I could not be more liberal but some of what happens on Broadway is absurd. I agree with Bill Maher, who is also a progressive, if you watch him. Some liberals are bat**** crazy.

I suggest before you disparage me., you self reflect on what I am saying.

PS... Wicked also sucks! lol  Terrible musical.

 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 4:31pm

You are an idiot and an ass.

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 4:38pm

Live theater is not a mausoleum artform. It's not like film where once it's made it can be shown over and over again for all of eternity in the exact same way it was originally presented. Theater changes and evolves and the writers of theater understand this. It's hilarious that you don't even understand the nature of what this medium is.

And I hate to break it to you, but you're actually a conservative! Very conservative! And your "hot take" on art is reactionary and boring!

Updated On: 11/25/24 at 04:38 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 4:46pm

“You want to know why Kamala lost?”

Attitudes like yours stop people from seeing a woman of color as “presidential”, that’s why!

It’s all YOUR fault, not ours.

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 4:52pm

CurtainsUpat8 said: "You know.... a play or musical belongs to the WRITER(S) of that show. Not the Director or anyone else. I'm not a fan of "blind casting" because... we aren't blind. Words have meanings. Playwrights don't just pull them out of their asses. Again, this musical was written for a specific woman and her family and they are all white. Why doesn't "blind casting" ever work in reverse? Can we cast a white Dorothy in the Wiz? Or a white actor as CoalHouse Walker? No, it would be a betrayal of the playwright. And audiences, like most of the people here, would have a lot to say about that and rightfully so. I have people writing me to ask me if females can play the male characters in my show that I have published. I say NO everytime. I don't care about losing royalties.

The decendents of some of these authors are greedy and should be ashamed of themselves. They don't care what happens with the material as long as they are collecting huge dividends. I am not really talkiing about Gypsy with this comment. It's a general comment.

When you rent a script... you are not even allowed to change a STAGE DIRECTION if it's written in the published script. Of course, I don't agree with that... but the script belongs to the Playwright. Not the Director.

As for Strange Loop... It failed because it was an incredibly awful musical. It was a MESS. I don't care if it won the Pulitzer and the Tony. It was an awful musical on all levels, aside from the amazing actors. The script, the music and lyrics, were terrible.

I couldn't be more liberal. But I have been in this business a long, long time. It's not evolving... it's devolving. It's going backwards.

And yes, Hamilton is brilliant and the casting works incredibly well because it was WRITTEN THAT WAY.... See how that works? It was the intention of the author and he created the piece in a specific way.
You want to know why Kamala lost and Trump won? I was fully supportive of Kamala. Because people look at bull**** like the 1776 from a few years ago and think it's ridiculous. Again, I could not be more liberal but some of what happens on Broadway is absurd. I agree with Bill Maher, who is also a progressive, if you watch him. Some liberals are bat**** crazy.

I suggest before you disparage me., you self reflect on what I am saying.

PS... Wicked also sucks! lol Terrible musical.

"

I assume this is some sort of troll post, but okay. I assume you think Shakespeare should always be staged like it was hundreds of years ago as well?

 

 

[CurtainsUpat8]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 4:57pm

I totally understand and empathize with your wanting to see a June that looks like you. I love your passion for theatre! You keep going! I am older than you.. I am 66, I am sure I am much older than you. I have been involved in theatre since I was 12. I grew up in a small town in WNY.  Finding theatre was an escape from my unhappy home.  I moved to NYC in 1980 with $500 when I was 20 years old.  I have seen thousands of Broadway shows and other shows all over town.  I saw the original Chicago. I smoked a joint with Stephen Sondheim in his apartment in 1983.

Good times and Bum times, I've seen them all and, my dear,  I'm still here.

My entire life has been the theatre.

Hopefully, My history of 50 years of seeing shows, directing shows, being in shows, coaching singers, teaching acting....on and on.... has given me a perspective that is going to be different than yours. It's not better. I respect what you are saying, I just don't agree with you.

I just saw Bad Kreyol. I loved it! Every minute of it.  A strong black voice!  Dominique Morisseau is an amazing playwright.   Did you see it?  THAT is the play you should be seeing.  A really great play about the authentic black experience.  Gypsy is not an authentic black experience. It just isn't.  Write more great black musicals and plays! Become a playwright yourself and write a play!

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 4:58pm

CurtainsUpat8 said: "I couldn't be more liberal…”

This was where I started laughing.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 5:13pm

Where would Sondheim himself fall on this topic?

Audra has been on his naughty list before, with The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.

Maybe this is her revenge. (Joke) 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 5:15pm

CurtainsUpat8 said: "You know.... a play or musical belongs to the WRITER(S) of that show. Not the Director or anyone else. I'm not a fan of "blind casting" because... we aren't blind. Words have meanings. Playwrights don't just pull them out of their asses. Again, this musical was written for a specific woman and her family and they are all white. Why doesn't "blind casting" ever work in reverse? Can we cast a white Dorothy in the Wiz? Or a white actor as CoalHouse Walker? No, it would be a betrayal of the playwright. And audiences, like most of the people here, would have a lot to say about that and rightfully so. I have people writing me to ask me if females can play the male characters in my show that I have published. I say NO everytime. I don't care about losing royalties.

The decendents of some of these authors are greedy and should be ashamed of themselves. They don't care what happens with the material as long as they are collecting huge dividends. I am not really talkiing about Gypsy with this comment. It's a general comment.

When you rent a script... you are not even allowed to change a STAGE DIRECTION if it's written in the published script. Of course, I don't agree with that... but the script belongs to the Playwright. Not the Director.

As for Strange Loop... It failed because it was an incredibly awful musical. It was a MESS. I don't care if it won the Pulitzer and the Tony. It was an awful musical on all levels, aside from the amazing actors. The script, the music and lyrics, were terrible.

I couldn't be more liberal. But I have been in this business a long, long time. It's not evolving... it's devolving. It's going backwards.

And yes, Hamilton is brilliant and the casting works incredibly well because it was WRITTEN THAT WAY.... See how that works? It was the intention of the author and he created the piece in a specific way.
You want to know why Kamala lost and Trump won? I was fully supportive of Kamala. Because people look at bull**** like the 1776 from a few years ago and think it's ridiculous. Again, I could not be more liberal but some of what happens on Broadway is absurd. I agree with Bill Maher, who is also a progressive, if you watch him. Some liberals are bat**** crazy.

I suggest before you disparage me., you self reflect on what I am saying.

PS... Wicked also sucks! lol Terrible musical.

"

I assume you are trying to trigger people with this ridiculous post. Unfortunately for you, it didn’t work. 

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 5:44pm

CurtainsUpat8 said: "I totally understand and empathize with your wanting to see a June that looks like you. I love your passion for theatre! You keep going! I am older than you.. I am 66, I am sure I am much older than you. I have been involved in theatre since I was 12. I grew up in a small town in WNY. Finding theatre was an escape from my unhappy home. I moved to NYC in 1980 with $500 when I was 20 years old. I have seen thousands of Broadway shows and other shows all over town. I saw the original Chicago. I smoked a joint with Stephen Sondheim in his apartment in 1983.

Good times and Bum times, I've seen them all and, my dear, I'm still here.

My entire life has been the theatre.

Hopefully, My history of 50 years of seeing shows, directing shows, being in shows, coaching singers, teaching acting....on and on.... has given me a perspective that is going to be different than yours. It's not better. I respect what you are saying, I just don't agree with you.

I just saw Bad Kreyol. I loved it! Every minute of it. A strong black voice! Dominique Morisseau is an amazing playwright. Did you see it? THAT is the play you should be seeing. A really great play about the authentic black experience. Gypsy is not an authentic black experience. It just isn't. Write more great black musicals and plays! Become a playwright yourself and write a play!"

All this theater lore and history wasted on a person who doesn't even understand what the theatrical medium is. Very sad. To spend your whole life devoted to something to then sit here and reveal that you've never really understood it to a bunch of twentysomethings on the internet.

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 5:53pm

Nice ageism, bro. 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 5:58pm

And just like that... another BWW preview thread goes off the rails. At least we're consistent, I guess.

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 6:02pm

verywellthensigh said: "Nice ageism, bro."

Ageism against young people by patronizing older folks who cannot get over their conservative, reactionary views on art. Who still pearl-clutch over seeing black people in classic musicals.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 6:36pm

This thread is so depressing. Just a complete bummer, for reasons that barely have anything (if that) to do with the show.