GYPSY Previews- Page 18

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/28/24 at 11:31am

Updated On: 11/28/24 at 11:31 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/28/24 at 11:33am

For anyone who has seen it lately. Does Rose still mention the “dramatic school for kids” in her final scene with Louise? It’s always mentioned in the dressing room scene, but adding that to the final scene is from the film script, and I’d imagine Arthur is rolling in his grave, given his disdain for the film. There was a sprinkling of new lines throughout the show during the first preview. 

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

Posted: 11/28/24 at 11:52am

Actually, that line was originally in Arthur's book, but he chose at some point to delete it. (Source: I have the revised copy from the LuPone production, with a lot of handwritten cuts and revisions -- and some typewritten insertions where changes were dramatic -- that presumably came from Arthur.)

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/28/24 at 11:57am

Wow!! Thank you for that. That makes more sense. I assume some of the unfamiliar lines throughout are from Arthur’s drafts, etc. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/28/24 at 11:58am

ljay889 said: "For anyone who has seen it lately. Does Rose still mention the “dramatic school for kids” in her final scene with Louise? It’s always mentioned in the dressing room scene, but addingthat to the final sceneis from the film script, and I’d imagine Arthur is rolling in his grave, given his disdain for the film. There was a sprinkling of new lines throughout the show during the first preview."

I was there last night. Yes, the line was there. 

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 11/28/24 at 2:30pm

I guess I picture the backward signs more literally. In my mind Rose leaves the dressing room and marches her way up to the roof of the theater for her meltdown/epiphany. Those signs are all pointed down on the streets. Her name will never appear on a sign like that. It’s not until the final moment of Rose’s turn when she’s completely delulu, that her big sign actually appears which is only in her mind, hence the bowing to an imaginary audience. Louise finds her and snaps her back into reality. The big red ROSE sign disappears. But IDK.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 11/30/24 at 2:35pm

Saw this last night.  I thought it was a pretty solid production with some very strong acting by Audra.  My main quibble is with the choreography.  If you are not going to use Robbin's GENIUS original choreography, then it needs to be MUCH BETTER, this was not.  Maybe it was lost on me, but the classic and purposely overly simplistic "Extra Extra/Newsboys" number needs to be so memorable that it becomes comical and absurd that they keep trying to sell the same act throughout the show - you recognize it right away - it looked overworked here and it lost that effect.   The time progression bit (usually done with a strobe light) is so long and boring with actors just marching in place.  And then there is the strip - having performed in a few productions of Gypsy and seen my fair share, this number is a showstopper when it is choreographed with high precision, literally to the ring of a bell or beat of a drum.  Garden of Eden/Josephine Baker reference aside, the prior 2 or 3 (I can't remember) little strip bits were so rushed and lacked any sense of showmanship.  FWIW, the only time the show looked cheap was during the Garden of Eden number - the stage looks empty, even though they are using the entire ensemble (I believe I caught the actor playing Tulsa dancing in it too?).  

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/1/24 at 7:12pm

Marlo, thanks for that!  I think Robbins' choreography and staging is taken for granted with Gypsy (and of course with three major revivals directed by him, Arthur Laurents wanted that way even if he kept the choreo.)  It's not a dance show like West Side Story or On the Town or even a show with an extended dance sequence like King and I.  But his choreography IS perfect, largely because it is so precise in its purpose.  I wondered if they at least kept the strobe light effect.

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

Posted: 12/1/24 at 7:14pm

With Arthur dead, and the show needing something of its own to distinguish it apart from the casting choice, I'm kind of surprised they stuck with the Garden of Eden bit and didn't go back to the Stripper Christmas Tree.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 12/1/24 at 10:21pm

That final sequence needs to give a sense of opulence (we have a huge budget now, we are playing THE BIGGEST house now) the Garden of Eden or Christmas Tree Fantasy (I've seen both on stage) can accomplish this by using lavish set pieces (trees, fake snow falling, a giant xmas trees, vines) and BIG costumes (head pieces, sequins, feathers).  This version does not do this.  Because the prior "mini strip" moments take pace on the passerelle and/or in front of the stage curtain they look more "expensive".  When the curtains finally re-open they reveal a rather empty (and cheap-looking) stage. Finally. It was jarring to see the male ensemble on stage dancing during this burlesque sequence.  

Updated On: 12/1/24 at 10:21 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/1/24 at 10:52pm

How elaborate would an actual Minsky's show be? Google image search is failing me but I have a feeling if you plopped that design on a Broadway stage today it might not look that impressive.

I recall Arthur saying in his book that he felt Jerry Mitchell & Sam Mendes overstaged & overdesigned the Garden of Eden. But we know he'd never be pleased with whatever they did.

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 12/1/24 at 11:04pm

I saw it today as someone who sort of knows Gypsy and has seen a few productions (Patti, plus Bette in the TV movie and the London proshot of Imelda), but doesn’t really have a strong opinion of the show.

And I thought Audra was really phenomenal. Vocally, she sounded like Audra - it’s odd to me to expect otherwise? But it worked for me - and her acting was absolutely next level. When the intermission lights came up, my mom (who barely knows Gypsy other than the music) was literally weeping from Everything’s Coming Up Roses. And Rose’s Turn was nothing short of a character masterclass! 

I was hesitant reading so many of these comments, but I really think it comes down a lot to expectations and how much of a Gypsy fan and purist someone is. My parents and I as non-purists thought it was fabulous, especially and specifically Audra. It’s such a showcase for her superior acting chops. 

Updated On: 12/1/24 at 11:04 PM

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 12:18am

I thought this was fairly spectacular from top to bottom. The main cast was particularly stunning. I was sort of worried with a lot of these comments but I didn't see very many false notes. It seems like people view Gypsy through a very fixed lens and after seeing the show many of these comments feel like folks very personal expectations not being met. Which is certainly valid! I just thought the production delivered on all fronts. And Audra gave a titanic performance. 

(I did find Joy Woods a bit too strident in the dressing room scene... my own expectations I suppose..but it ended up making the final scene more touching to me)

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 12:27am

KJisgroovy said: "strident "

A daughter being strident in a confrontation scene with her mother, you say?

[MusicalGuy3]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 12:50am

Was at the first preview and returned this afternoon for a second look.  Wow!  Audra is giving a performance for the ages and no disrespect to Nicole, her 7th Tony! Joy has found her Louise! Danny has made Herbie feel more fully flushed out then in any prior broadway production I have seen and his chemistry with Audra and Joy enhances the laughs and the tears. I have warmed up to the new choreography.  Bravo Gypsy!! Must be seen.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 6:55am

Momma Rose’s Many Faces, From Ethel Merman to Audra McDonald

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/theater/gypsy-audra-mcdonald-broadway.html?unlocked_article_code=1.eU4.TBPJ.UmXLuDz74E2K

[RussT2]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 8:09am

Saw the 12/01/24 evening performance last night. In my opinion it's fantastic. The entire cast is superb and Audra is just spectacular. For those who say she is miscast, I don't know if they have actually seen her in it or they are just drama queen armchair quarterbacks who just come here to sh*t on everything.... The sets are minimalist, but so what? The cast is what sells this show. Special shout to Leslie Margherita who practically steals every scene she's in. I was thinking it would have been interesting to see Paul Giamatti as Herbie, but Danny Burstein is great. Could this be Tony #7 for Audra?

Updated On: 12/2/24 at 08:09 AM

[Anshel2]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 10:00am

Does Audra stage door?  Does she sign?  I have a Ragtime benefit poster that was signed by all who attended, except Audra.  I'd love for her to sign it.

[quizking101]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 10:36am

Okay, my Gypsy thoughts

 

Fundamentally, it’s still just Gypsy. There was really nothing super special as a whole to me. Other than the colorblind casting and the fact that it’s not under the domineering thumb of Arthur Laurents, I didn’t notice anything majorly different being done here. It makes me think about if my expectation about it being a reinvention is a symptom of so many revivals lately taking radically new approaches that any conventional revival seems blasé

Audra acted the HELL of the role. She never once felt like a caricature of the monster momager we’ve come to know from this musical. She is passionate, determined, driven, and calculating. She was also very funny - particularly when she was doing her “offstage” bits. The problem came with the singing (which is painful to type). This score was just not for her as a whole. Too often, she switched from brassy broad to operatic higher notes and I found it too distracting. Therefore, I cast my Tony vote for Nicole

Danny Burstein was a perfect Herbie, too pure for this world and really fired up in act II. 10/10. No notes. The world is better now that he is back on stage.

Joy Woods…I don’t get the hype. She didn’t do anything for me here. Frankly, I forgot she was even there until the burlesque scenes in Act II. She was just so boring and that made her transformation into this sexy vamp seem sudden and unearned. There was no real growth trajectory to her. It was like watching Tootie from The Facts of Life become a stripper.

Lesli Margherita is a HOOT!! She nearly walked off with all of act II. Kevin Csolak as Tulsa was the major highlight of Act I for me. Also, I had Jade Smith as Baby June and OH MY GOD SHE WAS SO STUNNINGLY TALENTED. I got digital rush and it put me in row G of the Orchestra, which was pretty damn good. As for stage door, a few people left quietly including Joy, then Jordan Tyson and all the kids came out, along with Kevin, Leslie, Tony D’Alelio, and Lili Thomas. Audra is hit or miss. She was a miss last night - she had friends and left after about 45 minutes, but waved hello to everyone on her way to her car.

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 12:50pm

EricMontreal22 said: "Marlo, thanks for that! I think Robbins' choreography and staging is taken for granted with Gypsy (and of course with three major revivals directed by him, Arthur Laurents wanted that way even if he kept the choreo.) It's not a dance show like West Side Story or On the Town or even a show with an extended dance sequence like King and I. But his choreography IS perfect, largely because it is so precise in its purpose. I wondered if they at least kept the strobe light effect."

the strobe effect is different because Wolfe uses that moment to really underline how Rose turns this act from a black act to a white act over time and sidelines Louise. It's longer than the startling use of strobe in the robbins staging, but I thought it was very effective because it's making a very clear dramatic point. 

[Marlothom]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 1:50pm

The very subtle very impactful moment was at the end of the "big audition" (maybe during the transition out of the scene) where the young African American boy comes on to remove the light stand (clean up) and Rose looks right at him for maybe 3 seconds.  

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 1:53pm

Saw it over the weekend.  It's fine.

Still the best book ever for a musical and it's hard to mess that up.  Miscast and the wrong director.

They even get the curtain call wrong - why is Audra so far back on the stage?  And not getting a second curtain call?

 

 

[OharaFosseWolfe888]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 2:31pm

Anshel2 said: "Does Audra stage door? Does she sign? I have a Ragtime benefit poster that was signed by all who attended, except Audra. I'd love for her to sign it."

Per her last IG post "Just a note to thank those of you who are waiting at the stage door after @gypsybway 🌹While we are in previews and still rehearsing every day I’m not going to be signing as I’m trying to make sure I stay healthy. Thank you so much for understanding! 🙏🏾❤️🌹"  I think people are forgetting or genuinely don't know that the entire cast is in rehearsal every day from about 10am - 5pm and then doing the show at night and the weather just changed. 

Updated On: 12/2/24 at 02:31 PM

[OharaFosseWolfe888]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 2:34pm

RUkiddingme said: "Saw it over the weekend. It's fine.

Still the best book ever for a musical and it's hard to mess that up. Miscast and the wrong director.

They even get the curtain call wrong - why is Audra so far back on the stage? And not getting a second curtain call?
"

The curtain call has not been staged it is usually the last thing on a director's work list. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/2/24 at 10:14pm

I can't believe anyone would fret about this or any star not doing stage door protocols in previews. Or hell, any time. The lack of understanding about what it takes to get a behemoth of a show on its feet - and remain there, 8 times a week - is staggering, particularly on a theater board. No one is under obligation to greet the public en route from the dressing room to waiting transportation. Remember what this body and voice punishing process - and sustained discipline in general - demand. 

Updated On: 12/3/24 at 10:14 PM