GYPSY Previews — Page 19

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#451

GYPSY Previews - most important question

Posted: 12/2/24 at 11:07pm

Just wanted to add my $0.02 re: the 12/1 evening performance.

Audra: Phenomenal. I was skeptical about her voice being a mismatch for the role, but with the acting, it works. And the acting is otherworldly good. Received a well-deserved standing O post-Rose's Turn, except for one celebrity in the audience who was rather ... icy and stayed seated.

Danny: Still finding his Herbie, I think -- but he plays the honest, earnest broker well.

Jade Smith: A triple threat in the making.

Joy: Going to cut against the grain here and say I rather liked her performance. During the Dainty June number, Tony d'Alelio's top hat flew off and landed on the house right side of the passerelle. The hat just sat there for a while. During If Momma Was Married, Joy seamlessly picked up the hat and incorporated it into her number, almost as if the whole thing were planned. I thought it added a nice touch to the number.

That said, the Let Me Entertain You sequence didn't work for me. There was no growth, no evolution -- she just went from bad to good in 15 seconds. Her stridency during the dressing room scene didn't bother me all that much; I thought she made it work.

Jordan: Gratingly good.

The set: Felt a little cheap. Quality-wise, somewhere between Funny Girl and Kiss Me Kate in London (feat. Stephanie Block).

The strippers: +1 to Lesli Margherita being a hoot. Absolutely steals every scene she's in. Gotta Get a Gimmick was incredibly funny.

The stripping: I've seen racier episodes of Downton Abbey.

Choreography: Fine to good. Kevin Csolak is very good as Tulsa.

Updated On: 12/2/24 at 11:07 PM

#452

GYPSY Previews - most important question

Posted: 12/3/24 at 11:26am

Auggie27 said: "I can't believe people are fretting about this or any star not doing stage door protocols in previews. Or hell, any time. The lackof 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. Please open your minds and hearts to what this body and voice punishing process - and sustained discipline in general - demand."

If she has the sustained discipline to do the show, she can have the sustained discipline to greet each fan with autographs, a kiss on the cheek, a personalized compliment, a brief Broadway anecdote and a thank you before she makes an astonishing getaway waving from a helicopter like Diana Ross exiting her Super Bowl halftime show.

#453

GYPSY Previews - most important question

Posted: 12/3/24 at 11:49am

OharaFosseWolfe888 said: "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."

I think it’s fine not to autograph/sign anything. Before pandemic at Hello Dolly, Bette Midler never or rarely signed anything. At stage door most times she would just wave at everyone and then go to her car. Once she did give us a handshake and thanked us (of course she was wearing a glove).

From looking at Telecharge, it’s not really sold out. The Majestic is a huge theater and during slow weeks I have a feeling this show might be on TKTS…. Unless they already have a discount code?

#454

GYPSY Previews - most important question

Posted: 12/3/24 at 11:50am

verywellthensigh said: "If she has the sustained discipline to do the show, she can have the sustained discipline to greet each fan with autographs, a kiss on the cheek, a personalized compliment, a brief Broadway anecdote and a thank you before she makes an astonishing getaway waving from a helicopter like Diana Ross exiting her Super Bowl halftime show."

Generous guy that I am, I'll totally accept a stage door kiss from Will Swenson in order to ensure Audra remains healthy.

#455

GYPSY Previews - most important question

Posted: 12/3/24 at 12:02pm

Gypsy was on TKTS this past Sunday.

#456

GYPSY Previews - most important question

Posted: 12/3/24 at 12:32pm

Auggie27 said: "I can't believe people are fretting about this or any star not doing stage door protocols in previews. Or hell, any time. The lackof 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. Please open your minds and hearts to what this body and voice punishing process - and sustained discipline in general - demand."

Where is this response coming from? I don't see any "demand." I see one person here asking a simple question: does she stage door? No complaint in this thread in response to her IG post. That post itself may imply that there are fans "out there" who have complained (although that's questionable), but says nothing about people on "a" theater board, let alone this theater board, where, as far as I can tell, everyone gets it and respects that she is reserving her energy for the preview process.

#457

GYPSY Previews - most important question

Posted: 12/3/24 at 5:32pm

#458

GYPSY Previews - most important question

Posted: 12/3/24 at 6:14pm

Curious...I saw 3rd preview and the deck was brown panels of "aged" overlay. Is that the design or was the actual painted deck not ready in time to be installed?

#459

GYPSY Previews - most important question

Posted: 12/5/24 at 5:27pm

I have been 'listening' to Audra's Gypsy over and over again, and honestly I find her vocals so haunting and so raw. Very thick sounding with a strong edgy raspy vibrato on the lower notes that is somewhat channeling Marin Mazzie's ability to be a belting soprano. I really think she has broken the mould vocally and I hope they get her in a studio ASAP because there is so much complexity in her choices for us to dig through on a recording. I am sad that some people can't seem to get into it, although there is one moment in particular just doesn't work for me and they need to get a musical director to play with the keys somehow ASAP. If this is the kind of thing that others hear all throughout the score I understand why it might not work for them.

Specifically, during "Everything's Coming Up Roses" with the key change "you can do it, all you need is a hand, we can do it..." Audra's voice is getting so high that by the time she gets to "Curtain Up, Light the Lights, We've Got Nothing to Hit But The Heights" it truly sounds like a screeching mess although it quickly goes down again and sounds ok.

I would still give the Tony Award to Nicole, but I think Audra would easily win in a less competitive year and could still win depending on how things go (at this point, I honestly wonder if the winner between Nicole and Audra will be whoever can maintain their vocal stamina until Tony voting time because they are both working so, so hard).

As for the rest of the production, on more reflection and two viewings in total (albeit early previews) I just don't think much of it given everything that has come before. I think it's long and boring, I don't think a single one of Audra's co-stars are operating in the same league as her and as someone so rightly mentioned yes that choreography is a stinker. I am disappointed and my expectations were high but I think it's possible after years and years of studying various productions of this show I was expecting more than just the same old tired Gypsy everyone knows and loves. I was looking forward to the racial subtext but with the book as written and the show performed as it was I found it difficult to not just to see this as colour-blind casting instead of intentional colour-conscious casting.

It's now been 2 weeks since the first preview and people were saying that they were having "Shuffle Along" De Ja Vu and that George C Wolfe would evolve the show during previews. Has this happened yet?

I will finally clutch my pearls and say that they better turn off the lights during the Overture before opening night. Sorry but it's highly offensive to direct the show in a way that will cause people to talk over the most important overture of all time in its HOME CITY. This is not ok.

Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.

Updated On: 12/5/24 at 05:27 PM

#460

GYPSY Previews - most important question

Posted: 12/5/24 at 6:38pm

A Little History on Talking Through the Overture (Archival Audio Examples from 1956 to 1981)

#461

GYPSY Previews - most important question

Posted: 12/5/24 at 7:01pm

Thank you Morosco. I appreciated hearing that. The recent Funny Girl revival did a pretty good job in making people focus during the overture . There was the welcoming announcement by Harvey setting the tone. And it was pleasantly amplified .

HUSSY POWER! ------ HUSSY POWER!

#462

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/5/24 at 11:10pm

GYPSY Previews

"Anything you do, let it it come from you--then it will be new." Sunday in the Park with George

#463

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/5/24 at 11:11pm

Robbie2 said: ""

GYPSY Previews

"Anything you do, let it it come from you--then it will be new." Sunday in the Park with George

#464

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/5/24 at 11:55pm

I assume that the overture starts when it does with the lights up out of necessity because they don’t want to run into overtime but audiences are conditioned for shows to start late? Night I saw it, the overture began at 8:02 and the curtain call ended about 10:58.

It’s not a great solution but possibly better than people stumbling around in the dark during the overture.

#465

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/6/24 at 12:46am

On Tuesday night, December 3, overture started with full house lights on at 8:01pm.
Dozens of patrons were still scrambling to their seats at 8:01pm, and most folks around me continued to stare into their iPhones during the overture. There were no usual announcements. That’s no way to treat one of the best Broadway overtures ever written.

House lights dimmed to half at the point overture moves into “You’ll Never Get Away From Me.” Curtain fell at 10:57pm.

Management needs to advertise that the show starts promptly at 8pm.

Majestic Theatre staff thoughtfully allowed patrons to enter theatre foyer before the house officially opened at 7:30pm. It was a very cold night in Big Apple.

Updated On: 12/6/24 at 12:46 AM

#466

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/6/24 at 1:30am

Wall St Journal, Dec 4th:
"The Best Theater of 2024: Surprising Stagings and New Perspectives"
Gypsy was not among list. Can only imagine the review.

Saw it first night and Dec 5 when it ran till 11pm. By 10:45p, noticed folks around me constantly looking at their watch.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-theater-of-2024-surprising-stagings-and-new-perspectives-7a97f86f?st=aYaPfa&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Updated On: 12/6/24 at 01:30 AM

#467

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/6/24 at 1:40am

Stop it. It hasn’t opened yet. And certainly hasn’t been reviewed. No doubt that’s why it’s not included.

“I attended Gypsy last night with several family members that are staying at the same hotel . I walked them to the elevators and as I was leaving, Audra came in fast and this disgusting, huge, ogre of a man came blasting through the revolving door, nearly falling. He got extremely close to her, shoved a playbill in her face and said "I came alllll the way from Houston so you OWE me an autograph sister". Four security guards from the hotel staff immediately swarmed him until the cops arrived. It was horrifying and women have experienced this kind of illegal, terrifying behavior forever. If you were followed back to where you were staying in the city OP, pretty sure you wouldn't call it "foolery" because it's not. It's felony stalking. Do better. And I will NEVER be quiet regarding women's safety (especially by loser men in this thread) as this has happened to me and millions of other women as well. Enough..” —-Sutton Ross, 8/16/25 “Pretty incredible coincidence that the night before this post was made, Sutton was allegedly not only at Gypsy, but ended up at the same hotel, managed to witness an incident that perfectly aligns with the topic at hand, stayed long enough to see how it resolved despite being with family members, and it wasn’t even the first thing she replied to this thread with- she only brought it up after she had been challenged by multiple members. ” — Kad, 8/16/25

#468

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/6/24 at 11:10am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I assume that the overture starts when it does with the lights up out of necessity because they don’t want to run into overtime but audiences are conditioned for shows to start late? Night I saw it, the overture began at 8:02 and the curtain call endedabout 10:58.

It’s not a great solution but possibly better than people stumbling around in the dark during the overture."

Do Broadway shows generally start 5-10 min later than the official curtain time?

#469

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/6/24 at 11:11am

joevitus said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I assume that the overture starts when it does with the lights up out of necessity because they don’t want to run into overtime but audiences are conditioned for shows to start late? Night I saw it, the overture began at 8:02 and the curtain call endedabout 10:58.

It’s not a great solution but possibly better than people stumbling around in the dark during the overture."

Do Broadway shows generally start 5-10 min later than the official curtain time?"

I'm honestly shocked if a show starts earlier than 6 minutes after the official time. With the exception usually being shows that skew closer to that 3 hour mark.

#470

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/6/24 at 11:13am

Broadway shows, by decades (centuries?) of tradition start at the 7 after mark. The exception for this is generally shows that skew closer to 3 hours and have a union deadline.

#471

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/6/24 at 11:21am

Every year there are Bway shows that open after the "best of X year" cutoff (which is different for every publication). If it's good enough, it'll be included on the 2025 list.

Does anyone know the press nights for this show? The 18th would be one (but not the 17th because press is not usually invited to the first perf after a day off), perhaps also the weekend before.

Updated On: 12/6/24 at 11:21 AM

#472

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/6/24 at 12:30pm

My first theater experience was when I was in high school in Chicago and kids in the choir were given the opportunity to see shows for free by ushering in the balcony. This was in the 60s. My recollection is that once the overture started, the doors were closed, and no one was allowed in until after the first scene was completed. My memory could be off. It seems that nowadays the people who come on time are at the mercy of late comers.

#473

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/6/24 at 1:34pm

Strange Lupone said: "Stop it. It hasn’t opened yet. And certainly hasn’t been reviewed. No doubt that’s why it’s not included."

Well aware it hasn't opened yet, but having seen both Gypsy & Sunset 3 times, I wouldn't be surprised which way WSJ is leaning and it's not Gypsy. Love Audra her work and voice, but when the audience is constantly looking at their watch at 10:40pm, leaving early, and lots of empty seats, it speaks loudly.

#474

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/6/24 at 1:44pm

"I am well aware that this show could not have been on a year-end list for this year, but its exclusion from this year-end list from this specific publication is evidence that it's already badly received." Okay thanks lol.

#475

GYPSY Previews

Posted: 12/7/24 at 8:59am

I am a voice teacher and i have been for decades. At the University level and a private studio. It doesn't mean I know everything. Let me say I have not seen the show, so I know a lot of people will jump on me for that, but I have heard plenty of audio of Audra ( who I love!) singing.

This observation is for other voice teachers.

I don't believe Audra is belting at all... or very little if she is. She is "belting" in the same space as her head voice resonates. That is not a belt. That is bringing your chest voice up higher.

I have worked with many, many "legit" "Opera" singers... many of them have had it ingrained in them that BELTING is bad, "Don't do it! You'll hurt your voice"..... They are afraid! I believe Audra is falling into this trap. She CAN BELT... I know she can... she is choosing not to, imho. Or maybe she doesn't "get" how to belt and needs a coach.

Yes, I understand Audra is incredibly talented and could care less about my opinon of her voice, but I am convinced this is what is happening. She isn't belting, because she is afraid she is going th hurt her voice and she is doing everything in her vocal bag of tricks to NOT belt... and it's a wrong choice. If she let go with a real belt.. I think we would all be surprised. I'd love to work with her for one hour to get her to belt.

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