Finally saw this last night. As I was walking into the theater, I overheard someone say to their date, 'The energy in this theater is palpable.' And it was.
As noted, the lights dimmed to half, the conductor was hit with a spot as he greeted the audience with open arms and launched into the overture which sounded fantastic.
I'm a little flummoxed by some of the critiques, although perhaps the things noted earlier in the thread have been adjusted/ironed out. The set in no way looks cheap. This is the most expensive looking Gypsy I've seen (Daly, Peters and Lupone...thought I loved the sparseness and incredible lighting of the Mendes/Peters Gypsy). Loquasto's use of early 20th Century advertising iconography was smart, juxtaposing a promise of America that would never be delivered the people we were spending time with.
Although the switch from young, black newsboys to the older, white newsboys wasn't as nearly as iconic as the Robbins special effect, it was devastating for the reasons Ohara posted just ahead of this post. Removing the Abe Lincoln hat from Louise and putting it on a white guy, then making her wave an American flag, telling her to keep it in front of her face was absolutely heartbreaking. Without changing the text, the colorism the show is exploring is truly shocking in some ways. To watch a dark-skinned mother dote on her light-skinned daughter understanding why she would be the star while making her dark-skinned daughter feel ugly was just A LOT. But the show was able to handle it.
The entire supporting cast is excellent, but I want to give Joy Woods her flowers here. She is the first Louise I've seen since Crista Moore (and that was 35 years ago) to truly delineate the arc from awkward child to scintillating stripper. I thought Blanchard was a good pre-strip Louise and Benanti was a great Louise from the strip on, but both had issues with finding the opposite sides of their character. Woods is sensational and it is amazing to see her take on the mantle of a Josephine Baker during the Garden of Eden sequence. And I liked the sequence...tacky, campy...just exactly the right kind of wrong. Her dressing room scene with Audra was thrilling. She could still slip into the mien of the child she was but fought mightily against it to be viewed as the woman she is. Plus...she looked incredible in her Gypsy Rose Lee costumes.
Danny Burstein is a great foil for Audra. He's a very traditional Herbie, but I think that is necessary. He's a rock and Rose is a hurricane.
And speaking of Rose...this is simply the best acted Rose I've ever experienced. Instead of playing the monster, she played a woman who did monstrous things. You understood why she did it, but you can't ever forgive her for making those choices. It's a warm, funny, frightening and, ultimately, heartbreaking performance.
As for her signing, it was exactly as I expected. I think if they did the songs without the key changes, she would have probably been able to belt the whole thing. But they made a very specific choice to let Audra explore the most thrilling portion of her voice...what I call the 'Old Maid' voice (go and listen to the end of Old Maid from 110 in the Shade and you'll know what I mean). No other actress I know can make this vocal mix sound like such a dangerous, high-wire act. And it worked for me. I definitely understand why it might not work for others, but the idea that she 'can't' sing the role is one of the silliest things I've ever read on this board (and I've been around since the beginning). And if I'm being truly honest, I've never heard a great Rose vocal live. Tyne was...Tyne. Bernadette had to cut notes short and her diction could be spotty and, the night I saw Lupone, she had a very difficult time negotiating the score. It seemed a complete strain on her and there were a few pitch problems throughout. Were there a few moments of me raising an eyebrow when she flipped into head voice? Sure. But does her natural instrument allow for remarkable new colors for songs such as You'll Never Get Away From Me and Small World? Absolutely. It was a titanic performance (in the Greek gods kind of way and not the sinking ship). Just watching her rip the note from June into teeny tiny pieces was harrowing.
I left the theater last night more energized than I have in quite a while. It's just marvelous.
Updated On: 12/18/24 at 10:54 AM
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