Posted: 11/22/24 at 1:30am
GYPSY!
What. A. Night.
I had a whole bunch of intermission thoughts (as a first preview, the intermission was easily 20+ minutes) that basically summed up to saying “it’s not there, a lot hasn’t been figured out, everyone involved is talented, but it’s underwhelming.” And then Act II happened…
Act II through the “Mama, I’m a pretty girl” scene was pretty much perfect. So effortless, so funny, so emotional… Just really impeccable work all around, and it really makes me wonder if Wolfe just gets the female characters in a way he doesn’t get the men (excepting Herbie). Like, even Toreadorables is miles better than anything the Newsboys do in Act I…
Now most of my thoughts / quibbles with Act I do carry over to Act II, they’re just a lot more forgivable surrounded by so much greatness.
So much was unknown about what Wolfe was going to do with Gypsy that it was oddly comforting just how traditional the production was. The Robbin’s choreography wasn’t used, or really even alluded too, but I was never really shocked (except in the Garden of Eden scene, unfortunately). Every now and then something a little different would happen (I’m sure most of us have numerous cast recordings committed to memory now) and it was a weird sense of deja vu gone wrong… but nothing was so different as to be jarring. Most seemed to be to accommodate vocal or physical demands for the cast - though a few added lines in the final scene were just off.
I liked Wolfe’s impulses and thought he did a good job bringing new ideas to a familiar show without changing things just to change them. There was so much discourse about What It Means to have a primarily Black cast with some “passing” characters and some white characters - but it’s all subtextual. Nothing feels added on top, it simply IS the story, which is what I loved. In all the whirl of the first preview (pacing issues especially), I don’t know if I took anything away from it specifically, but I think it’s something that can really only take flight AFTER the rest of the show is firing on all cylinders. I think the focus should be on perfecting the performances and honing the pacing instead of trying to draw out meaning through casting - the casting is done, that can do the work. That said, some lines (“I’m not June,” “no daughter of mine is going to do burlesque,” “I was born too soon and started too late” etc.) did have a new impact in the context of the show.
The sets and costumes were simple, yet effective. I was surprised that they brought out an actual car for the Seattle to LA sequence. The set was very theatrical - small sets on the larger stage with characters crossing and joining as needed, and it created a fun dynamic in the stage pictures. Sounds like something Mendes was playing with in the 2003 revival, but I thought it was mostly successful. The only big misfire in my opinion was the Garden of Eden sequence, which just looked tacky and cheap. And the added dance sequence did nothing.
The music sounded great with that orchestra, though it sounded like they made some interesting arrangement choices in some songs, and there were key changes in places they usually aren’t. They do seem to be adding a layer of rhythmic dynamic to the score, maybe the most dynamic part of the “context of casting” choice I wrote about above. I mostly noticed it with Audra, and I had mixed feelings about it particularly in tandem with how the score fits in her voice.
This cast is seriously stacked.
Danny Bernstein is essentially perfect as Herbie. He comes in assured and completely set in his character, and centered the entire show. In the intimate scenes between the family / troupe, it feels like Herbie in the thing binding everyone together. His grounding presence is so total that he eclipses Audra at points of the first act. The scene where he leaves was just incredible - it was the only scene that made me cry, and he did so much with so little. That is what I like most about Bernstein’s Herbie - he isn’t doing things or making choices just to do/make them. Everything is so perfectly integrated into a fully-formed character that it is simply spellbinding.
As Louise, Joy Woods was fantastic. I got the impression that Louise was directed to be played very subtly while June was more surface-level, even in the book scenes. Woods gave a very simple, plain-sung “Little Lamb” that was very effective, though I had issues with the transition into that number. Her scene with June was effective, though I thought Tyson distracted from what should have been two kinda, coulda-been sisters bonding for the first time. She was appropriately bashful with Tulsa, and finally broke out in the final scene of Act I. The joy she had in Act II - particularly “Together” - was infectious. “Together, Wherever We Go” was just sooooo good, it really kicked Act II off on a high note that the show kept building on. I loved Woods’ genuine discovery of “Mama, I’m a pretty girl,” but I thought the transformation during the strip wasn’t there yet. It feels very bogged down in transitions and costume changes right now, which I think is getting in the way of really crafting the change in Louise as she becomes Gypsy. But I really missed that transformation. It made the dressing room scene lose its impact, even though that is one of the best scenes in all of musical theatre.
Jordan Tyson - June - is fantastic in the Dainty June act. I love how they approached her vocal patterns - it sounds like she is screlting at the very top of her range, “pushing” to hit the top notes. It totally works with how the Newsboy act was conceived and how Rose markets June. It sounds so convincing that I am slightly worried that Tyson will lose her voice throughout the run. I didn’t love the scene after Rose rejects Kringelein’s offer to take June in. Tyson was very much acting “out,” panting and doing a lot of emoting when I thought something subtler would have sufficed - her pacing throughout that scene with Louise was also very pause-heavy, which is an issue I had with basically everyone throughout the whole show. Keep it moving! But hey, it’s a first preview.
Kevin Csolak does what he can with a small part, but I didn’t love his book scenes. They felt sketched on the surface, though it could have been first preview jitters. I loved his dancing in “All I Need Is the Girl” and thought it was a highlight even though I don’t love that song. His voice has a very interesting quality, and he went full falsetto for a moment, but I rather enjoyed it. I have a feeling his vocal performance will be divisive. I also found myself wishing there had been seeds of there Tulsa-June pairing. It felt rather out of left field tonight.
Lesli Margherita BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE with Tessie. She wrings every laugh possible out of the role and her vocal modulations are just hysterical. I have a feeling she could be nominated for this performance. “Get a Gimmick” was probably the musical highlight of the evening, with the three strippers absolutely nailing it. They brought so much zip and energy to their one scene I was wondering where all that pep was in Act I.
Melinda Hull was great in a minuscule role and brought down the house when the show was briefly halted for a tech issue during her phone scene. She was so in character and effortless that it made a slip-up magical. I wasn’t a fan of Ming-Trent in his various roles - he seemed very caricatured and flat. It felt like he was in a different show than the rest of the cast.
Which brings me to Audra…
It feels like Audra is still exploring the character. She hasn’t found Rose yet - the exploration is cool to watch in a meta way: the show is literally marketed as “AUDRA GYPSY” so it’s a little thrilling to see her on edge, a little nervous. The music felt VERY rough to me - the keys are changed, but Audra flips between a sort-of-belt and her head voice basically throughout the show. At times it felt like she came in late or couldn’t find the opening note. It was bizarre to see someone usually so renowned for being effortlessly perfect in a more vulnerable state.
There are some amazing moments. Audra is such a fantastic actress that you can literally see every thought in Rose’s head. The decision to make Louise a star was made in the moment, and completely changed the emotionality of the monologue. But she seems like a Rose without a motor - she doesn’t seen to be always in motion, propelling the show forward. Some of this is the fact that it’s a first preview and the pacing isn’t there yet, but I don’t see a pioneer woman without a frontier. In the scene where she’s making sure everything is ready for Louise to go on for the strip, she kept. dragging. it. out. Yes, it’s nice to watch you discover each article of clothing Louise can use, but find them faster!
Audra’s musical highlights were the more reserved numbers: “Small World,” “You’ll Never Get Away From Me,” and “Together, Wherever We Go.” None of the BIG songs landed for me. “Some People” probably fared the best, and it was mostly the vocals that put me off, the acting was pretty perfect. There were parts where she sounded like she was belting, only to flip into a classical soprano. “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” felt like it lacked a real punch - the feeling of a woman on the edge, ready to steamroll everyone in her way. I didn’t get that, and I didn’t like the key change in the middle of the number.
“Rose’s Turn” seemed to be where Audra was most at sea. I didn’t think she was helped by the staging, which mostly anchored her on the apron of the stage. The “someone tell me when is it my turn” section is slowed down so much, and the pauses between the lines are so long, I wanted to yell. STOP THE PAUSES. Audra works herself up into an emotional mess and it’s exhilarating mostly because it does seem a little uncomfortable for her. I got the feeling she’s dancing around something - there’s something in there that will be brilliant if she can find it. Right now, it’s merely emotional, but without heft. It’s a big song but… I’ve seen greater demons in other renditions of it.
The final scene was pretty standard. I wasn’t surprised by anything, and I didn’t feel like there were any revelations between the characters left to mine. I think because the dressing room scene didn’t serve as a great launching pad for “Rose’s Turn”, I didn’t really know where else the relationship COULD go. There were some bizarre line additions focusing on why Rose won’t open a school for kids because “2 leaving was too much” and it didn’t add anything. They walked away together. I wasn’t sure if that was sad or hopeful. Maybe toxic? I wanted more.
Unrelated, there was a bizarre verse add at the start of “Small World” that took me out of it but it was literally 20 seconds lol.
Now I never ever count Audra out or underestimate her, and I have no doubt that she can pull together a brilliant performance by opening. But right now, it’s a rougher, more confused Rose than I have seen, and I came away underwhelmed. I don’t think I really bought her as Rose. If it was just because the characterization was a little fuzzy and the pacing was off, I would say I think she’ll have it by opening. But honestly, I wasn’t a fan of her vocals during the big numbers. Girl can SING, but it feels almost like putting a round peg in a square hole. Maybe I’ll come back in 3 months and she’ll have proven me wrong (if anyone can, it’s Audra), but for me, the crux of the issue is that I just didn’t buy Audra’s Rose tonight.
It’s a trope that Rose is the musical King Lear - there were many moments where I come away with the sense of great actors doing a great play while knowing that each line must hit a certain emotional beat and make sufficient impact. In tonight’s performance, that bogged down the show - particularly Act I - and made me feel the show thought of itself as Important with a capitol I instead of just doing the show. Act II was such an incredible ride and such a contrast to Act I that I was reminded how perfect the script is. This is a brilliant show. I want this to be a brilliant production. Right now, as a whole, it’s merely good, approaching great. I want brilliant.
Updated On: 11/22/24 at 01:30 AM
