GYPSY on PBS — Page 2

I liked Imelda's performance on the whole but did think she peaked a little early. She seems a little too angry early on when she should seem determined rather than psychotic. I thought the scene with her father, for example, should be pleading and frustration but it came across as angry retribution. But I also thought that she toned it down nicely in the scenes with Herbie, when her voice became warmer and seductive, and the "Together Wherever We Go" sequence also showed that she had a sense of humor.

Lara Pulver was excellent although it is close to impossible to erase the memory of Laura Benanti in that part.

And the conductor was so handsome - they could have kept the camera on him all night, and I wouldn't have minded.

Imelda was so good as Mrs. Lovett. I have to fault the director on this one, to some extent.

The acting from all was atrocious. None of the performances were grounded . The amount of "indicating" brought it down at times to community theater level.

ray-andallthatjazz86, remember that everyone can't achieve such perfection in material, production AND reproduction on film!

It's just a matter of taste, clearly they took an approach that wasn't to everyone's liking. It was also poorly filmed IMO which gives it an odd feeling. I honestly think everyone just has the '09 revival seared too much into their minds.

Updated On: 11/13/16 at 06:47 PM

Gypsy is one of my all time favorite shows. When I saw Tyne Daly and she sang the last note of "Everything's Coming Up Roses", l felt incredible fear inside of me, the hair on my arms stood up. Imelda Staunton did a very serviceable job as Rose, the actress that played the adult June was terrible. Her accent kept drifting and her performance was very grating. I think that any of the performance choices that were made, were approved by the director. The camerawork was very shoddy, focusing on the wrong things sometimes. I would have loved for them to have recorded Ms. Lupone's take on Rose. Tyne Daly should have done the last TV version instead of Bette Midler...

Pretty good overall, but over-reached in that British way of adding a "Darker Vision" to material that doesn't really need it, most evident in the decision to costume and make-up the imperishable trio of strippers Mazeppa, Electra and Tessie as if they were White Walkers from Game Of Thrones. The total abject humorlessness of the production just became choking after a while. Ms. Staunton did quite well, I thought, but I couldn't help wondering, by time Rose finally said, "Herbie, how about marrying me?" why on earth he didn't respond, "Rose, let me get back to you on that..."

I do think the interpretation of Rose was just weird - conceived by either/ both actress and director. She came off as a psycho who was mentally deranged. Rose was a stage mother in the worst sense of the word..someone who puts her own wants and desires ahead of what her children want and need. But Rose to me came across as someone with mental problems so to me it took a little away from the actual story. "Bad" stage mothers do not as as rule have mental problems..

I am sure some qualities worked better in the theater than on stage but I just felt the whole production was just off (as was much of the casting). Toning down for TV would have helped but not solved the problems to me.

I was assuming they filmed this twice as they did last year with Billy Elliott...once as a whole performance in front of the audience. But also they filmed the dress rehearsal where cameras were on stage to get close ups and actors could tone down certain elements of their performance. The two performances were then blended together for the final result.

Does anyone know if this two show taping was done here?

There was only one double bass..no violin, no cello in this pit.

I remember checking because when I was at this theater in September for Funny Girl, I was chatting with the cellist and he was saying that in the UK, some individual productions hire their own musicians while others are hired by the theater and stay there from show to show. I didn't remember what he said they did at the Savoy so I was checking to see if it was the same guy - but in the credits, I noticed the lack of strings here.

I forgot to mention earlier that I also didn't care for the ending..when Rose says "Mama Rose and her daughter Gypsy Rose Lee" - giving herself the top billing, Louise usually gives her mother a somewhat fond but exasperated "she's never going to change" look and they leave together. This Louise just looked insulted and nauseous and walked out alone with her mother to follow. I didn't care for that interpretation at all.

KathyNYC2 said: "Does anyone know if this two show taping was done here?"

It was taped live in front an audience on October 6 and 7

It seemed to me to be dreadfully vulgar overacting from everyone from the first moment.

But vulgar overacting is, I think, very "in" these days. Which may partly explain why we now have a grotesque reality TV character for a President.

She was a cross between Fozzi Bear and Lewis Black. I'm sure direction was the problem. In Harry Potter she demonstrated that she could do both subtle, charming manipulation and the big finish drama. So we know it's possible for her to be small and work her way up to big. Granted that's film and this is theatre being filmed. But the filming director should have been able to reign her in for those two nights.

Updated On: 11/14/16 at 04:16 PM

Exactly-I didn't see her on stage. I'm criticizing what I did see.

Overall I enjoyed the production, partly out of my interest in seeing live theater either in person or live. I’d love to see more of this, particularly since I can only get to NYC and see Broadway shows every few years.

My favorite scene in GYPSY is always “Gimmick” and I really liked this interpretation. Tessie is still in relatively good form, but Mazeppa and Electra have a “been around the block” look which nailed where these gals are in their lives and as burlesque was waning. They reminded me of my first and only visit to Fremont Street in Las Vegas. Fremont was the center of Vegas before the over-the-top glitz of the Strip took over. The cocktail servers and waitresses are generally older and bit rougher around the edges, all seem to have a raspy cigarette voice, and they are a contrast to the younger, more energetic women working on the Strip.