Gypsy Live At Savoy-Link to Watch Replay Here- Page 3

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 7:45pm

One of the joys of Patti's performance is that she didn't portray a bulldozer from the start. Her "Some People" was pretty magical, full of childlike excitement with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. I don't feel she and Laurents got enough credit for how special her rendition of that number was. From a brief viewing of Staunton's version, it seems she just shouts the whole song. 

Updated On: 12/28/15 at 07:45 PM

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 8:07pm

I saw the 1962 film numerous times as a child.  I saw Tyne Daly and thought that a lot of her performance was terrifying especially her "Coming Up Roses".  Saw Patti Lupone at Ravinia and thought that Arthur Laurents would be a complete ass if he did not allow her to perform this on Broadway.  I skipped through the video this morning on Youtube and was shocked that Ms. Staunton's "Rose's Turn" made me cry.  If this were to come to Broadway, I would want to watch it every night if possible...Imelda Staunton is an amazing actress...

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 8:10pm

ljay889 said: "One of the joys of Patti's performance is that she didn't portray a bulldozer from the start. Her "Some People" was pretty magical, full of childlike excitement with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. I don't feel she and Laurents got enough of credit for how special her rendition of that number was. From a brief viewing of Staunton's version, it seems she just shouts the whole song. "

That was my biggest problem with Staunton's performance when I saw this production back in November. I also thought, as I believe I've said elsewhere, that the pacing of the entire show was way off. Gypsy moves, but this production was rushed to the point that jokes didn't land and Louise's character arc didn't pay off nearly as well as Benanti's Louise.

[ComingUpRoses2]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 9:55pm

givesmevoice said:

That was my biggest problem with Staunton's performance when I saw this production back in November. I also thought, as I believe I've said elsewhere, that the pacing of the entire show was way off. Gypsy moves, but this production was rushed to the point that jokes didn't land and Louise's character arc didn't pay off nearly as well as Benanti's Louise."

YES! Yes to all of this. Imelda starts on level 10 instead of building. I really wanted to love her and agree with everyone calling her definitive, but, besides her final 20 minutes (which I think might be definitive), she was just screamy and angry. Herbie would have never stayed with a woman like that.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 10:22pm

It's a pity all the G&S patter songs are written for men as Ms Stauntons rapid fire delivery would be a perfect fit for this type of song.

SL....x

[sng]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 10:25pm

I liked it and liked Imelda's performance thou I agree the pacing was way off and many jokes just didn't land. My biggest disappointment was the All I need Is A Girl performance, why didn't they keep the flawless original choreography??

[binau]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 11:28pm

It's fascinating that Staunton's performance, which received a lot of praise, has not been very well received here. I haven't seen it yet, but don't find myself listening to her recording very much.

Is it because it's not live? Can anyone who has seen the screening and production live comment on this?

Is it because the British don't 'get' American musicals? Obviously this statement can't be universally true. But it does make me think that the only time people have claimed a west end or Broadway production of gypsy has been 'done wrong' is when a British director steps in (totally acknowledge this is based on an incredibly small number of directors. Two American and two British)     (And not that I necessarily agree that the Mendes production was as bad as people say it was. It's pretty standard and Bernadette's performance was fine). 

I wish they ended up filming LuPone's revival . 

 

Btw, excuse the lack of paragraph spacing. Not sure if it's BWW or my iPhone. 

Updated On: 12/28/15 at 11:28 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 11:55pm

Just watched some more clips. Her performance seems WAY too big, manic, and angry for film. It almost appears that she's overacting, although I assume her performance felt more natural in person. Also, I never thought we'd see a Rose's Turn MORE manic than Patti's.... Wow! 

Updated On: 12/28/15 at 11:55 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 12:30am

You ain't getting 88 cents from New York, Imelda!

 

I skipped to "All I Need is The Girl."  Seems the Tulsa listened to the Tony Yazbek recording even more times than me, which is to say a lot.   A TON!  

 

And the "Rose's Turn."  Hoooooooooooo boy.   I don't know what I loved the most.  The Gollum hiss ("What I have insssssside me my little precious!" or the Pazuzu moans.  Madame Rose had everything but the pea soup and the bloody crucifix.  It was ghastly and I wanted it to go on forever and it DID!  

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 12:31am

"the immortal “Rose’s Turn,” is truly terrifying. It is also genuinely cathartic, in the great, transcendent tradition of classic tragedy."

 

Brantley's description of her Rose's Turn. "Terrifying" seems like the right word. It must play more natural in the theater, right?? 

 

Updated On: 12/29/15 at 12:31 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 12:40am

I hope not!


And I have to say, to be fair, not only does Imelda throw in generous helpings of Tyne's and Patti's performances, there's a welcome amount of Vicki Lawrence in "Mama's Family" for good measure.  

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 12:54am

I liked it more than I was expecting.  I'm not sure how I'd feel if I saw this live, though, because I think there's something about the British sensibility to underplay musicals that makes them work on tv in a way they don't in the theatre.  I felt the same about The Sound of Music.

 

I can appreciate the arguments about Staunton being too angry and too big, but I found her so unsympathetic that she was actually sympathetic, if that makes any sense.  

 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 12:55am

I found a link but it's unfortunately gonna take like 4 hours to download, so that's a bummer.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 1:03am

I'm having fun with this but I'm seriously thinking she'd be in for a total that-Tracy-Under-the-Rainbow-lady experience if they ever brought it over here.  

 

And VERA DRAKE is one of my favorite movies!

Updated On: 12/29/15 at 01:03 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 1:07am

FindingNamo said: "I'm having fun with this but I'm seriously thinking she'd be in for a total that-Tracy-Under-the-Rainbow-lady experience if they ever brought it over here. "

 

That seems pretty plausible based on some of the reaction in this thread.  I had really high hopes for this. I keep telling myself it must be better in the theater. 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 2:40am

I have yet to watch it in its entirety but from the bits I've seen I quite enjoy Imelda's performance. She seems a little more brash than many other Roses we've seen but that isn't a deal breaker for me. Also love the physical production, its rooted a little more in the warm colors, whereas the Patti version was oh so cold.

 

And how did I not know that the 5th Doctor was Herbie??

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 3:53am

sng said: "I liked it and liked Imelda's performance thou I agree the pacing was way off and many jokes just didn't land. My biggest disappointment was the All I need Is A Girl performance, why didn't they keep the flawless original choreography??

 

"

It seems strange. Wasn't the Mendes version forced to use the Robbins choreography?  I thought major productions were

[Pip-boy]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 4:07am

This is a decent production of a so-so musical. On stage, watching it live in the theatre, it comes across as electrifying and as a true theatrical event - which doesnt of course translate as well on screen. Imelda Staunton is wonderful, and on stage you get so many layers of her Rose that dont quite come over on the filming.

I hated Patti Lupone in the last version I saw when I visited NY (even her Rose's Turn was, for me, a case of "enough already" sadly) but then she has for me varied between being absolutely stunning in a role and being tediously over the top: but I do applaud her for her unpredictability! 

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 5:10am

Pip-boy said: "This is a decent production of a so-so musical. On stage, watching it live in the theatre, it comes across as electrifying and as a true theatrical event - which doesnt of course translate as well on screen. Imelda Staunton is wonderful, and on stage you get so many layers of her Rose that dont quite come over on the filming.

 

I hated Patti Lupone in the last version I saw when I visited NY (even her Rose's Turn was, for me, a case of "enough already" sadly) but then she has for me varied between being absolutely stunning in a role and being tediously over the top: but I do applaud her for her unpredictability! 

"

I totally agree with this (except the "so-so musical" part), I saw it three times at the Savoy and it was pure electricity, Imelda was never over the top or anything. This is a issue of all the live recorded performances, especially of musicals, where the acting is calibrated for a different and larger medium.

Updated On: 12/29/15 at 05:10 AM

[binau]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 6:27am

Did someone really just describe Gypsy as a 'so-so' musical?

 

 

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 8:54am

 

If each successive Rose gets exponentially more psychotic, where will it all end?

 

 

[Pip-boy]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 8:58am

I did indeed, although "so-so" is perhaps more than touch lacking in effusive gush than one would like! Although the musical is a huge hype-fest at the best of times, and I don't quite get the hype!

 

Now I can appreciate its classic status and all that. And I can quite understand how for many it is great. But for me as a musical taken as a whole I just don't think it is a truly great piece. At least not for me: sometimes when I see a new production of Gypsy it is more out of "duty": there are too many bits I sit there waiting to be over whenever I have seen it and I do find the book a touch tedious in places. Even with a strong cast, and the magnificence of a strong Rose, I often wait for the next great song - and invariably I enjoy every moment of that song.......

 

But the score and the lyrics are truly ravishing and it is always worth seeing Gypsy at least just for those for me. And whenever I have wanted to see it again, it has been mainly for the score and lyrics live.

Updated On: 12/29/15 at 08:58 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 9:01am

PalJoey said: " 

 

If each successive Rose gets exponentially more psychotic, where will it all end?"

 

I am wondering  this as well. Imelda makes Patti's performance seem so mild in comparison. 

Tyne's entire production can be seen on YouTube and I respect the fact that she felt no need to be scary or psychotic, she just plays the role.  

 

 

 

 

 

Updated On: 12/29/15 at 09:01 AM

[Tony2600]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 9:21am

PalJoey said: " 

If each successive Rose gets exponentially more psychotic, where will it all end?"

I suppose we can expect the next Madame Rose to give up the chow mein for liver with fave beans.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 9:31am

I watched this last night. I don't know but Imelda's performance was just way to over the top! She came off angry and loud - - - all of the time!

 

Louise/Gypsy has only a few numbers in the show and her one moment to shine with the Let Me Entertain You/Strip number is shortened!

 

And don't get me started on Imelda's "Rose's Turn"! Terrifying is not the word to describe it, HORRIFYING is more like it. I damn near expected her head to spin a full 360 degrees. She came off like a possessed maniac. Ugh.

 

This MUST have played better in a theater because I just don't get the hype.

Updated On: 12/29/15 at 09:31 AM