Gypsy Live At Savoy-Link to Watch Replay Here- Page 5

[gypsy101]

Posted: 12/30/15 at 7:52pm

I've been trying to get through this the last few days. Gotten about 50 minutes in, and it's painful. how was this production acclaimed? not only is Imelda much too angry from the first scene and far too old, but all the other casting is wrong. Those farm-boys must be pushing 35. Rose's father seems to be younger than her. Both Baby and Dainty June were so grating at every moment. At first I was glad when she transformed, only to have that joy become chagrin. I've kind of liked Herbie and Louise so far. I will attempt to power through the rest tonight. A shame, since my boyfriend knows this is my favorite show, and he's been absolutely disappointed (I told him this production is the problem and not the show, I hope he believes me).

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 12/30/15 at 8:24pm

And to me it's by leaps and bounds the best Gypsy I've ever seen.  

Kinsey said it.   We are all different.  
He was talking about sex.   But he could have been talking about musical theatre.

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

Posted: 12/30/15 at 9:07pm

When I saw Tyne Daly, I thought that the whole performance ran at the pace of a freight train.  I think that the reason we have had so many revivals is because of how great the musical actually is.  There is really not another musical that can compare to the drama and musicality of "GYPSY"...maybe we need to wait until Idina Menzel is old enough to put on Rose's coat...

[binau]

Posted: 12/30/15 at 9:25pm

ignore

Updated On: 12/30/15 at 09:25 PM

[binau]

Posted: 12/30/15 at 9:32pm

http://i66.tinypic.com/2czcx28.png

 

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/30/15 at 9:38pm

And you know the person who made that infographic didn't see any of them!

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 12/30/15 at 11:59pm

Due to things beyond my control I had a ticket to see this in November and had to miss it. Just finished watching the broadcast twice and for me, it was amazing, loved every single minute of it..

This was the first production I have ever seen ( Australia hasn't  seen a professional in years ....The production company semi stage does not count ) 

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 2:52am

I don't think anyone can call LuPone's acting exceptional...

I saw Imelda three times in London and it's the greatest performance I've ever seen on stage, so nuanced and original. However, I agree that the BBC version didn't make her justice at all and in the video her performance is OTT at times... Still, it needs more consideration especially since Sondheim praised it as one of the finest performances he has ever seen.

Updated On: 12/31/15 at 02:52 AM

[SNAFU]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 4:13am

She scared the crap out of me when she tried to strangle Louise dueing "Everythinhgs coming up Roses".

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 8:01am

imeldasturn said: "I don't think anyone can call LuPone's acting exceptional..."

 

Yeah LuPone isn't a classically trained actress or anything......

did you even see her performance?

[c0113g3b0y]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 8:57am

so where does Bette Midler fall in qolbinau's scale? LOL

[DAME]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 11:10am

imeldasturn said: "I don't think anyone can call LuPone's acting exceptional...

 

I saw Imelda three times in London and it's the greatest performance I've ever seen on stage, so nuanced and original. However, I agree that the BBC version didn't make her justice at all and in the video her performance is OTT at times... Still, it needs more consideration especially since Sondheim praised it as one of the finest performances he has ever seen.

 

"

Well I can only go by what is on the broadcast.  I thought it was dreadful.  And that chart is so way off.  

[bryan2]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 1:16pm

Having seen Gypsy with Tyne Daly 5x Linda Lavin, Betty Buckley, Bernadette Peters , and Patti Lupone I can honestly say that the one thing they all had in common was they were not overacting...while I think Tyne was the best...and her singing in the theater was perfectly fine (the recording is not) she was Rose...100pc... Imelda seems to be overacting and angry throughout...just to over the top for me. I don't like her Roses turn at all just to much.....but any version of Gypsy is worth seeing for the different takes on it.

BTW ..Betty Buckley was my 2nd favorite Rose...she killed it and it is a shame they never let her bring it to NYC

[Bernie2016]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 4:53pm

She scared the crap out of me for the ENTIRE thing!!!1

[gypsy101]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 7:13pm

 It's off topic, but I'm listening to older Gypsy recordings today and I'm currently on All I Need is the Girl from Tyne Daly's recording, and several times (3, I believe) there are what I assume to be sounds of a member of the orchestra coughing in the background. Very strange.

[maxkko]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 7:39pm

gypsy101 said: " It's off topic, but I'm listening to older Gypsy recordings today and I'm currently on All I Need is the Girl from Tyne Daly's recording, and several times (3, I believe) there are what I assume to be sounds of a member of the orchestra coughing in the background. Very strange."

Ha! I just listened and heard it as well. Never noticed it... On another note: I really enjoyed the sets as well as Lara Pulver. Imelda's acting isn't terrible, it's just too much. Sometimes subtlety can be key in a few scenes for Rose. Something she didn't explore...

[binau]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 8:41pm

Happy New Year everyone! (I am 16 hours ahead of the NYC timezone). 

Regarding the chart, obviously it is just my opinion so happy to be challenged. Though it's always more interesting to provide some actual detail if you do want to challenge it. And that opinion has been formed primarily based on recordings (including professionally shot videos at the Lincoln Archive, cast recordings, audience recordings, the BBC broadcast etc.) or in the case of Ethel Merman, I've also factored in some second hand opinions given that visually, her performance is not well documented. 

 

I haven't fully made up my mind about Imelda's performance yet. Vocally, to me it's nothing particularly special at all and out of all the major stage roses, the only one it tops for me is Tyne's (who based on available recordings really was not THAT much better in the theatre than on the cast recording. e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJM6nNMXJlc. She is a great example of an actor who sings). 

However, there is no doubt in my mind that Imelda is a great actress. She is also a classically trained, acclaimed actress. And looking at the scenes leading up into "Rose's Turn", for example, I am impressed at how convincingly fractured she makes Rose seem. Her facial expressions, overwhelmed emotion, posture, hand shaking etc. - all seems very skilful to me. 

 

So the question for me is whether the vision of how she played her character is 'wrong'. I always have felt that Rose has some kind of mental illness (she lies, uses people, is impulsive, and can be aggressive). So I can definitely understand some of the choices that were made. But, like other unpleasant characters in our cannon (e.g., Fosca), it can sometimes be a bit hard to care about an unpleasant, difficult, awful person. 

Updated On: 12/31/15 at 08:41 PM

[A Director]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 11:33pm

Granted, this is a video of a live performance, I did not find Imelda Staunton over the top.  She plays Rose as a single minded driven woman who does not allow herself to feel.

I liked "Some People" because she sang and acted it moment to moment.  If you listen to the words and music, it isn't a  song about having a fun time on the road; it's a song about a woman trying to get her way.

In "You'll Never Get Away From Me," we see another side of Rose, but in this production, Rose can only give out a little bit of love.

"Everything's Coming Up Roses," is amazing. Again, Ms Staunton plays moment to moment. Not only is she trying to convince Louise, she is also trying to convince herself. I loved her child-like shaking of her hands.

After watching, "Rose's Turn," I had to remind myself to breath. I was pinned to my chair  Ms Staunton is amazing. I felt pain, sorrow and sadness.  For the first time, Rose is letting out all her emotions and anger. The scene with Gypsy was heart breaking.  For a brief moment, I wondered what the future would be like for Rose.

I hope this is comes out on DVD. I want to own a copy.

[A Director]

Posted: 12/31/15 at 11:43pm

"So the question for me is whether the vision of how she played her character is 'wrong'. I always have felt that Rose has some kind of mental illness (she lies, uses people, is impulsive, and can be aggressive)."

What crap!  Rose does not have some kind of mental illness!  The fourth examples you list usually not a sign of mental illness.  I wonder, if a man lied, used people was impulsive and was aggressive would you say he had some kind of mental illness?  Perhaps you are shocked that a woman lies, uses people, is impulsive and is aggressive.

 

[binau]

Posted: 1/1/16 at 12:13am

Are you kidding me? This has absolutely nothing to do with her gender. 

Those behaviours can be characteristic of a personality disorder, and indeed the nytimes review of Imelda's performance even described her character as a sociopath. 

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 1/1/16 at 6:47pm

for those of us who were too damned slow, GYPSY has been removed from YouTube. Thankfully I saw it live in June, but it kills me that I missed this performance. Perhaps I'll try hola...

 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 1/1/16 at 6:51pm

I would agree that a man who did what Rose did to her children could certainly be called mentally unhinged.

[mamaleh]

Posted: 1/2/16 at 3:26pm

I was exhausted after watching the BBC video.  This was the first production I've seen that emphasized Rose's unrelenting anger and resentment rather than ambition.  I've never before sensed that what was driving her all those years was anger at being abandoned by her mother at an early age.  For me, that came out crystal-clear during "Rose's Turn."  The irony, of course, is that she has herself inadvertently driven away all those who have attempted to love her.  Even at the end, post "Rose's Turn," Louise turns and starts to walk away, something not in any previous versions I've seen. Yes, she does eventually put her arm around Rose, but not at first.  That was very telling. 

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/2/16 at 3:54pm

mamaleh said: "Even at the end, post "Rose's Turn," Louise turns and starts to walk away, something not in any previous versions I've seen. Yes, she does eventually put her arm around Rose, but not at first.  That was very telling."

 

Don't forget in the LuPone revival Louise actually DOES completely walk away from her, leaving Rose continuing to reach for her shattered dreams aka her name in the fading lights. I loved it, but it was extremely controversial at the time. 

Updated On: 1/2/16 at 03:54 PM

[binau]

Posted: 1/2/16 at 4:25pm

I'm having flashbacks to heated discussions about 'the laugh', haha.