Posted: 1/2/16 at 4:30pm
Wow--Somehow I'd forgotten that dramatic finish in the LuPone version, probably attributable to my sitting way up in the balcony. There is definitely something to be said for being close to the stage in terms of cementing an image in the brain.
Posted: 1/2/16 at 4:38pm
mamaleh said: " There is definitely something to be said for being close to the stage in terms of cementing an image in the brain. "
I completely agree with this statement. Here is a reminder of what LuPone's final was like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm9tJpmyFFo
Again, I really loved it. Some though the laugh was evil, but to me it seemed like "ah, momma will be always be momma."
Updated On: 1/2/16 at 04:38 PM
Posted: 1/2/16 at 5:03pm
ljay889 said: "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."
I'm not sure if she did this every night, but when I saw this production in London, when Rose ran after Louise at the end, she looked like a weird little hunchback kid that made her that much more pathetic in my eyes.
Posted: 1/2/16 at 5:53pm
It's fascinating to see how GYPSY keeps rebooting itself, and even more fascinating to read everyone's opinions on the show and which production, in their opinion, reins supreme.
Since everyone comes to this show with history, here's mine (promise to keep it brief): saw the Sam Mendes directed revival with Bernadette Peters in '01 while it was in previews. Loved it. Saw the LuPone revival loved it even more. I try to shy away from statements like "it was the best thing I've ever seen on Broadway" or "LuPone was the best Rose," dems truly is fightin' words in this crowd. But yes, for me personally (like those before me who were lucky enough to see Ms. Daily or Ms. Lansbury step into truly one of the most demanding roles in history) the LuPone revival seemed to fit that bill.
But isn't that amazing? That with each generation of new thespians comes, eventibly, a new and fresh production of GYPSY. So Rose is not just "the Hamlet of musical theatre" but is the passing of a torch.
Of course along the way, I've picked up every major cast album, book (primarily speaking about 'Arthur Laurents Mainly on Directing,' but there are a few other books on the subject that are worth a read), DVD (Midler and Russell) and article along the way and compared and formulated personal opinions about the show, like everyone else.
Watched the BBC broadcast a few days ago and let it marinate.
heres a few knit picky thoughts-
-the pacing was very fast. As was the LuPone revival. I think the pacing we are seeing now with the show has to do with a sestivity (or perhaps over sensitivity, maybe even downright fear of) to modern audiences. If you let GYPSY slow down, you run the risk of losing your audience as the show does have a tendency to run long. It is also a show everyone is familiar with, with an easy plot to follow, so I don't might the quick pace. Feel bad for the actors though, that pace in the first act is like getting shot out of a cannon. Lol. But Arthur also liked the show to run fast to so there you go.
-there were some lines of dialogue cut and/or changed. "Oh yes especially in sable"....sable? Wha? The line is "oh yes especially in mink." Does anyone know why they changed that line? There were also some lines cut before "wherever we go" and as some people have already brought up, some of the lines from "the strip" were changed/cut. That was a head scratcher. I get that they needed to cut some things to save time but some of the cuts seemed unnecessary.
-didn't love Louise's dress for "momma I'm pretty" I believe it is written in the script that the dress is supposed to be blue, correct? Also didn't love her hair. I loved it when she fully emerges as GRL, but again there are specific references in the script as to how Louise should wear her hair up for the "star strip" (Rose's line) to ignore this direct reference seemed a little disrespectful to the script to me.
-I didn't have any problems with Imelda Staunton's performance. She went for it, made some interesting choices and brava. Love how she actually hissed some of her lines; the way she slithered "sssssssssssay somethin' " gave me chills.
At the end of the day it was Arthur's dream to see the show have a "definitive" record (something Sondheim disagreed with but that's a different story) which is how the whole Streisand saga came into play. Luckily or unluckily depending on how you see it, that never happened. I don't know if there will ever be a "definitive" record of GYPSY, which is kinda great when you think about it, but I'm thoroughly pleased that this version was recorded as I think it's the best demonstration on film (thus far) of what the show really is, and can be.
Posted: 1/2/16 at 7:01pm
Regardless of the Mother Courage controversy, the only reason Gypsy should be revived on Broadway anytime soon is with Tonya Pinkins. That would be incredible.
It will be odd if Idina or Sutton ever play this part - I wonder if it would be similar to the Bernadette incident.
Posted: 1/2/16 at 9:24pm
rosscoe(au) said: "....The production company semi stage does not count )
I beg to differ as from my seat this 'bare bones' production had all that was needed to make everything 'gel'. The bits that have always bored me flew by and the highlights were never long enough. Who needs all that unnecessary filler when the talent is there to make it work[and what about Tulsa?-he should be Broadway Bound if ever anyone should--I didn't breath during his whole routine--code blue?]
SL ...x
"
Posted: 1/2/16 at 9:29pm
Now, that I've had time to think about it for a week, here goes:
It's odd that, while Imelda is easily the most unlikable Rose, she was the only one besides Tyne to bring me to legitimate tears during the last portion of the show and I do think her "Rose's Turn" was genius, scary, and heartbreaking.
I missed Rose's sense of fun and wit during act 1. I think it works best if Rose grows more desperate and crazed as the show progresses. Imelda seemed nuts by "Some People".
I bet Arthur Laurents would have loved how unsympathetic Imelda played Rose, but I'm wondering if even he'd think it was too much, especially in act 1 where Rose still has to be fun. This was a big issue I had with Betty Buckley in the role. She wasn't fun. She wasn't as angry as Imelda, but she was sad and dour the whole time. It made for a very uncomfortable (not in a good way) evening. I expected her to pull a gun out and kill herself at the end of "Rose's Turn."
I loved that they borrowed for Laurents' 2008 revival and kept a downbeat ending while still adding their own twist to it. I've always loathed the "Rose and Louise walk off into the sunset" ending. It always rings false to me. Laura Benanti's sarcastic laugh at the end of the '08 production is one of my most vivid memories of that production and it still chills me to the bone thinking about it.
There will never be a definitive Gypsy just like there will never be a definitive Hamlet or Macbeth. The material is so damn good that it can be interpreted in many ways.
Posted: 1/2/16 at 10:23pm
Sweet lips, I should've been clear in what I meant. That Australia hasn't seen a full scale sit down production in over forty years, I wasnt discounting the production company was just saying it didn't count as it ran for only 12 or so performances..
Posted: 1/2/16 at 11:22pm
rosscoe did you get to see Gloria Dawn ? [now THAT was a performance] then THINK I saw Toni Lamond take over when Gloria got ill. I also saw in Sydney,again think it was like at the Chevron, a performance with Leslie? from Prisoner but I DO remember Angela in London and Betty Buckley .
Oh a fading memory sucks-thank God I can still do the latter !
SL....x
Posted: 1/3/16 at 1:40am
Now a Tonya Pinkins ROSE would be kind of amazing. Her vibrato on some of those notes would be pretty amazing.
Posted: 1/4/16 at 11:38am
Did anyone else dislike Tulsa? I've always had a crush on the Tulsa, but I hated this one.
Anyone else?
Posted: 1/4/16 at 12:47pm
Yup. First Tulsa that just didn't do it for me.
Posted: 1/4/16 at 12:58pm
Aside from the leads, my favorite performance was Drunk Electra... but then 'Gimmick' started and she was suddenly sober?
And adding Herbie into many of the songs was nice- having played the part as originally written, you have do a lot of standing around emoting while others belt at you.
Posted: 1/4/16 at 1:23pm
Can we talk about how fugly the You Gotta Get a Gimmick "ladies" were. Holy crap, they were so ugly they hurt my feelings. It looks like someone beat them with the ugly stick. And they showed NO mercy!
Posted: 1/4/16 at 1:32pm
lovebwy said: "Can we talk about how fugly the You Gotta Get a Gimmick "ladies" were. Holy crap, they were so ugly they hurt my feelings. It looks like someone beat them with the ugly stick. And they showed NO mercy!"
I think the point of casting the strippers the way they did in this particular production was to show the downside of the burlesque circuit - - - the seedier side. Here are three worn out, boozed out strippers on their very last legs, teaching Louise the tricks-of-the-trade while at the same time reliving their gloried pasts. Louise then becomes a stripper but she takes it to a whole other level and brings back the style, class and glamour.
I think it was a very nice contrast.
Posted: 1/4/16 at 1:34pm
I get that, and I know the ladies are supposed to be somewhat busted, but Wooo faaa! These ladies were hideous!
Posted: 1/4/16 at 1:43pm
lovebwy said: "I get that, and I know the ladies are supposed to be somewhat busted, but Wooo faaa! These ladies were hideous!"
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
Posted: 1/4/16 at 1:47pm
And I am beautiful.. DAMMIT!
Posted: 1/4/16 at 1:51pm
Yes you are DAME. Inside and out! Hussy Power 2016!
Posted: 1/4/16 at 1:59pm
lovebwy said: "Can we talk about how fugly the You Gotta Get a Gimmick "ladies" were. Holy crap, they were so ugly they hurt my feelings. It looks like someone beat them with the ugly stick. And they showed NO mercy!"
Seriously. Of all the things in this production that offended me (which are too numerous to count), this was the most offensive to me. The actress playing Miss Cratchet then showing off the goods (plus her eyebrows) was a shock. I understand these women should be down on their luck and maybe not the loveliest creatures, but god damn they really went over the top. And that hair!
Posted: 1/4/16 at 4:00pm
I think the point of casting the strippers the way they did in this particular production was to show the downside of the burlesque circuit - - - the seedier side.
ATTENTION DIRECTORS: We GET that burlesque had a downside. Please don't show us that any more. We have seen it get progressively seedier in every production for the past 40 years and it's no longer novel.
In addition, the uglier you make the strippers, the more you run the risk of slipping into misogyny.
Far MORE is the idea that DESPITE their age, these women are in the business of being beautiful for the men paying to see them every day. Why not see how many different ways you can make them attractive, rather than trying to be oh-so-clever by making them "busted."
This goes not only for your productions of Gypsy but also for your productions of Cabaret and Chicago.
It's 2016. Stop making women ugly.
Posted: 1/4/16 at 5:25pm
I just love that we all are talking about the best Gypsy performance and the best Rose..I was Clarence and his classic clarinet and a newsboy in 1979...the Scottish Amateur Premier at the Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow. The Rose was Dixie Carr..she was a professional actress who had retired..the one thing I will never forget was hearing the Overture as I was already preset on stage as a beginner...and that sent me on the career I still have in the theatre.
Gypsy will always evolve and continue and we will always fight to remember our best Rose. Isn't it fantastic we are arguing about a musical which will reach 60 years of age in the next year? Let's hope this continues in the same way as they argue about all the great Shakespeare heroes ?
I have been very lucky to see Bernadette, Patti and Imelda and loved them all. I have watched Gypsy all around the world from full orchestra to a piano and drum kit. Can't wait for the next production anywhere. Bring on that new unique Rose.
Posted: 1/4/16 at 5:58pm
That's definitely one thing I have loved about the casting of Rose...they ALWAYS have managed to cast a unique voice and strong personality (at least, in the major Broadway/West End productions).
RE: the strippers being ugly. To be honest, I couldn't get through enough of the broadcast to watch this. However, does it make the whole Louise thing more shocking? It could be a bit less impactful for Rose to push Louise into a career that's glamorous and 'beautiful'.
Posted: 1/4/16 at 6:00pm
Something that I never really paid attention to until I watched my new Blu-ray of "Gypsy" that I got for Christmas, how horrible is a mother to allow her daughter "with no talent" to dress her up as a boy at the beginning of the film? I read part of Gypsy Rose Lee's memoir and had to stop because they really toned down Momma Rose's behavior and temperment. She was a monster, much worse than she is portrayed in the show. I am surprised that both daughters didn't leave her...
