Gypsy - change in the book - SPOILER

I posted this on ATC, too, but maybe I'll get some different answers here.

Laurents has changed one line for this production... where Tessie used to say, "From the way that dame walks, she would have made a damn good stripper."

Now, she asks, "She's your mother?" and Louise replies, "She's my mother."

I can't figure out what this does to enhance the moment.

Yes, it's cut now.

Perhaps the change just focuses the moment back on the mother/daughter dynamic?

The "from the way that dame walks" bit is funny, but not necessary.

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Having lost the last one, BKCollector is trying to start another argument. He'd probably think GYPSY was more perfect if everyone played zithers

Of course you can have a flawed hero, at least Hamlet was wronged in order to become the flawed hero that he is.

But Rose, there's no reason in the script that she's so insane, and unaware or uninterested in her children's emotional well-being.

I love flawed heroes, they are my favorites actually, the most complex and the most close to humanity, but Rose isn't written so that you understand where she is coming from (and comparing her to Hamlet, REALLY?)

I just think that Rose's character is morally repugnant, and no matter who plays her, I can barely stand to watch her scenes because I just hate her character so much. I think my head would explode if I saw an actress I actually hate (La Lupone) in that role.

And I don't think gypsy would be better with Zithers...kazoos maybe, but never Zithers. :)

"The "from the way that dame walks" bit is funny, but not necessary."

I think it is necessary. Through the entire show, Louise sees her mother fail at everything. It's the only time in the show where someone tells her that her mother could have been good at something.

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It's clear why Rose is the way she is. Everyone has walked out on her. Her mother left her, that'd mess me up!

must we open that can of worms?

Well, Gypsy Rose Lee (in real life) was a Republican...

One of the primary things we were taught in art classes was "knoiw when to stop" Laurents should have this pounded into his head.

The line is necessary as it shows what Rose could have been and why she pushes Louise into being a stripper.

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Holla for Texas

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Oh. My. God.

Said unpleasantness has just made me very ill. Must vomit now.

I haven't seen the show yet, though I have some thoughts...

At this point in the show, we are nearing the point of Rose's last shot at making her dream a reality, and the desperation is setting in. Louise sees this, but follows her mother's wishes, as usual. Louise has been aware throughout the play of her mother's desperation, the lengths she will go, and the people she will lose to get what she wants. And Laurents has her often in the position of defending Rose, even with June. I think this simple exchange could be Laurents wanting to give Louise one more moment, right before Rose loses another love in her life, where Louise must claim Rose as her mother, with her words, as tothers continue to abandon her.

It's possible Tessie's line was pulling focus in a way Laurents didn't like. I find myself cutting lines from my plays, even if I love the line, simply because it pulls focus; sometimes the line is so good, it pulls focus to the point it's all you remember from that scene. And, personally, though I love that line, it's all I remember from that scene. He may have wanted to sacrifice the joke in order to strengthen the moment as a moment on Louise's arc.

I'm just guessing, of course. But it's his book, and it's the best book ever written for musical theatre. So, if he wants to tweak it, who better?