My GYPSY Experience

[SweeneyPhanatic]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 12:57am

My GYPSY Experience...for anyone who cares or can pretend they care.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

...wow. There's only one word I can think of to describe my night in the St. James: intense. This production, the performances, the direction, all of it, combined, was the most intense night at the theatre I have ever had. I've been a fan of "that lady with the big mouth" ever since I saw her "Evita" on BROADWAY'S LOST TREASURES, and to see her, live, was truly a dream come true. Bear with me, because I might get wordy.

Boyd Gaines: Phenomenal. He (as well as his costars) is the kind of performer I aspire to be: an amazing actor with a great singing voice. His comedic timing was great, and his big moment in the second act was, and I'll use this word a LOT, intense. Great character work, great voice, great performance, god I could rave forever about this ONE NIGHT of my life!

Laura Benanti: If I hadn't read it here, I never would have known she had an infection. Another great actor with a great voice. A lot of people have complained about her shouty performance in the second act, but I liked it. It seemed to me, from the 7th row, that her performance (as well as all the others) were so perfectly directed to work not only up-close, but even just as well from the very back of the balcony. Knowing she has been having health issues, it did seem to me that she held back during "Little Lamb" (which, for the first time, actually moved me instead of bored me), but she seemed to be at 100% during "The Strip."

Tony Yazbeck: Awesome dancer! He's the first Tulsa I've seen/heard who actually convinced me he might want to do a little more with June than dance. In other words: he's the first Tulsa I've seen/heard who didn't come off as a gay guy trying to be straight. I do see, though, why people couldn't see him tackling any leading-man roles, but if the right show ever came along, I'm sure he'd be great.

Leigh Ann Larkin: Even though I loved her take on june, I can see why a lot of people didn't. She is over-the-top with her disgust/hatred towards the act, but if you think about it, a child born and raised in the theatre, constantly playing to the back of the house, probably would be somewhat over-the-top even offstage. One thing I noticed, and loved, was her interaction with the boys during the birthday scene. There was one boy who kept trying to get closer to her, or touch her, or make suggestive faces at her, and her reactions were great. Some of the best background acting I've ever seen was in this show, and most of it from Leigh Ann in those brief moments.

Ensemble: Go good. Amazing energy, and great character work in various roles. If I'm ever in a musical ensemble again, I want one as dedicated as that one.

And finally...

Patti LuPone: The whole reason I flew up from Georgia to see this show was Patti, I'll be honest. Any other actress in the part, and I wouldn't have been too sad to miss it. She's one of my reasons for being an actor, and being in theatre. As soon as she stormed down the aisle (about 6 feet to my right) I knew I was in for a treat. Then, something happened which I'll never forget: Patti goofed! Towards the end of "Small World" when she sings "Funny, you're a man who likes children...[etc.]"she got to "Lucky..." and stopped, as if she was waiting for Boyd to start singing something. She realized her mistake, though, and rushed the "I'm a woman with children! Small world..." into place. The audience cracked up and even Boyd was laughing, which might be what he does there anyway, but that was the BEST cover-up I've ever seen. Nobody freaked-out, or dropped character; they just played it off and it worked. Her "Everything's Coming Up Roses" gave me chills, and it not long before that number that I realized: I'm in NYC, watching Patti LuPone in the role of a lifetime, and I'm in the same room as one of my idols!

Patti, Act 2: This is where the word "intense" hit me. Act 2 was everything I expected it to be [side note: the three strippers were HILARIOUS, and so perfect in every possible way in those roles! "Gimmick" was definitely a highlight of the evening]. Then came Patti's big number: "Rose's Turn."

Ho...

...ly...

...****...Never before have I been so drawn to what was happening on the stage before me. I even caught myself leaning forward a little bit with my mouth slightly open because I was so...enthralled by the genius onstage. As soon as that big ROSE sign came down, I stopped breathing. I had to make myself breathe because the stage picture, the performance, the whole evening building up to this climax of a song was almost too much for me. The final scene between Laura and Patti was done very well, and the reworked ending almost made me lose it, but I held back the tears, and cheered as loud as I could with the rest of the crowd.

Speaking of the crowd, the thread is about my GYPSY experience, and no theatrical experience is complete without commentary on the audience. There was a very nice elderly couple and their daughter sitting behind me, and we ended up talking before the show and during intermission about the show and who we were and fun stuff like that. The couple had seen Merman for their honeymoon (tickets were a gift from his mom) and it was so cool listening to them reminisce about that night. Their daughter, I believe her name was Vicki, had seen Peters and had pretty much the unanimous opinion: great actress, lackluster vocals. I found out that Vicki works at the Box Office for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, and she offered to get me a student ticket if I dropped by during her shift on Friday. I had plans for Friday, but it was so awesome of her to offer that! If I got her name right and anyone here knows her, please pass on my sincere thanks and apologies for not being able to make it (even though I REALLY wanted to).

And of course...the stage door! I stayed during the whole curtain call and was still able to get right up against the barricade to the right of the door where they come out. Tony Yazbeck and Leigh Ann Larkin came out and signed, as did a few ensemble members who could be stopped by the crowd. When Patti finally came out, my first thoughts were "Holy ****, it's Patti LuPone!" and then "Wow, she's small..." She made her way down the other side first before coming back up to my side. I would have been the first on my side, but a hand shot out past my ear and she got it first. She seemed to be in a good mood and was thanking people for their compliments and love, and then she got to me. As she signed my program and I threw out the best compliment I could think of (I think it amounted to "You were so amazing!"), I decided to be ballsy and ask, "Can I shake your hand? I mean, when it's not full of Playbill?" I think it caught her off-guard because she kind of made a quick surprised face and then chuckled as she nodded and mouthed "Sure" while she signed another program for someone. Then she stuck out her hand, I stuffed my programs under my left armpit, and shook her hand. I thanked her, she smiled and nodded, and moved on.

And it was awesome! I will never forget that night, and even though the show won't be videotaped for future living-room screenings, I'm so glad the cast album is as complete as it is. There were, of course, different nuances in the theatre than on the recording, but it's as close as I'll ever get to reliving that night at the St. James. And I'll never wash my hand again...kidding! But I'll always remember that brief, yet so totally awesome, moment in my life.

And that was my GYPSY experience! Sorry if I rambled, I just kinda wanted to let it all flow...

Oh, and for those of you who might remember: I was going to send a Playbill backstage for Laura to sign, with a note attached to it. Well, I sent it back, and then nobody could tell me what happened to it. :/ No problem. I just hope Laura got the note and appreciated my gushing.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 1:02am

Glad you enjoyed yourself :) The "Small World" bit isn't a mistake, though, just so you know. She pauses, as if for suspense, and then rushes through it for the laugh.

[Parks]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 1:03am

Thank you for posting your thoughts!! Glad you loved it--and glad you got to meet her!

The "goof" you experienced is something she always does--in every performance. Always makes me laugh though :).

[Parks]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 1:03am

Thank you for posting your thoughts!! Glad you loved it--and glad you got to meet her!

The "goof" you experienced is something she always does--in every performance. Always makes me laugh though :).

[SweeneyPhanatic]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 1:15am

She does that on purpose? Hmm...why? Now that I know it's intentional, I have to wonder why Laurents would keep that in. Sure it gets a laugh, but there's plenty of real humor written in the piece already.

Well...it worked! Not sure I like it being intentional, but okay. There are worse things that can happen to a show (can we say "Carrie"?...)

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 9:33am

What a beautiful review of not only the show but of your whole experience!

I'm thrilled for you that you got to see this production.

It sounds like it was a day that you'll never forget!

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 10:54am

Thank you. Rose's Turn is powerful stuff in LuPone's hands.

[faith587]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 2:58pm

Patti was wonderful at the stagedoor when I saw the show this past Wednesday evening. She took a picture with a girl who came from Brazil to see the show. I asked her if my friend and I could have a picture with her since my friend came from Mississippi and she said yes! We almost got a perfect shot, but the woman behind us who took the picture covered up the lens with her finger. We do have a picture of the two of us smiling and Patti is smiling too, but she's handing someone a playbill. We thanked her for being so nice to us and complimented her on her peformance. She told us "Thanks ladies"

[cfmiller]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:06pm

I was there on Wednesday also. I enjoyed the performance, but my partner was less enthused, saying Patti shouted and hammed it up too much.

Did the plate Laura threw in "Where Ever We Go" hit someone in the first row? The number stopped cold and the person in the front row handed the plate back. I thought it was hilarious!

Maybe my partner would have enjoyed the performance more if the St. James actually had some leg room. I was uncomfortable, and I am 6-2, so I can't imagine how he at 6-5 felt!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:11pm

That's a fun fan report, SweeneyPhanatic.

The "Small World" bit is funny because she's waiting for Herbie to join in and she ends up just catching up and doing it herself. Perfect for Madam Rose.

[faith587]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:18pm

cfmiller: Yes, one of the plates rolled off the stage and hit someone. I thought it was so cute how Laura bent down and asked "Are you okay?" as she got the plate handed back to her. Then she put the plate down, and Patti and Boyd just stared at her like "What are you doing?" Then the number continued.