#1
Posted: 3/19/08 at 9:54pm
Warning: POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW!
This is the first review that I'm posting on BWW, so I apologize if it seems scattered. I'm not that great at writing solid reviews, so I'm using the term "thoughts" instead.
Anyway, I went to the city today to catch the 2 pm performance of GYPSY, and I must start out by saying I thought it was fantastic. An excellent cast and an excellent production, as well as some wonderful material. It has been said that this may be the greatest American musical ever written, and, after seeing it live, I wouldn't try to argue that with anyone.
This was my first time seeing Patti LuPone perform, and I feel lucky that I got the chance to see her on stage at least once in my life. She gave an amazing performance, and deserved all of the praise she got for this role. Her "Rose's Turn" blew me away. It was spectacular.
For all the hype that Patti has received, though, I think that Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti deserve just as much praise for the performances that they are giving at the St. James. I loved Boyd Gaines because he made me actually care about Herbie, something that I think is very hard to do. Herbie seems like the type of role that could be easily lost throughout the story, but Gaines made him memorable. And most of all, he made Herbie seem like a real person. That, to me, is the mark of a truly excellent actor. Laura Benanti was my favorite person in the cast. Beautiful face, beautiful voice, and just an overall spectacular performance. "The Strip" was amazing. I can't put into words how awesome her performance was during this song/scene.
The rest of the cast was pretty good, with Leigh Ann Larkin giving another memorable performance. I find it hard to believe that this is her Broadway debut, it seemed like she had been performing forever. She has such a rich voice, and is destined for great things. She sounded great with Laura during "If Momma Was Married", which was my favorite song in the show.
I didn't have many problems with this production, most of them were similar to what has already been posted on this board. The city projections during "The Strip" were annoying, especially the last one that grew bigger and bigger on the curtain. Patti's smock that she wore before "Rose's Turn" still has those paint splotches on it, and they were driving me insane. I don't know why they are there, because it doesn't even look like she was painting. I don't even know what it looks like, it just looks dumb. I also thought that "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" was too long. It started to drag after the first stripper finished singing. Everyone around me loved it, but I got bored shortly after the song began. I'm not sure if this had to do with this production or the song in general, though.
Overall, this show was in very good shape for a preview performance. Aside from a few mixed up lighting cues, I couldn't even tell that it was in previews. I really liked this show, and it was definitely an enjoyable afternoon at the theatre.
This is the first review that I'm posting on BWW, so I apologize if it seems scattered. I'm not that great at writing solid reviews, so I'm using the term "thoughts" instead.
Anyway, I went to the city today to catch the 2 pm performance of GYPSY, and I must start out by saying I thought it was fantastic. An excellent cast and an excellent production, as well as some wonderful material. It has been said that this may be the greatest American musical ever written, and, after seeing it live, I wouldn't try to argue that with anyone.
This was my first time seeing Patti LuPone perform, and I feel lucky that I got the chance to see her on stage at least once in my life. She gave an amazing performance, and deserved all of the praise she got for this role. Her "Rose's Turn" blew me away. It was spectacular.
For all the hype that Patti has received, though, I think that Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti deserve just as much praise for the performances that they are giving at the St. James. I loved Boyd Gaines because he made me actually care about Herbie, something that I think is very hard to do. Herbie seems like the type of role that could be easily lost throughout the story, but Gaines made him memorable. And most of all, he made Herbie seem like a real person. That, to me, is the mark of a truly excellent actor. Laura Benanti was my favorite person in the cast. Beautiful face, beautiful voice, and just an overall spectacular performance. "The Strip" was amazing. I can't put into words how awesome her performance was during this song/scene.
The rest of the cast was pretty good, with Leigh Ann Larkin giving another memorable performance. I find it hard to believe that this is her Broadway debut, it seemed like she had been performing forever. She has such a rich voice, and is destined for great things. She sounded great with Laura during "If Momma Was Married", which was my favorite song in the show.
I didn't have many problems with this production, most of them were similar to what has already been posted on this board. The city projections during "The Strip" were annoying, especially the last one that grew bigger and bigger on the curtain. Patti's smock that she wore before "Rose's Turn" still has those paint splotches on it, and they were driving me insane. I don't know why they are there, because it doesn't even look like she was painting. I don't even know what it looks like, it just looks dumb. I also thought that "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" was too long. It started to drag after the first stripper finished singing. Everyone around me loved it, but I got bored shortly after the song began. I'm not sure if this had to do with this production or the song in general, though.
Overall, this show was in very good shape for a preview performance. Aside from a few mixed up lighting cues, I couldn't even tell that it was in previews. I really liked this show, and it was definitely an enjoyable afternoon at the theatre.
