My Thoughts on GYPSY

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 3/25/08 at 10:55am

The first show of my trip on Friday was GYPSY, starring Broadway legend Patti LuPone "in the role she was born to play" (as it so modestly says on the signage outside The St. James Theater.)

The show was, in a word, solid. The cast is excellent all around, with Benanti being the sole reason the transfer is justified (minus LuPone's incredible "Rose's Turn.")

Leading the company is LuPone, who makes for a compelling, endearing, heartbreaking, funny, sexy, and overall thrilling Rose.

That being said, her true Rose does not emerge until the end of act one. Through early numbers like "Some People," the fierce and ferocious woman that should be present is all but non-existent. It is not until "Everything's Coming Up Roses" that the wheels are set in motion that should have been present since the onset of the show.

But it is when she tears into "Rose's Turn," the legendary eleven o'clock number of spurred attention and unrealized dreams, that LuPone cements her status as a theatrical legend and earns the Tony buzz she has accumulated throughout previews. Never before have I seen any performer inject such a wide range of emotions so powerfully into one number (not to mention sing the crap out of said song in the process,) and the audience coudln't get enough of it-- the song was instantly greeted with a solid two minute standing ovation.

While LuPone is astonishing, though, this production truly belongs to Laura Benanti, who plays Louise with subtled nuance and stunning intricacy.

Benanti's evolution throughout the show was remarkable, and her gorgeous voice and winning stage presence make her the definitive Louise if ever there was one. During the infamous dressing room scene in Act Two that preceeds Rose's Turn, where Louise finally confronts her mother on the years of depravity and invisibility that have plagued her life, the production hits the highs it seems to be lacking elsewhere.

Also turning in notable performances are Boyd Gaines, heartwrenching as Herbie, the subdued candy seller-turned-manager of the girls act who tries unsuccessfully to create a loving family for Rose and Louise, and Leigh Ann Larkin, who reinvents June (Rose's perpetually adolescent "star" daughter) with sardonic wit and scene-stealing comedic awareness.

Bottom line: for Benanti, run and see this production. When LuPone comes alive, she nails it, but be prepared to wait until late into the show to see this occur.

Reviews to come of Cry-Baby, August: Osage County, Spring Awakening, Legally Blonde, Sunday in the Park With George, South Pacific, and In The Heights.

Updated On: 3/28/08 at 10:55 AM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/25/08 at 11:47pm

Very nice review, somethingwicked.

The cast is excellent all around, with Benanti being the sole reason the transfer is justified (minus LuPone's incredible "Rose's Turn.")

I very much agree with that statement. Benanti's performance truly made me realize why the show would be called GYPSY (and yes, I do know that it was Gypsy Rose Lee's request that even if the show was about Rose, that her name should be on the title).
Did you see the show at City Center?
What did you think of Marilyn Caskey? I haven't heard as many raves for her as I did when the show was playing on 55th st.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/25/08 at 11:53pm

I saw the show last night. I TOTALLY agree about Patti's 'Rose's Turn.' It was INSANE. It's even more thrilling than at City Center, which is hard to believe. And they actually justify having her wear the ugly painted smock (again). I know many hated that smock. But it was justified during the number.

One thing I disagree about is...I felt her Rose really emerged in the Miss Cratchitt office scene. Her 'Everything's Coming Up Roses' was incredible. She threw June's letter right at us in the front row.

Ray - Caskey is still wonderful. The audience loved the strippers. I think they even gave Caskey one of Mazeppa's lines, I don't remember if they did at CC also.
Updated On: 3/25/08 at 11:53 PM

[WaltSummersPI]

Posted: 3/25/08 at 11:57pm

Great reviews.

I think Patti's "turn" of character is a little earlier than 'Everything's...." By the time we get to Farmboys, the charming woman has lost her touch, just a bit. ("You're gonna love us!" is just creepy)

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:03am

I hate Patti LuPone.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:05am

LOL. I doubt she likes you either. Updated On: 3/26/08 at 12:05 AM

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:06am

Great review, somethingwicked.

Walt, I agree about the moment she first loses it. And that just happens to be the first appearance made by the smock!

[Kev]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:06am

Patti's character does indeed build, and that's what makes "Everything's Coming Up Roses" so thrilling. It's the perfect culmination to what we've seen prior in the show. As opposed to coming on full steam ahead like she did at City Center, Patti effectively layers one scene on top of the other and wisely chooses to showcase Rose's true colors piece by piece.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:09am

Foster, is it bad I kind of like that she wears the hideous smock for the end of act 2? It just makes perfect sense once she holds the smock for the "I had a dream" section of 'Rose's Turn.' That smock and the paint stains represent her dream.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:09am

double Updated On: 3/26/08 at 12:09 AM

[A Director]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:10am

So, who is Patti playing before "Everything's Coming Up Roses," Reno, Mrs. Lovett, Fosca? I doubt she'll even be nominated playing only 3/4 of a character.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:11am

Go away. I don't get why the Patti haters must ruin every thread about this production.

[antiandrewx]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:15am

I love that she wears the smock at the end of Act 2. It symbolizes a lot. And like you said, it has a lot of significance when she's crying into it during the "I had a dream" part. She wore the jacket for pretty much everything when it came to June and the act - the horrible act she herself was responsible for. It's brilliant that she's wearing that same exact jacket while she's having her breakdown.

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:16am

I'm not trying to ruin the thread...I love Gypsy and I'm positive that Laura Benanti is simply amazing in this production. I'm just not a fan of Ms. LuPone...at all. But I still wish the best for this production.

[A Director]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:22am

Is there a note in the program to explain the symbolism of the smock or does Mr Laurents stand in the lobby after the show and explain it then?

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:28am

Is there a note to Craig or Rob about you having two identities on this board? One of which you use to bash Patti and this production.

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:33am

How do I have two identities? So...I don't like Patti LuPone. Many people don't...why is it a large deal when I voice an opinion.

And I have nothing against the production.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:35am

That was to Mr Director.

[H.Higgins]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 12:57am

-- "Patti's character does indeed build, and that's what makes "Everything's Coming Up Roses" so thrilling. It's the perfect culmination to what we've seen prior in the show." --

Kev, I'm so glad you said that. I agree. Ms. LuPone fully embodies Rose for me from the get-go. Her "Some People" is determined and gutsy, as it should be. But if those early scenes had the SAME fierce quality that we see in "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Rose's Turn", it would be too much. Rose is going to have variations on her attitudes and determinations, highs and lows, just like, oh I don't know...HUMAN BEINGS.

It's funny, if Patti just pulled out the stops and played TOO fierce and TOO domineering for the ENTIRE piece, her critics would call her a "monster, not a woman" and label her performance "over the top." But her choice to allow for build and playing for subtlety here and there is still causing a stir.

[A Director]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 1:06am

I'm not a fan of vanity productions. Yes, Ms Lupone has talent, but I think she's wrong for Rose. I felt the same way about her as Fosca which she played like a character from a melodrama.

[H.Higgins]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 1:13am

To each his/her own. I find Patti LuPone to be ideal for Rose. And Lord knows I'm not alone. Her name has been mentioned in the same breath as "Gypsy" by theatre lovers and insiders for YEARS. And the ONLY reason she hasn't tackled the roll in a New York revival until now is because of Arthur Laurents' personal grudge that he held up until last year.

I'm thoroughly grateful that he finally let that s*** go!

[courtnyj]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 1:23am

"-- "Patti's character does indeed build, and that's what makes "Everything's Coming Up Roses" so thrilling. It's the perfect culmination to what we've seen prior in the show." --

Kev, I'm so glad you said that. I agree. Ms. LuPone fully embodies Rose for me from the get-go. Her "Some People" is determined and gutsy, as it should be. But if those early scenes had the SAME fierce quality that we see in "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Rose's Turn", it would be too much. Rose is going to have variations on her attitudes and determinations, highs and lows, just like, oh I don't know...HUMAN BEINGS.

It's funny, if Patti just pulled out the stops and played TOO fierce and TOO domineering for the ENTIRE piece, her critics would call her a "monster, not a woman" and label her performance "over the top." But her choice to allow for build and playing for subtlety here and there is still causing a stir."


Yes Higgins! I totally agree.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 2:42am

Patti LuPone's Fosca was not a debacle by any means but she was terribly miscast in the role. It's a role that I feel requires nuanced acting, subtlety, and a layer of fragility...LuPone possesses none of those qualities (or not enough to make Fosca work for me, especially when Audra McDonald's Clara was so warm...I would have picked Clara over Fosca in a heart-beat in this Lonny Prince mis-directed concert).
However, her Rose is thrilling to watch. She stopped the show more than once when I saw her at City Center, and what I enjoyed the most about her is that during the dressing room scene there is real acting from her part; she allows Benanti's Louise to command the stage and make her quite tiny, which made me really pity Rose, which in turn added a new layer to "Rose's Turn." I don't see how you could relate LuPone's performance in PASSION to her Madame Rose.

[A Director]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 2:51am

is that during the dressing room scene there is real acting from her part;

I always hate to see fake acting when I go to the theater.

[ahmelie]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 6:19am

"is that during the dressing room scene there is real acting from her part;

I always hate to see fake acting when I go to the theater.'

Wait... what? I don't even understand that.