My Thoughts on GYPSY- Page 2
My Thoughts on GYPSY
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#25
Posted: 7/15/07 at 7:25am
I agree with Yankee and roscoe. I happen to be a die hard Patti LuPone fan. I saw her in SUNSET BLVD. in London when I was 13 and I never turned back. I even waited at the stage door of the Encores production of CAN-CAN a few years ago for an hour for her to leave the cast party -- I was the only one waiting -- and asked her to sign my SUNSET Program from London.
Anyhoo, I love Patti to death. But what Yankee is saying, and correct me if I'm misinterpreting, is that Patti is always a fabulous performer, but when it comes to acting in specific roles, she tends to play pretty much the exact same person in every role -- she plays them damn good -- and sings the hell out of every score, but she isn't exactly a chameleon the way, say, Donna Murphy is. She doesn't inhabit each role and become that person. She's Patti up there giving a hell of a performance as Patti. And we love her for it. But still, we don't expect anything but Patti playing Patti. People said she "reinvented" Mrs. Lovett. I say she took the role and played it as Patti LuPone would play any role. Angela Lansbury distinctly inhabited each of the four roles she won Tony Awards for. While Patti may bring something new to the table as Mrs. Lovett, or as Rose, it's nothing that we wouldn't predict coming from Patti.
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#26
Posted: 7/15/07 at 7:37am
Careful, guys: people tend to get a little testy when you say stuff like this. 
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#27
Posted: 7/15/07 at 8:09am
Foster - so eloquent and 100% correct.
I actually had this discussion with someone the other night. Patti is Patti. She's one helluva performer (turning in what's probably gonna go down as a career-defining performance), but she's doing it as "Patti as Momma Rose."
Look at the other performances in 2007. Donna Murphy became Lotte Lenya. Christine Ebersole became Little Edie. Audra McDonald became Lizzy Curry.
Patti didn't become anything. As Foster said, she played the role the same way she would any role....and she, predictably, hit it out of Shea Stadium and all the way to LaGuardia Airport.
Regarding the stage door for whoever asked - it says in Harry Haun's column (found here: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/109553.html) that she's on extreme vocal rest. I just assume it's because of that.
Updated On: 7/15/07 at 08:09 AM
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#28
Posted: 7/15/07 at 8:13am
As a matter of fact, I don't think Patti is playing Patti at all. I think she's doing very nice, small-detail, moment-by-moment work with Boyd and Laura.
She's NOT doing diva. If she were playing Patti, it would be a performance more like the one she gave in Anything Goes.
She's inhabiting the character of Rose more than anyone else has since Tyne Daly--up until now, the best-acted (not sung) Rose.
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/1/06
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#29
Posted: 7/15/07 at 8:27am
I saw it last night also, and tend to come down more on the side of what Yankee is saying. Not saying I didn't love the performance ~ I loved all of them. But Laura blew me away. Absolutely blew me away.
And the "little girl who played Baby June" is named Sammi Gayle. I think there are big things in store for her. :)
LIVE THAT LESSON!!!!!!
Joined: 12/31/69
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#30
Posted: 7/15/07 at 8:58am
oh my gosh, that Baby June almost stole the show!!!!
that kid is a natural HAM, & she *is* gonna go places!!!
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/1/06
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#31
Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:03am
Her mom said yesterday she'd gotten a callback for Grinch.
Like I said, remember the name Sammi Gayle! :) We can say we saw her when!
LIVE THAT LESSON!!!!!!
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#32
Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:06am
"I was the only one waiting -- and asked her to sign my SUNSET Program from London"
You are lucky to be alive.
LizzieCurry: No, you're more memorable
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#33
Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:08amTell me about it. I was very naive at the time. Only afterward did I hear about just how brave I was.
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#34
Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:11am*threadjack* What did she say?
LizzieCurry: No, you're more memorable
Swing Joined: 9/4/06
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#35
Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:12am
I haven't yet seen this production, but I will soon. But I have to disagree that Patti always just "plays Patti" in every role. Her Mrs. Lovett under John Doyle's direction was VERY different from the one she performed with Hearn at Ravinia and broadcast on PBS. And as for her being Patti playing Evita... I don't even understand that comment. She wasn't even "Patti" yet at that time. She was a Juilliard trained ACTRESS and she played Eva Peron beautifully. Do you know her personally? Do you know that she's "just like" all these characters she supposedly portrays?
Her voice and her belt is often the same, yes... but that's her voice -- hard to change. I could say the very same about most singers out there who have a distinct singing voice-- there's a familiarity in each role, but that doesn't mean the character being portrayed is the same.
I'm not trying to change your mind - you can interpret Patti's performances however you like -- that's the beauty of being part of an audience at live theatre. ; )
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#36
Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:20am
BAbigApple - I didn't actually mean she was playing herself, but she was playing the role like she would any other role.
It was like Kristin Chenoweth in The Apple Tree. Kristin was playing "Kristin plays Eve, et al." Patti is playing "Patti as Momma Rose." (Only the difference is that Patti makes Cheno looks like the star of the kindergarten "The Months of the Year" pagant.)
You're fully conscious that it's Patti up there. I, personally, don't think she gets lost in her roles the way others do. But that's what makes ball games.
I can't speak for her as Evita, since I've only seen the clips on YouTube.
Updated On: 7/15/07 at 10:20 AM
Broadway Star Joined: 3/3/04
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#37
Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:21am
I call this production the 10 Years Too Late Gypsy.
Patti, Boyd, Laura should have played these roles 10 years ago.
Swing Joined: 9/4/06
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#38
Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:33am
Yankee_fan:
Well, first of all, it's hard to argue with a Yankee fan.. ; )
Thanks for clarifying - i get what you're saying now, though I still disagree. ; )
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#39
Posted: 7/15/07 at 11:36am
BAbigApple, no need to get so vehemently defensive. Again, I am a big admirer of Patti LuPone. But since you brought it up, in regards to her Mrs. Lovett performance as broadcast on PBS in comparison to her Mrs. Lovett under John Doyle's direction, I think anyone who has seen Lansbury's Lovett can see that in the quickly rehearsed concert featuring Patti -- with not much time to truly make distinct character choices -- it's pretty obvious just by listening to the recording that Patti is simply mimicking Angela Lansbury's Lovett. Patti's Lovett under Doyle's direction was Patti as Lovett; more of a naturalistic Lovett, if you prefer, but typical Patti fare nonetheless.
As for Evita, seeing as it opened on Broadway the year before I was born, I didn't get the opportunity to catch her performance.
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
Swing Joined: 9/4/06
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#40
Posted: 7/15/07 at 11:46am
Didn't realize I was being VEHEMENT. Sorry if I was.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend, everyone... can't wait to see what the professional reviewers have to say in tomorrow's papers!!
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#41
Posted: 7/15/07 at 1:53pm
Was I the only one who thought that, while great individually, Gaines and LuPone had not one ounce of chemistry between them?
I just didn't seem to understand why he'd stick around...
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#42
Posted: 7/15/07 at 2:01pm
Yes, you were the only one who thought that.
And you're the only one to think pretty much everything else in this thread you're wrong about.
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#43
Posted: 7/15/07 at 2:06pmI thought they had wonderful chemistry.
Joined: 12/31/69
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#44
Posted: 7/15/07 at 2:29pm
i thought they were so romantic!!!
i was swooning during SMALL WORLD!!!!
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#45
Posted: 7/15/07 at 3:25pm
Me too, n69n!!
I loved them all. Patti was perfection, Benanti suprised the hell out of me and Gains was as brilliant as ever. I thought everyone had great chemistry.
The best show every written and one of the best production I've ever seen of it (and I've seen them all except Merman...)
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." GMarx
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#46
Posted: 7/15/07 at 3:27pm
PalJoey -
I guess I should have known better than to have my own opinion.
I'll know not to disagree with you next time!
Updated On: 7/15/07 at 03:27 PM
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#47
Posted: 7/15/07 at 11:49pm
Yankeefan why is it you are not allowed to have an opinion?
Having not seen this production of Gypsy ( never will since i am on the other side of the world ), but as i said i understand what you mean. Patti just pays Patti in everything, there may be depth, but at the end of the day all thats left is the same old Patti
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#48
Posted: 7/15/07 at 11:50pm
Well, as you haven't seen her in GYPSY, how do you know she ISN'T playing herself?
I respect Yankee's opinion, and I thank him for the review.
re: My Thoughts on GYPSY#49
Posted: 7/16/07 at 12:08amYou're entitled to your opinion. It's just wrong.
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