My Thoughts on GYPSY — Page 2

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.

---

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

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. :)

---

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!

---

Tell me about it. I was very naive at the time. Only afterward did I hear about just how brave I was.

---

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. ; )

I call this production the 10 Years Too Late Gypsy.

Patti, Boyd, Laura should have played these roles 10 years ago.

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.

---

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...

I thought they had wonderful chemistry.

---

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...)

---

Updated On: 7/15/07 at 03:25 PM

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

---

You're entitled to your opinion. It's just wrong.

---