PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
WishingOnlyWounds2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/25/08
#2re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 1:02am
oh wow. (good wow)
2008: Feb. 18- Rent, Feb. 19- Curtains, April 18- Xanadu, April 22- Wicked, April 26- Legally Blonde, May 31- Wicked, June 13- The Little Mermaid, June 28- Wicked and Young Frankenstein, July 2- The Little Mermaid, July 6- A Chorus Line and Legally Blonde, August 16- Xanadu, September 13- Legally Blonde and 13, September 28- Xanadu and Spring Awakening, Oct. 12-GYPSY and [title of show], Oct. 19- Hairspray & Legally Blonde, Nov. 9- Wicked and 13, Dec. 14-13, Dec. 26- Billy Elliot, 2009: Jan 1- Shrek, Jan 2- 13 and Wicked, Jan 4- 13, Feb 17- In The Heights, Feb 19- Billy Elliot, Feb 22- Sweeney Todd (tour), March 28- Mary Poppins, April 4- Mamma Mia!, April 15- Jersey Boys (on tour), April 25- next to normal & 9 to 5
May 1- Billy Elliot, May 3- Spelling Bee (tour), May 8- Chicago, May 21- Wicked, June 6- Everyday Rapture, June 23- The Wiz, June 25- Hair July 15- Shrek, August 9- Wicked, September 7- Rock of Ages, October 11- Next To Normal, October 23- The Marvelous Wonderettes, November 7- Ragtime November 29- Dreamgirls, December 25- Billy Elliot, December 30- Finian's Rainbow, 2010: January 9- Bye Bye Birdie, January 16- Memphis February 17- The Phantom of The Opera, February 18- God of Carnage, March 7- Billy Elliot, March 31- American Idiot
Updated On: 11/17/08 at 01:02 AM
#2re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 2:11amThis may sound like a stupid question, but was "Gypsy" considered risque in its day?
#3re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 3:12am
Thanks for sharing! I earned my "gay card" by getting to play a farm boy in a community theatre production when I was in high school... I wish I could have seen the original!
Bitten By A Zebra Photography
Swing Joined: 12/31/69
#4re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 7:43amWhen did they change the Christmas Tree to the Garden of Eden?
#5re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 8:42amGreat photos!
#6re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 9:06amTessie, Electra and Mazeppa don't really look broken down in that pic.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#7re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 9:08am
There was a great article about the switch from the Tree to the garden of Eden.
Apparently, Laurents HATED the tree and never waned it, but Robbins was demanding it and would not cave, so the original production featured the Christmas Tree tableaux.. including, I believe, 7 women who hired and used ONLY to fill out the tree. Part way through the run, those 7 women were fired and the tree finished out the run with that 'good trim', so to speak. All subsequent productions after that have featured the Garden of Eden, as Laurents, and not Robbins, wanted the show.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#8re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 9:15am
I shoulda known it was Laurents 
Thanks for that! It's bugged me ever since I was 12 or 13 when the TV one came out which seemed so faithful to the original production/choreography, and then we got a different tableaux (I knew the Christmas tree tableaux well because it was a uge picture in Gottfried's Broadway Musicals coffee table book which was a bible for me growing up, I think I had that book constantly checked out of the library). Kinda funny that Laurents hated it THAT much, though it sounds like Robbins to hire extra girls just for it.
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#9re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 9:20amYes, it was an interesting read.. a good six pages or so, and included interviews with several of the women. I'm not sure if it is still the current issue,or the last issue, but if you can track down the Sondheim review, you'd find it a great, I am sure!
#10re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 9:20am
Why would Robbins want to hire extra girls?
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#11re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 9:30am
Cuz money was no issue if it gave him the look he wanted
Ah I'll look for the Sondheim review--I had a subscription it's first four years but have lost track...
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#12re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 9:32am
WOOT it pays to look! Thanks again so much for answering this obscure, but long on my mind, question!
So Sondheim Review's website apparantly has a sample article for each current issue and guess what it was this time--I assume the full article (though without pics)
http://www.sondheimreview.com/currentissue.htm#sample !
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#13re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 9:37am
No problem! Glad I could help and direct a bit.
I only skimmed, but that seems to be most of the article, if not all. It want on to talk about the creation of the Tessie character and her involvement as part of the tree, etc.
As far as pictures, they had the color still of the tree and then just a few pics of what some of the girls looked like at the time of the production.
BNN
Broadway Star Joined: 12/12/05
#14re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 10:04am
In the book Broadway Musicals by someone Gotteried, there's a great close-up picture in color of the Minsky's Christmas tree.
(Just noticed someone else mentioned the book, its worth mentioning again. I stole it from my school's library to avoid that whole checking out process.)
Very cool pictures, thank you for posting!
Tick Tock
Updated On: 11/17/08 at 10:04 AM
#15re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 10:12am
Those farm boys are all gay.
I wonder where they are today.
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-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)
-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)
BNN
Broadway Star Joined: 12/12/05
#16re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 10:20amThe farm boy to the right of Merman in the birthday cake went on to play A-Rab in the West Side Story movie, and was Baby John in the original production.
Tick Tock
#17re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 10:59am
Thank you very much for posting those, Brody.
I've only seen two productions of Gypsy (Tyne Daly & Patti.
I love how some of these pix are just so familiar looking (costumes, set, etc.) compared to the current production and past ones, too. Particularly the Uncle Jocko picture.
Thanks again for sharing these treasures.
"Like the good Lord says . . . Ya gotta take the rough with the smooth, Baby!" Madame Rose
#18re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 11:15am
those pants that Baby Louise is wearing are ridiculous.
and NGeorgiaBwayFan, I was thinking the same thing: how familiar looking the pictures are. although I can't help but think Ethel's coat in the Uncle Jocko picture looks like the blanket coats Rose, June and Louise have in this production.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
philcrosby
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/17/04
#19re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 11:19am
I now am going to pull out the live recording and revel in how perfect the Merm was in this.
BNN
Broadway Star Joined: 12/12/05
#20re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 11:25amDid Electra do the whole lighting up of certain body parts in the original production? Looking at the costume I can't really tell.
Tick Tock
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#21re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 11:41am
Absolutely. The dark sections of her bra is where the lights would light up. She also lit up in the crotch area and her rear end, just like in all productions. You can't see her arms in the photo because she is wearing full black gloves which conceal the wires which powered the 'lights'.
CurtainPullDowner
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#22re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 12:48pm
WannaBe, I don't know about all the Farmboys but David Winters is not gay.
But those pajamas sure are.
#23re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 1:01pmEven if Patti and Angela were better in the role, after listening to audios of Mary Martin in Sound of Music and Ethel in Gypsy, it's mindblowing how The Merm lost the Tony. Mary was charming and very good, but Merman was dynamic. Oh, well. In the words of the great lady herself, "How can you buck a nun?"
BNN
Broadway Star Joined: 12/12/05
#24re: PHOTO FLASH!: Original 1959 Broadway GYPSY (with Merman)
Posted: 11/17/08 at 1:10pm
OK, bear with me here. Yonkers is listed as Michael Parks in the OBC of Gypsy. I started to think, could this be the Michael Parks that I've seen in movies? (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0662981/)
On his imdb page he's listed as being in a show called Compulsion at the age of 18, which means he would have had to have been a replacement since the show opened in 1957, and he was born in 1940. Thus when the show ended he would have still been in New York and able to audition and rehearse for Gypsy, If it is the same person, he could have been in the original production of Gypsy, which is odd.
There could be more than one Michael Parks though.
Tick Tock
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