Sam Mendes Gypsy (2003)

During lockdown Ive been returning to this production a bit in terms of audios, reading reviews, listening to the cast recording etc.

I have seen the full production via the Lincoln Archive years ago, but not live (and I personally find it’s harder to remember things seen at the archive).

It seemed like a lot of the hype at the time was that it was indeed a Sam Mendes production - an Oscar winning director who also had great success reinventing Cabaret. And there appeared to be hype he’d do something interesting with Gypsy - But in practice was the Sam Mendes Gypsy really much different from a standard fare production? The only things that stand out to me are:

* The sequence after the overture to introduce a show within a show concept (which Arthur Laurents complained killed the mood/momentum), and then the concept being occasionally revisited with replacing the cards on the side of the stage (but to not much great effect)

* Perhaps guiding Rose to be more desperate than others. I love the way Bernadette shouts DONT YOU DARE LAUGH and in Roses Turn I love the wellllllllllll. Someone tell me when is it my turn moment (although overall I do think Bernadettes spoken lines are a bit too shouted especially in the first act).

What else was different about this production?

Updated On: 5/18/20 at 05:49 AM

I saw the show in previews when Bernadette was out, so I can't comment specifically on her performance (although I will say that Maureen Moore was outstanding). Like BrodyFosse123 said, the production was in many ways very stripped down and much grittier and steeped in realism than prior major productions (similar to what he did with Cabaret in many ways). The sets were minimal (although I recall reading that they added more scenery throughout previews, so I can't 100% say what the finished product was like), the lighting was for the most part very dim with occasional spotlights to bring out key moments, and there was just an overall undertone of sadness to most of the characters that a lot of other productions had missed. A lot of people hated it because of those reasons, but I actually really liked the darker take on the story, and I especially liked that they tried something different instead of giving us the 100th reincarnation of the original production.

I saw it a few weeks before it closed and loved it. It was my first exposure to Gypsy, and although I didn't see it with LuPone, I've seen the show produced regionally.

I thought the minimalism worked well as it kept the focus on the story and the characters, and I loved how they were able to evoke setting with just a few spare pieces (like the train station scene at the end of Act 1) The moment that BrodyFosse describes above, with the audience able to see Rose in the wings during the Baby / Dainty June numbers was extraordinary. Bernadette was in top form, and I thought she brought wonderful sense of vulnerability to the role. She was by turns fragile and domineering - when she sang the reprise of 'Small World', she truly seemed like she was on the verge of collapsing.

Not sure why this production got so much hate from some people. It remains one of my favorite theatergoing experiences.

Updated On: 5/18/20 at 12:25 PM

fashionguru_23 said: "I remember watching the Seth's Broadway Chatterbox episode/interview(God, I wish he would upload those in full somewhere) with David Burtka who played Tulsa in this production. I remember him mentioning that Sam Mendes wanted this Gypsy to be in the same tone as his Cabaret. Rose was suppose to have makeup running down her face during Rose's Turn, and just the whole show having this gritty, rough texture to it that, again Cabaret had. He started to do this, and then Arthur got involved and (if I remember correctly) wanted to shut the production down unless Mendes allowed Laurents to "advise" the production, which is why the tone could have been a bit uneven."

This would not surprise me, and it’s a shame that Laurents had to get in the way - especially since he had his own opportunity to do it his way just 5 years later.

It also makes me reflect on the current WSS production and whether it would have ever happened had Laurents been alive. I suspect not.

Having seen Angela Lansbury's Rose in 1974, Tyne Daly's in 1989, Bernadette's in 2003, Patti's in 2008 and Imelda Staunton on line recently, in my opinion, Bernadette was the absolute best. Her "iron fist in a velvet glove" interpretation seemed to me to be the most believable. She was sexy and understated and I could easily see how Herbie could hang on with this Rose for so many years. And according to June Havoc, who was alive at the time, Bernadette was most like her mother actually was. I never understood the complete adoration for Patti's take on Rose. While admirable, it seemed to me to be a very one note performance. And please don't get me started on Staunton's steam locomotive barreling down the tracks performance. My next favorite Rose was Angela Lansbury. She gave nuance, subtly and relatability to a role that is most often deemed a monster. Tyne Daly actually was able to bring warmth and likeability as well but her singing was not the best. I also appreciated Mendes' take on the behind the scenes seaminess of show biz that I felt Arthur Laurents's direction lacked.

I understand that the general consensus on the Mendes production leans towards its failures, but having seen the production on Mother's Day 2004 (with Maureen Moore on for Rose), I will say it remains my favorite production of Gypsy.

I've seen Patti at City Center (several times...and a few act 2's only...), and several times on Broadway. It was a wonderful production, and I remain a huge LuPone fan, but I left remembering Benanti's dressing room scene more that any of Patti's performance. At City Center, she had a great deal of humor (I fondly remember the stealing the silverware at the Chinese restaurant), but some of that was lost on Broadway, and later in the run it did seem, as someone mentioned above, a bit "one-note."

With that being said, the 2003 Gypsy recording remains my favorite recent recording of the piece--I want to adore Patti's recording, her singing is fabulous, but there is something cold and empty on that recording. The 2003 recording has superb orchestrations and far superior sound overall, but I love what the Patti recording also includes.

I do seem to recall hearing Arthur being FURIOUS Mendes staged Rose's Turn as a mental breakdown with tears, anger, going a bit crazy, etc. Ironic he ended up using it for Patti's production.

Trivia note: Maureen Moore played June with Angela Lansbury on Broadway and when we recreated that production in South Florida the following year. Both ladies were not only brilliant in performance but lovely to work with at all times. (Moore came back the following year to do WONDERFUL TOWN with Lauren Bacall. Her "Eileen" was exquisite and better sung than anybody since Edie Adams.)

hands down, this GYPSY had the best conductor: Marvin Laird

fashionguru_23 said: "I remember watching the Seth's Broadway Chatterbox episode/interview(God, I wish he would upload those in full somewhere) with David Burtka who played Tulsa in this production."



Seth has uploaded a few episodes over the years. Here is Burtka's where he discusses Gypsy: thttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9_Z3piV6Rg

29 years ago (May 18, 1991) I saw GYPSY at the Marquis with Tyne Daly. My friend and I were in town on business for the weekend, and we wanted to see 'Phantom' but couldn't get tickets. The concierge at the hotel we stayed at told us to see 'Gypsy' - we'd love it. Did we ever ! To this day, it's one of those shows I will never ever forget. Daly was incredible, and I haven't seen another stage adaption since.

I always enjoyed the Russel movie, and always hated the Midler movie.

Mm surely it must have had some effect either on what voters saw or even just the general 'buzz' around the performance. And while there was a rave Brantley NYTimes review I can see that Charles Isherwood of Variety, for example was not so favourable. This couldn't have helped (and indeed may also be an opinion shared by those who saw her performance).

Brantley (NYtimes)

YOU can tear down the black crepe, boys. Take the hearse back to the garage, and start popping Champagne corks. Momma's pulled it off, after all -- big time.

Playing a role that few people thought would ever fit her and shadowed by vultures predicting disaster, Bernadette Peters delivered the surprise coup of many a Broadway season in the revival of ''Gypsy'' that opened last night at the Shubert Theater.

Ms. Peters, a beloved eternal daughter of the American musical, has taken on that genre's most daunting maternal role: Momma Rose, the ultimate stage mother in the ultimate backstage show and a part cast in bronze by Ethel Merman more than four decades ago. Working against type and expectation under the direction of Sam Mendes, Ms. Peters has created the most complex and compelling portrait of her long career, and she has done this in ways that deviate radically from the Merman blueprint.

Isherwood (Variety)

Somewhere in the massive trunk of theatrical wit and wisdom that is “Gypsy,” there’s a line for every showbiz occasion. For the highly anticipated new Broadway revival directed by Sam Mendes, it would be a paraphrase of a song title from the first act: All it needs is a Rose. Mendes’ vivid and stylish production has a lot going for it, in fact almost everything except the one element this musical can’t comfortably do without: a galvanizing performance in the central role. The controversial casting of the downy-soft Bernadette Peters as the flinty Mama Rose proves to be, as many had feared, a miscalculation that all this talented performer’s hard work simply cannot overcome.

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It appears there was a NYTimes feature about the Tony loss:



What happened to ''Gypsy''?

Despite the direction of Sam Mendes, a darling of the theater because of his production of ''Cabaret''; despite the star power of Bernadette Peters in one of the greatest roles ever written for the musical theater; despite many reviews that proclaimed Ms. Peters's performance a psychologically nuanced revelation, Ms. Peters and the rest of this revival left Radio City Music Hall empty-handed after the Tony Awards Sunday night.

What went wrong? Although the show suffered from bad buzz before it opened, many critics agreed that the final result was a pleasant surprise. In part the show was hampered by Ms. Peters's absences because of illness; The New York Post suggested that she had shown up to perform selectively: for critics and Tony voters. The suspicions created some ill will along Broadway.

But many theater veterans predicted that the awards would not affect the show's sales. They also said that Ms. Peters's performance during the Tonys of the showstopper ''Rose's Turn'' -- which brought the audience leaping to its feet -- would sell tickets by itself. In addition Sunday night's award for best actress in a musical was a way to reward a newcomer, Marissa Jaret Winokur of ''Hairspray.'' Ms. Peters has already won two Tonys.

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After Gypsy, my understanding is that Bernadette has never missed a Broadway performance again.

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Also came across a feature of the production that recently made its way to YouTube - interestingly Arthur Laurents is giving publicity here "Bernadette I think, sings it better than anyone - and very differently. She can use her voice with more nuance for the lyrics and the character than the others" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1_w3h7c_LI

I was lucky enough to see Bernadette Peters twice in Gypsy. In May 2003 I was so excited to see Gypsy for the first time onstage, having enjoyed the Merman recording and the Midler and Russel films. I completely adored the production and Bernadette. I thought she nailed it. When I went back in January 2004, she had gotten even better, immersing herself in the role.

I saw LuPone in the 2008 production 6 times. I fell hard for her star power and wanted to see it over and over again. Her performance remains a favorite. Not to mention the performances from Benanti and Gaines. However, the production itself was just, fine. Laurents wrote a terrific book, but did he really direct with flair? That's what I loved about the Mendes production. It was different, it took risks. I would love to see what it would have looked like if Sam had had full reign without the Laurents interference. Maybe we will see something like that someday.

As mentioned above, Peters was certainly raked over the coals in early performances. But I don't think she missed a single performance of Follies, Night Music, or Dolly. And much as I enjoyed Winokur, Peters was robbed of that Tony.