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Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

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#1

Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/18/05 at 11:00pm

The recent revival of Gypsy was, in my opinion, an amazing theatrical experience. I had long been a fan of the show and seeing Bernadette in the role was a dream come true for me. I've heard people's opinions of BPs performance, which I think was phenomenal. But I am wondering what everyone thought of Tammy Blanchard's performance as Gypsy Rose Lee.

I thought she was pretty good. Her acting seemed pretty spot on. Her singing wasn't the greatest, but then again Louise is not supposed to be the talented one. So, in essence, it was good in a way that Tammy wasn't the best singer. I can't think off the top of my head of who else I would have put in the role. But, in all fairness, I think Tammy did a pretty good job. It garnered her a Tony nom...that's got to mean something.
"I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about." - Oscar Wilde

Updated On: 2/18/05 at 11:00 PM

#2

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/18/05 at 11:03pm

I liked TB as Louise/Gypsy. :) She's a very good actress. Really enjoyed her as young Judy in the mini-series Me and My Shadows.

I remember Crista Moore(from the Tyne Daly revival) who had great legs.
" ...the happiness in the tune convinces me that I'm not afraid."

Updated On: 2/18/05 at 11:03 PM

#3

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/18/05 at 11:07pm

She was good as mousey Louise, not so good as brassy Gypsy Rose.
Faced with these Loreleis, what man can moralize!
#4

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/18/05 at 11:42pm

Mallardo: I couldn't have put it better myself, I completely agree.
"This is what I trained to do, and this is what I love about theater. What I love about being an actress is being able to really look into myself and understand another human being. And out my own self, to shape and form and fashion a real human being--and to present that in such a way that people see something of themselves or their own understanding in that human being." --Phylicia Rashad
#5

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 12:13am

I had mixed feelings about her. Mostly good feelings though. Her acting WAS alittle weak.
"I've always secretly longed for an actress to get to the top of the cherry picker and projectile vomit all over the guards below."- Wonderwaiter in the "Defy Gravity?" thread. ~~~~~~~~My dream? Sutton Foster as Cassie in A Chorus Line
#6

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 12:23am

I saw the show 5 times, from the 2nd week of previews to the last performance. I really liked Tammy at first, but over the course of the year she just began to bug me. She really rushed through a lot of scenes without thought, the dressing room scene immediately comes to mind. Here is the most important moment for her, when she can finally gain independence from her mother-and every time I saw her, it seemed as though her sole objective was "how fast can I say these lines so I can leave."
There was no thought, just shouting as fast as possible. This was unfortunate and especially because Bernadette gave her 110% (and then some at many shows) and here's Tammy not reacting to what she is given on a nightly basis (meaning she made her mind ahead of time how the lines would be delivered, not in the moment).
Also, did anyone notice late in the run she started adding more of a southern drawl? By the last show it got to be a bit much.

Last year I went to Lincoln Center and watched the Tyne Daly video and was blown away by the depth and color Christa Moore brought to the character, and Tammy just didn't match it.

Gosh I miss this show!

Updated On: 2/19/05 at 12:23 AM

#7

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 12:34am

I thought she was the weakest part of the show, and her big scene with Rose at the end left me very underwhelmed, but as the run progressed she grew into the role nicely.
"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson
#9

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 12:59am

Magruder, that's interesting. Do you have details? Do you know what responded to in her?
Faced with these Loreleis, what man can moralize!
#11

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 7:09am

I loved her in the huge hat - the Let Me Entertain You montage. I saw the show in previews. Did she wear the hat the whole run?
" ...the happiness in the tune convinces me that I'm not afraid."
#12

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 8:37am

I really liked her Louise/Gypsy. Not the best (that was Christa Moore), but very, very good.
#13

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 8:50am

Sondheim loved her whole performance, but in particular, said that he has never seen any actress play the dressing room scene the way Tammy Blanchard did. More than coming out from under Rose's thumb, he felt he was watching Blanchard become the mother in that scene, something that he found particularly surprising and resonant.
"Gif me the cobra jool!"
#15

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 10:04am

I really enjoyed Tammy Blanchard in the TV movie "Me and My Shadows" as the young Judy Garland. I thought she was amazing. So, when I heard she was in Gypsy, I was rather excited. Her singing, in my opinion, fit the part. It was pleasant, but not too great. I felt that she was better than Natalie Wood in that department. However, her acting wasn't 100%, at least on the night that I saw her. No matter how many times I watch the original film, that dressing room scene gives me chills, especially when Natalie Wood hits the chair, screaming, "You can just clear out...NOW!" Every time, chills. So, I waited for that scene, it came and I was like, "Eh, okay...not bad, but no chills." Just my two cents. re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

-Vincent
#16

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 10:11am

I THOUGHT SHE WAS BRILLIANT. but really i loved everything about this production. haha. but really i thought that casting tammy was an inspired move. her singing was perfect throughout the show. she was weak on little lamb. her momma was married i think was her best and it was because she was comfortable with june. and then her montage at the end seemed forced and then she eased into it without ever letting her voice become a great star. gypsy was never a great singer, but she had the stage presence. and tammy really played that. i really have to agree with sondheim that when i saw it all i thought was wow, the daughter's becoming the mother. and it just broke my heart, and it really set up rose's turn and the little bit afterward. it was heart-breaking. i also thought it gave bernadette more to work with at the end. making the contrast so great. really. such love for this show.
#17

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 10:44am

Tammy did very nice work in GYPSY! Add me to the list of Yay's for her performance. The role isn't all that demanding, while still being a central figure with ample stage time. Blanchard is a talent that I believe we should see more of on stage and on screen. She has a presense about her that just works. And yes, I do agree with Sohndheim about his statements concerning the show. I too thought it was one hell of a Production and both it and Bernadette got jipped BIG TIME at the 2003 Tony's.
#19

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 11:24am

Glebby: She had the huge hat for the rest of the run...

I enjoyed her performance a great deal. And her "Mama, I'm a pretty girl" was heartbreaking...
#21

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 2:39pm

When Tammy yelled "I said turn it off, mother!" in the dressing room scene, I nearly wet myself. All around me there were small noises, like people breathing, candy wrappers, etc, but when Tammy shouted that line, the audience seemed to freeze. I no longer heard loud breathing or those darned wrappers. It was as if the entire audience shot back in their seats stunned. That scene was so powerful and she really let Bernadette have it. That my friends, is what good acting is all about. And she's only human, so I'm sure she had her share of "off" nights.

#22

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 2:58pm

She was incredible. I wonder if Daisy Eagan is up to matching that kind of performance in the Maria Friedman Texas production this July.
#24

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 6:20pm

I absolutely loved Tammy Blanchard in GYPSY. If the truth be told, I also had a crush on the Lamb.
"I'm learning to dig deep down inside and find the truth within myself and put that out. I think what we identify with in popular music more than anything else is when someone just shares a truth that we can relate to. That's what I'm searching for in my music." - Ron Bohmer

"I broke the boundaries. It wasn't cool to be in plays- especially if you were in sports & I was in both." - Ashton Kutcher
#25

re: Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee

Posted: 2/19/05 at 6:22pm

People thought Bernadette would be a terrible Mama, and look how that turned out. Maria will be smashing.

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