Why is Bernadette Peters GYPSY record-breaking?

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 10:33am

In Bernadette Peter's bio it says she starred in the record-breaking revival of Gypsy. Also, she was introduced recently and they noted her starring in the record-breaking revival. What records did it break? Anyone know?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 10:38am

It broke records for the number of empty seats after intermission.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 10:42am

Hahaha Dolly. I knew there would be a few good ones, but I am also looking for the real answer! :)

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 10:51am

I really can't think. It's not the number of performances.

Maybe because all the people who claim it was superior to the LuPone production sound like broken records?

Posted: 1/13/09 at 10:57am

Most under-rated? Best at bringing out the Broadway bitches?

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 10:57am

It was superior
It was superior
It was superior
it was superior
It was superior

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:02am

Ha! I was just teasing. I really enjoyed it, and her.

But I'd like to know the answer as well.

[philcrosby]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:03am

None of the revivals played even close to the number of performances of the Merman original. I can only think that the Peters' is 'record-breaking' from total gross revenue.

It played about the same number of perfs as the Daly revival, but the ticket prices had inflated dramatically in the interim.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:04am

Most missed performances by its lead?

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:09am

Most subtle performances?

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:09am

It didn't run as long as the Daly/Lavin revival of 89 and the last one ran less than the Peters production.

[musikman]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:13am

Often these record breaking terms come from the grosses. I believe at the time, they broke a few house records at the Shubert. Then, of course, Spamalot came in shattered all of those records. That's my guess.

I won't get into the fact that I thought that that production was superior than the most recent incarnation, including said person that lead each production.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:16am

I guess grosses makes the most sense.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:18am

"Most missed performances by its lead?"

I didn't much like her performance, but she didn't miss that many performances altogether. If she did perhaps miss more performances than Daly or Merman, it wasn't by much.

I don't include LuPone or Lansbury in that list because they missed fewer than Daly or Merman. Of course, Lansbury played the shortest Broadway run and she missed no performances (and only one on the pre-Broadway tour, and that was pre-arranged). I don't know if Lavin missed any.

There were performances that Peters perhaps should have missed as she went on when she clearly was not up to it.

Anyway, I don't know the answer to the OP's question.

[mikem]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:32am

Yes, Gypsy did break the house record at the Shubert for grosses, as described in the linked Playbill article.
Momma's Goin' Strong: Gypsy Breaks All-Time Shubert Box-Office Record

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:36am

nobodyhome, did Merman miss performances? I always thought she was of the "if she can walk, crawl, or roll . . . "

[Smaxie]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:38am

Merman missed a week when she burst a blood vessel in her neck. All told, Bernadette missed I believe a total of 11 performances during the run.

[philcrosby]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:41am

Merman took planned and announced absences for things like her kids graduations ... her understudy, Jane Romano took over on those occasions. But they were very few.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 11:45am

"Merman missed a week when she burst a blood vessel in her neck. All told, Bernadette missed I believe a total of 11 performances during the run."

The Kellow bio seems to say that she took off a few performances in February 1961 to be with her daughter after she had a child. But those were arranged in advance. And I think she may have missed a few others here and there, also arranged in advance.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 12:17pm

The Kellow bio says that Romano was fired after she asked for a raise (after having gone on successfully when Merman burst the blood vessel). I think Betty Bruce understudied Merman on the tour. I wonder who took over as standby when Romano was fired or if Bruce was already in the Broadway cast as Tessie Tura by then and became the understudy.

Also worth mentioning is that the production closed down for five weeks during the summer of 1961, giving Merman an extended vacation. Merman was extraordinary but she was also human.

Romano was apparently a major talent who might have had a big career had she not died of cancer when she was in her 30s or perhaps early 40s.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 12:54pm

I often wondered when Merman had that throat problem in GYPSY. Was it shortly after the cast album session? Doing 3-4 takes of "roses Turn" alone would bust anyone's blood vessel.

It is true, however, that Merman rarely missed a performance due to illness and never just took random sick days. Legend has it she missed a few performances in SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS due to laryngitis, and a week from GYPSY. That's about all.

Also the 5-week shutdown of GYPSY afforded Merman a well-earned vacation, but also gave them time to move the show from the Broadway over to the Imperial. It’s possible that taking a 5-week break in the middle of the summer tourist season hurt the show’s momentum at the box office.

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 12:57pm

I give LuPone major credit for only missing 3 performances, and not taking a vacation.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 1:13pm

"I often wondered when Merman had that throat problem in GYPSY. Was it shortly after the cast album session? Doing 3-4 takes of 'roses Turn' alone would bust anyone's blood vessel."

According to the Kellow bio, it was in August but he doesn't give exact dates. So it was early in the run, but probably at least a month after the recording was made.

He says that Merman's throat doctor had warned her that the keys were too high for her to sustain throughout a run, but she ignored his advice.

It seems that after Merman came back, the keys were lowered, explaining why what's in the published score is lower than what she sang on the cast recording.

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 1:54pm

Saw it and loved her and the whole version... But... NO disrespect meant... but I didn't realize that it was considered record breaking *blushes*

Interesting reading in this thread.

[binau]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 3:44pm

You can probably twist any production, successful or not, and call it "Record breaking" no matter how small.