"You Gotta Get A Gimmick" -- Why is this song funny? — Page 2

The placement of the song is important. Rose is losing Herbie, and the act is reduced to playing burlesque. their world is collapsing. Having a comic number from supporting characters as the leads are in a downward spiral serves two purposes: Comic relief when it's needed, and intensifying the tough drama that's about to follow.

I always thought it was funny thinking that these women actually believe that anyone cares what they start out wearing.

"Julie Halston in the Bernie revival played Electra drunk"

I missed that revival.

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This song is one of my favourites from Gypsy, but I don't really find it that funny. But, it's just not my sense of humour. The women in that clip are phenomenal though.

I love me some Julie Halston, but the way the strippers in that revival were costumed and directed was so uglified as to be misogynistic.

It's one thing to make the point that they're over-the-hill, but they're still making a living giving the men in the audience sexual fantasies.

To make them look like the 3 witches in Macbeth, the way they did in that revival, is to miss the point entirely.

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One of my favorite performances of this song was on "Hey! Mr. Producer"

It was somewhat out of context, but there's something about 3 belters out on stage in formal-wear, all of a sudden bumping a trumpet, electrifying their private parts, and stripping into a butterfly ballet that has me laughing every time.

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I just always found it hysterical that anyone, anywhere could find any of these "gimmicks" sexual or arousing in anyway.

If you guys have Comcast go to On Demand and choose The Cutting Edge. There are (or at least there used to be) bunches of old films of strippers performing way back when. They have some ridiculous gimmicks and the actual striptease that each do is tame by today's standards.

Next time you think you're being clever, try reading your post before pressing Send.

It wouldn't make any difference. He already chose to play out this rather tired and unoriginal cliche of a message board persona. It's like a goth girl attending a Halloween party dressed as Elvira.

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Interesting comment way above about Tessie Tura's turn being anti-climatic compared to the others. In one community theatre production I saw, it really worked. She was really a very good ballet dancer and did the thing very gracefully on point each big bump coming out of nowhere and totally out of character for a graceful ballerina. In fact, if I'm not mistaken her costume wasn't the usual butterfly, but more like a swan from Swan Lake. It switched back and forth so dramatically that it was terribly funny and raunchy all at the same time.

I love the current Elektra -- to me it's as if she's had those lights strapped to her head for too many years and her brain is a little fried -- almost like having too many shock treatments. I LOVED her!

Maria Karnilova was the first Tessie Tura. Ms. Karnilova was a member of Jerome Robbins' Ballet USA.

I'll probably be dissed for this but I've always kinda seen these girls as the equivilent to Shakespeare's clowns. Vulgar,rude, crude, and a bit lewd, but w a tragic undercurrent. This is the best they can do or be but they carry on. Remember too- Tessie states "you think THEY have any talent?" and they prove it! but they do have a gimmick/identification and in ShowBiz( and other Biz's) that's enough- the Razzle Dazzle effect.
Givesmevoice- I like the electro shock interpretation- i kinda thought she just was very self medicated, but the eletroshock works better ( and still has that tragic undertone!)

Oh I was just teasing--I was pretty sure you were an Ebersole fan mostly. The tv movie is a flawed animal for sure but I am glad we have it--to have on record a fairly faithful copy of basically the original staging (and choreography) done well. That may be faint praise--I don't think any of it is really *great* but compared to the original movie, or the way many musicals have been filmed for posterity it's pretty good.

Sabrelady why would you get flamed for saying that? I think it's pretty spot on, though it could probably be argued depending on production how much you play up that tragic undertone). It's hardly meant to be one of the top end Burlesque houses...

"Maria Karnilova was the first Tessie Tura. Ms. Karnilova was a member of Jerome Robbins' Ballet USA. "

not to mention Robbins again cast her as the first Golde in Fiddler (and she had a long life of character roles)

As previously stated, the "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" version was especially hilarious.

This number is riotously funny when it is new to you, and if you've seen it a million times you marvel at what each new set of strippers brings to it.