"Gypsy" on Broadway
The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (AFPC-USA) attended a performance of the musical Gypsy at the newly renovated Majestic Theatre last evening, and it can easily be said that the reviews of the star of the show, Audra McDonald, who plays Rose, certainly were spot on. Her take on the character, one of the most iconic stage mothers of all time, is spectacular not only in terms of her vocal ability, but also in the extraordinary depth she has brought to the role. It was no small feat to tackle a role that is universally known in the theater community, but she also had to follow in the footsteps of some of the musical theater industry’s most successful and famous actresses starting with Ethel Merman, Angela Landsbury, Tyne Daly, Linda Lavin, Bernadette Peters, and Patti LuPone. From the moment of Rose’s first audible line from offstage, “Sing out Louise!” the audience went crazy in anticipation of Audra’s first entrance onstage.
The story of Gypsy is based on the real life of Burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee (Rose Louis Hovick), who was born in 1911 and died in 1970. Just like the stage version, Gypsy Rose Lee’s mother Rose and sister June were traveling the country and hustling for paid performing work, but it was clear from the beginning that Louise (Gypsy Rose Lee) didn’t have the talent of her sister June. June had fared better in finding work, but Louise ended up having a good, but short lived career as a burlesque entertainer, priding herself on being of the “classy” sort and offering a more elegant striptease act than what was usually on display.
Gypsy Rose Lee published a 1957 memoir that inspired producer David Merrick to create a musical based on this story of Lee’s life and family, with singer Ethel Merman playing Rose. Arthur Laurents was a well-known stage director and writer who worked on West Side Story and several films; he was selected to write the book for Gypsy. He hoped to have Stephen Sondheim write the music, but as he was still someone new in the industry, he was chosen to write the lyrics and Jul Styne wrote the score.
The story begins with Rose, or Momma Rose, desperately trying to create a vaudeville act for her two daughters, particularly June, to launch them all into stardom. Rose meets Herbie, who agrees to represent her daughter’s act, and with the addition of some “free” talent provided by an assortment of young boys, they all travel the country together performing on the vaudeville circuit. Rose and Herbie form a tight if not strained bond, but do not manage to tie the knot, because when all attempts to find fame and fortune fail, Rose pushes Louise into stripping.
June and one of the dancing young men run away together, and Rose is left with no one except Louise, who finds success as a burlesque entertainer. Their relationship is fraught with hurt, regret and blame, but in the end they seem to find their way back to one another, and with that the curtain comes down, bringing the show to a close.
We at AFPC-USA were fortunate enough to have seen the last three revivals of Gypsy that were on Broadway. Each of the leading ladies playing Rose put their own stamp on the role, garnering praise for their respective dramatic takes on the role, but now that Audra McDonald is at the helm of this classic American musical, it would be really hard to imagine anyone else offering such a unique grasp of Momma Rose as McDonald has conjured. It was incredible to see her sheer determination and moments of utter exhaustion, and to see how she could keep making such terrible personal decisions all in the quest to find fame vicariously through her children. It’s a touching yet powerfully told story, and something not to miss.