Gypsy Revival Will Cease Entertaining You March 1Despite
incredible reviews, three Tony-winning performances and its rightful place as simply the best musical
ever,
Arthur Laurents' stunning Broadway revival of
Gypsy has posted its closing notice for March 1, 2009. That date coincides with the end of
Patti LuPone's contract.
With timeless score by
Jule Styne and
Stephen Sondheim, LuPone has delivered a
tour de force performance for the ages as Mama Rose that has practically been matched measure for measure by
Boyd Gaines as Herbie and
Laura Benanti in the title role.
By the time this revival closes at
St. James Theatre,
Gypsy will have played 388 regular performances. That figure does not count its earlier run at
New York City Center, nor does it take into consideration
LuPone's first performance as Rose during the summer of 2006 at Chicago's
Ravinia.
At the box office,
Gypsy enjoyed a slight increase last week over the week before, attracting a capacity of 63.2% and grossing $593,242. But since LuPone's name is firmly above the title, it's hard to imagine this production with anyone else filling her (
sometimes Isotoned) shoes.
Personally, I'm thrilled that I not only had the rare opportunity to witness history being made when LuPone first performed as Rose three summers ago, but found myself transfixed and transported when I saw her perform at the St. James just two days after the revival opened.
So, all this begs the question of whether Patti LuPone might renew her consideration of recreating her triumph across the pond on the West End stage. If she goes, I just may go myself.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Arthur Laurents, Box Office, Boyd Gaines, Broadway, Closing Notices, Gypsy, Jule Styne, Laura Benanti, Musical, Patti LuPone, Revival, Stephen Sondheim
Gypsy (The SOB Review) - St. James Theatre, New York, NY
**** (out of ****)Gangway world, get off of my superlatives!
Suddenly, highfalutin words like
excellent,
superb and
top-notch just don't seem sufficient enough to adequately describe the unique experience of seeing the incredible
Arthur Laurents-helmed revival of
Gypsy that opened last week at the Great White Way's
St. James Theatre.
If ever there was a Broadway show worth taking in,
this is it. Never have I enjoyed myself more or been so thoroughly entertained by a Rialto musical experience
ever. This is most definitely a performance for the ages. To see it is to witness theatrical history being made.
Granted, I'm a little biased when it comes to the masterpiece tuner created in 1959 by Laurents (book),
Jule Styne (music) and
Stephen Sondheim (lyrics). Ever since first seeing it performed over 30 years ago, it has ranked as my all-time favorite musical. I've never resisted taking in a staging, whether on Broadway or as presented by local theatrical companies or even in high schools.
The timeless music, buttressed by the extraordinarily well-told story suggested by the memoirs of the 20th Century's most famous
ecdysiast Gypsy Rose Lee, makes for one of the most entertaining evenings one could possibly hope for in live theatre -- if only it's done right. I've now seen it enough times to tell the good from the bad, but nothing prepared me for the new, unsurpassed heights which Mr. Laurents and his exceptional cast have successfully achieved.
Not even my 2006 visit to Chicagoland's
Ravinia where
Patti LuPone first triumphed as Mama Rose. At the time, I enthusiastically
cheered:
Instead of an over-the-top Mama that's all too easy to do, LuPone proffered an exquisitely nuanced performance that simultaneously excited and repulsed, making one of Broadway’s most memorable roles hers for keeps.
* * *
Near the end, LuPone took her devastated Rose to new heights with an unforgettable, heart-wrenched rendering of “Rose’s Turn,” which proved to be, quite literally, a showstopper of the first order.
* * *
But when (not if) the time comes to bring Gypsy back to the Great White Way, savvy producers should do everything they can to lure Patti LuPone back to the role she was born to play.
Many said it would never happen. That it was too soon after the
last revival. That Arthur Laurents would never allow LuPone to take on his single greatest creation. And so on.
Thankfully, the naysayers had it all wrong.
While I stand by my earlier review, the beauty of this fully-realized Broadway revival is that every breathtaking performance from start to finish matches LuPone, who has only intensified her portrayal of the stage mother from hell, making her Rose at once sympathetic, conniving, sexy, funny, tragic and repulsive all at the same time.
But the revelation in Laurents' brilliantly directed revival is how careful he is in drawing out every character, lovingly shaping them well beyond the caricatures other productions have let suffice. To be honest, I don't know which portrayal I found more poignant -- the stunning metamorphosis of Louise offered by
Laura Benanti in her best performance yet, or the completely credible, quiet dignity in
Boyd Gaines' sympathetic take on Herbie.
As Louise, Benanti begins as a doe-eyed innocent, always eager to please, never fathoming her hidden talents or beauty. To watch her transition to the world's most famous stripper is to witness a major star claiming her rightful place in the spotlight. (For me, personally, it was also one of those "only in live theatre" moments when Benanti locked eyes with mine as I sat in Row B Seat 101 and then seductively asked whether I knew what an ecdysiast is. Oh, Laura, do I ever.)
Gaines' Herbie rates as the best I've ever seen as well, commencing from a man who was clearly charmed by Rose's tenacity long before she even knew who he was and deftly takes him through the range of emotions of a man who will always love her, but yearns for a new life as a family man before his personal shelf-life expiration date arrives.
Then there's the amazingly unholy trinity found in
Lenora Nemetz's
Chita Riveraesque Mazeppa (also doubling as the hilarious Miss Cratchitt),
Marilyn Caskey's nearly immobile and slyly non-electrifying Electra, and
Alison Fraser's tiptoeing Tessie Tura. Again, never before have I seen such distinguishing depth in this triumvirate of characters. And to play them as relics as opposed to fresher faces further isolates Louise's ingenue.
Special mention must also be given to
Leigh Ann Larkin for making her June so real, as well as to
Tony Yazbeck for adding a debonair dash to
Jerome Robbins' stylish choreography all these years later. And bravo to Laurents for showcasing the 25-piece orchestra up on the stage. Thanks to
Patrick Vaccariello,
Sid Ramin and
Robert Ginzler's orchestrations never sounded better.
While the 90 year old Laurents' skill could easily have been a career capper, he's already prepared to do for
West Side Story what he's done for
Gypsy. I for one can't wait.
If you ever wanted to see a classic musical the way it was truly intended to be seen, get to Broadway's St. James Theatre. Make no mistake, come June, everything (with the possible exception of Best Director of a Musical for reasons
explained by Michael Riedel) should be coming up Tonys for the best musical ever, period.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets. Related Stories:Critics On Gypsy: Everything (Almost) Comes Up Roses (March 28, 2008)
Gypsy: Everything's Coming Up Opening Night (March 27, 2008)
Patti Preview: "Brought Down The Roof" .... Literally? (March 4, 2008)
Curtain Up! Light The Lights! (March 3, 2008)
Load-In's Turn (February 24, 2008)
Tag, I'm It! (February 4, 2008)
Laurents' Turn: First Gypsy, Then West Side Story (December 18, 2008)
LuPone's Mama Rose, Part 3? (October 3, 2007)
At 90, Laurents Has Still "Got It" (July 27, 2007)
Everything's Coming Up Patti! (July 9, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The Year (June 4, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: LuPone's Triumph Earns Encores! (March 19, 2007)
Will Encores Mount All-Star Gypsy? (March 2, 2007)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #1: Patti LuPone (December 30, 2006)
Gypsy (The SOB Review) (August 14, 2006)
Labels: Arthur Laurents, Boyd Gaines, Broadway, Gypsy, Jule Styne, Laura Benanti, Musical, Patti LuPone, Revival, Stephen Sondheim, The SOB Review
Critics On Gypsy: Everything (Almost) Comes Up RosesLast night,
Arthur Laurents' miracle on 44th Street opened at Broadway's
St. James Theatre.
As one of
Gypsy's original creators -- a half century ago, he wrote the show's book alongside
Jule Styne and
Stephen Sondheim, who together wrote the score -- he now takes the helm in this fourth Rialto revival that stars
Patti LuPone,
Laura Benanti and
Boyd Gaines. The praise was mostly unequivocal, yet there were at least a couple dissents.
Raving that this
Gypsy is "this one that has definitive written all over it," Bloomberg's
John Simon, who has seen each Broadway incarnation including the original could not be more effusive: "No matter how many times you've seen
Gypsy, you arguably haven't experienced it as fully as you may now on Broadway at the St. James Theatre.... As director, Laurents has made some fussy changes of no great import, at least not lessening the overall impact. His not uninteresting effort is to heighten realism into expressionism.... But then how deftly LuPone makes Rose exude vulgarity without jeopardizing our basic sympathy; how touchingly Gaines underplays his leading-man dazzle for the most likable Herbie ever; how compellingly Benanti handles shy duckling Louise's transfiguration into Gypsy's preening swan."
Almost gleefully admitting "that quiet crunching sound you hear is me eating my hat,"
The New York Times'
Ben Brantley offers a flat-out rave: "[W]hen Ms. LuPone is truly focused, she’s a laser, she incinerates. Especially when she’s playing someone as dangerously obsessed as Momma Rose in the wallop-packing revival of the musical
Gypsy.... its raw power should be enough to silence any naysayers (myself included).... The 90-year-old Mr. Laurents, who directed two earlier revivals of
Gypsy...has had nearly half a century to ponder characters he helped bring to life. The accumulation of decades seems only to have sharpened his vision of the fractured family at the show’s center.”
Essentially admitting that only a critic could complain,
New York Post's
Clive Barnes offers three and a half out of four stars: "In truth, no one was ever born to do anything -- except bawl their lungs out -- but Patti LuPone comes pretty damn close as Momma Rose in Jule Styne's
Gypsy.... In her case, that 'gimmick' is an unassailable talent and showbiz genius. She brought both to the St. James Theatre last night.... And though this essentially modest production has the lingering scent of a summer stockpot, its virtues are such that few will care.... What's special about LuPone is the unexpected shading and nuance -- brassy one moment, grotesque the next, then pathetic, even tragic."
Concluding that LuPone is "beyond sturdy, she's beyond dreams,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News also showers laurels on the musical: "The show is sharper since then and seeing it again reinforces what we already know -- the score by Stephen Sondheim and Jule Styne is tuneful beyond belief and the story by Arthur Laurents is word-perfect.... LuPone, with her big personality, broad background ... and dynamic voice, is a natural to play the human bulldozer who drives daughters June and Louise toward vaudeville stardom at any cost. Under Laurents' savvy direction, she captures Rose's monstrous ferocity (body-checking Uncle Jocko, bullying everybody, even beating up on drapes) and her vulnerability, which peeks out humorously in 'Small World' and gushes poignantly in her finale, 'Rose's Turn.'"
Calling this revival "campy and clamorous, by turns brighter and less buoyant" than its summer 2007 precursor,
USA Today's
Elysa Gardner offers a three-star review: "In that production, LuPone lent a disarming tenderness to Mama Rose, disappointing some critics who view the role as a test for an actress's drama-queen aptitude.... Her epiphany, 'Rose's Turn,' is staged as a musical nervous breakdown, at once over-the-top and frighteningly convincing. Other performances also blend high-octane razzle-dazzle with a sort of hyper-naturalism."
Proving to be the party-pooper, asking "If only everyone would relax,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer offers a mixed review: "What defined her Rose last summer, however, was a marvelous new vulnerability and charm.... Missing now, inexplicably, is that sense of fun, an allure that went a long way toward explaining why Herbie and all the unpaid kids in her pathetic act would put up with her. We still get the ferocity of Rose's restless hunger, but LuPone has toughened her earlier uninhibited sexuality into something harder and less interesting."
Noting that LuPone "gives and gives and gives until the only sensible response is to beg for no more,"
Eric Grode of
The New York Sun also pooh-poohs: "In one of the more puzzling and dispiriting developments to reach Broadway in some time, Arthur Laurents's staging of the acid-etched 1959 valentine to show business has managed to shed nearly everything that made its previous iteration -- a keenly anticipated three-week run last summer at City Center -- so cherished. That production, notable for finally unleashing Patti LuPone in the role of the comparably formidable Mama Rose, has grown in every possible direction -- and not in a good way.
So there you have it folks -- mostly raves from the critics whose notices typically mean the most and a couple mixed-to-negative reviews. After foregoing last summer's City Center Encores! presentation (I magnanimously decided to give others a chance to see LuPone after
catching her original Chicagoland Ravinia turn), I'll be in the audience in a couple days and will offer my SOB Review shortly thereafter.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Gypsy: Everything's Coming Up Opening Night (March 27, 2008)
Patti Preview: "Brought Down The Roof" .... Literally? (March 4, 2008)
Curtain Up! Light The Lights! (March 3, 2008)
Load-In's Turn (February 24, 2008)
Tag, I'm It! (February 4, 2008)
Laurents' Turn: First Gypsy, Then West Side Story (December 18, 2008)
LuPone's Mama Rose, Part 3? (October 3, 2007)
At 90, Laurents Has Still "Got It" (July 27, 2007)
Everything's Coming Up Patti! (July 9, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The Year (June 4, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: LuPone's Triumph Earns Encores! (March 19, 2007)
Will Encores Mount All-Star Gypsy? (March 2, 2007)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #1: Patti LuPone (December 30, 2006)
Gypsy (The SOB Review) (August 14, 2006)
Labels: Arthur Laurents, Boyd Gaines, Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Gypsy, Jule Styne, Laura Benanti, Musical, Patti LuPone, Revival, Stephen Sondheim
Gypsy: Everything's Coming Up Opening NightWhat can I say that hasn't already been said?
Tonight, the revival Broadway could only
dream about two years ago is finally here. With
Arthur Laurents at the helm,
Gypsy starring
Patti LuPone as Mama Rose opens this evening at the Great White Way's
St. James Theatre.
Gypsy certainly ranks at the top of my all-time favorite musicals -- after I see this Sunday's performance, it will be among the stage shows I've seen the most. And for good reason.
Based on the memoirs of
Gypsy Rose Lee, features a hallowed score by none other than
Jule Styne and
Stephen Sondheim to match Laurents' masterpiece of a book. And despite the fact that the 702 performance run of original 1959 production with
Ethel Merman and
Jack Klugman failed to win a single Tony Award (it was nominated for eight), it has become synonymous with Broadway itself.
Now in its fifth Main Stem incarnation, the legendary tuner with LuPone also stars
Laura Benanti as Louise and
Boyd Gaines as Herbie.
Will this become
the revival to end all revivals? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Patti Preview: "Brought Down The Roof" .... Literally? (March 4, 2008)
Curtain Up! Light The Lights! (March 3, 2008)
Load-In's Turn (February 24, 2008)
Tag, I'm It! (February 4, 2008)
Laurents' Turn: First Gypsy, Then West Side Story (December 18, 2008)
LuPone's Mama Rose, Part 3? (October 3, 2007)
At 90, Laurents Has Still "Got It" (July 27, 2007)
Everything's Coming Up Patti! (July 9, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The Year (June 4, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: LuPone's Triumph Earns Encores! (March 19, 2007)
Will Encores Mount All-Star Gypsy? (March 2, 2007)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #1: Patti LuPone (December 30, 2006)
Gypsy (The SOB Review) (August 14, 2006)
Labels: Arthur Laurents, Boyd Gaines, Broadway, Ethel Merman, Gypsy, Jack Klugman, Jule Styne, Laura Benanti, Musical, Opening Night, Patti LuPone, Revival, Stephen Sondheim
Patti Preview: "Brought Down The Roof" .... Literally?For any LuPone-phile (yes! It's a word! Look it up!), this morning's
Barbara Hoffman piece in the
New York Post is a must read, as she celebrates
The Great One.
Patti LuPone, of course, began previews for the Broadway berth of
Gypsy last evening at the
St. James Theatre.
Hoffman writes:
And in case you're thinking Gypsy, again? -- Bernadette Peters having had her turn a few years back -- you weren't at City Center this summer, when LuPone's ballsy Momma Rose brought down the roof.
That Encores! production that The Post's Frank Scheck called "galvanizing" started previews yesterday at the St. James, where LuPone's name looms as large as the title.
Apparently, as officially deputized SOB Special Correspondent Sarah B. noted late last evening on
Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment, LuPone is
quite literally bringing down the roof of the St. James:
However, the real drama happened during the dressing room scene just before Rose's Turn, some sort of accident happened. We couldn't see it from the orchestra, but it was loud enough to make 1/2 of the audience turn and look up. There was a loud crash and immediate crying. Somebody shouted, "Are you okay?" The person proceeded to cry very loudly. I don't know how Patti managed to go on with "Rose's Turn," but as Rose says, "That's show business." There was an ambulance parked in front of the St. James. I heard that a piece of metal air vent fell from the ceiling and hit a patron.
Ouch!
UPDATE (3/4/08 4:20 p.m. EST): New York Times
blogger Tara Parker-Pope (a health blogger, of all people) wrote about her friend who was one of two people hit by the 30 inch-diameter piece of metal that fell from the ceiling of the St. James. Fortunately, neither individual was seriously injured.Sarah goes on to say of
The Great One:
Patti is literally knockin' 'em to the aisles and bringing down the house. Maybe there should be an ambulance permanently parked at the St. James.
She also goes on to tell us how one patron got, er, choked up, quite literally!
Go read
Sarah B.'s full report on last night's first preview and then follow her admonition to get tickets!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Curtain Up! Light The Lights! (March 3, 2008)
Load-In's Turn (February 24, 2008)
Tag, I'm It! (February 4, 2008)
Laurents' Turn: First Gypsy, Then West Side Story (December 18, 2008)
LuPone's Mama Rose, Part 3? (October 3, 2007)
At 90, Laurents Has Still "Got It" (July 27, 2007)
Everything's Coming Up Patti! (July 9, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The Year (June 4, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: LuPone's Triumph Earns Encores! (March 19, 2007)
Will Encores Mount All-Star Gypsy? (March 2, 2007)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #1: Patti LuPone (December 30, 2006)
Gypsy (The SOB Review) (August 14, 2006)
Labels: Adventures In The Endless Pursuit Of Entertainment, Arthur Laurents, Blogs, Boyd Gaines, Broadway, Gypsy, Jule Styne, Laura Benanti, Load-In, Musical, Patti LuPone, Revival, Stephen Sondheim
Curtain Up! Light The Lights!Beginning tonight,
Gypsy's officially back on Broadway, baby!
And SOB's officially deputized "special corres-pondent" Sarah B. from
Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertain-ment will be there this evening for the first preview at the
St. James Theatre.
I trust she'll provide a perfect report tomorrow that is sure to make me completely jealous as I've made no secret that this show ranks as one of my two all-time favorite musicals.
Gypsy features a brilliant score by
Jule Styne and
Stephen Sondheim, along with one of the best musical books ever by
Arthur Laurents, who at the spry young age of 90 is helming this fourth Great White Way revival.
Patti LuPone, of course, headlines as Rose, while
Laura Benanti stars in the title role alongside the ubiquitous Broadway baby
Boyd Gaines as Herbie.
Opening night is slated for March 27, and I'll be in the audience just days later.
Having seen LuPone's
first-ever turn as Mama Rose during the acclaimed and extremely limited "concert" run at Chicagoland's
Ravinia two summers ago, you can bet I'm champing at the bit to see what magic Arthur Laurents has conjured up for the Rialto run that many said would never happen. This is the kind of live theatre I live for. I can't wait!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Load-In's Turn (February 24, 2008)
Tag, I'm It! (February 4, 2008)
Laurents' Turn: First Gypsy, Then West Side Story (December 18, 2008)
LuPone's Mama Rose, Part 3? (October 3, 2007)
At 90, Laurents Has Still "Got It" (July 27, 2007)
Everything's Coming Up Patti! (July 9, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The Year (June 4, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: LuPone's Triumph Earns Encores! (March 19, 2007)
Will Encores Mount All-Star Gypsy? (March 2, 2007)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #1: Patti LuPone (December 30, 2006)
Gypsy (The SOB Review) (August 14, 2006)
Labels: Arthur Laurents, Boyd Gaines, Broadway, Gypsy, Jule Styne, Laura Benanti, Load-In, Musical, Patti LuPone, Revival, Stephen Sondheim
Load-In's TurnI'm not prone to carrying around my camera, but I happened to have mine the other day as I was strolling by Broadway's
St. James Theatre.
There, the load-in was in progress for the revival of one of my
two all-time favorite musicals. Since I've seen more different versions of this classic by
Jule Styne,
Stephen Sondheim and
Arthur Laurents than any other tuner, I thought I'd take a couple shots.
As you can see from the photos, everything's coming up
Gypsy on West 44th Street, this time with
Laura Benanti as Louise,
Boyd Gaines as Herbie, and of course,
Patti LuPone as Rose.
As for me, I'll be in the audience late next month. And that's no gimmick.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Tag, I'm It! (February 4, 2008)
Laurents' Turn: First Gypsy, Then West Side Story (December 18, 2008)
LuPone's Mama Rose, Part 3? (October 3, 2007)
At 90, Laurents Has Still "Got It" (July 27, 2007)
Everything's Coming Up Patti! (July 9, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The Year (June 4, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: LuPone's Triumph Earns Encores! (March 19, 2007)
Will Encores Mount All-Star Gypsy? (March 2, 2007)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #1: Patti LuPone (December 30, 2006)
Gypsy (The SOB Review) (August 14, 2006)
Labels: Arthur Laurents, Boyd Gaines, Broadway, Gypsy, Jule Styne, Laura Benanti, Load-In, Musical, Patti LuPone, Revival, Stephen Sondheim
