Gypsy - Goodspeed Opera House

Gypsy is one of the great musicals from the Golden Age of Broadway that hasn’t been produced very often in Connecticut.  In fact, I can’t remember a professional mounting until the handsome production, currently playing at the Goodspeed Opera House through June 25. 

 

Directed with confidence and skill by frequent Goodspeed Director Jenn Thompson, the show centers on Rose, "the ultimate show business mother," who works tirelessly to make a star, first out of daughter June and then her sister Louise.  Eeking out an existence with a ragamuffin troupe of kids on the vaudeville circuit, Rose bullies, badgers, and torments anyone that gets in her way and the success of her brood.  Along the way, a former booking agent, Herbie, is cajoled to join her as she reaches for the top of the entertainment strata.  In the end, Rose’s dreams are shattered - June has eloped with one of the boy dancers; Herbie, fed up with Rose’s unrelenting shenanigans, leaves; and the remaining group of performers end up on the skids at a rundown burlesque house.  Fortuitously, Louise emerges with a bubbling self-confidence and gutsy determination, to begin an ascent that ends with her becoming the premier stripper in the land.

 

The book by Arthur Laurents, suggested by the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, is well-known for its portrayal of Rose as a monster.  But there is more depth to the character and her backstory is important to understand her shameful, disreputable motives.  The actress Bernadette Peters, who starred in a 2003 Broadway revival of the musical, stated:

 

"Rose was a woman who was traumatized by her own mother leaving her at an early age. I think that longing for acceptance is what fuels all her ambition. In the end, when she confronts herself in 'Rose's Turn', she realizes she has failed her daughter just as her own mother failed her...and that destroys Rose. There is a vulnerability to Rose that makes her human, not just some loud and cartoonish parody of a stage mother.”

 

Ms. Thompson seems to have taken Ms. Peters words to heart in her direction of Judy McLane as Mama Rose.  The actress, on the surface, initially comes across as reprehensible, but she brings a greater depth to the role.  We may not like her antics but, as the final curtain falls there is more sympathy towards the character.

 

Ms. McLane might not have the larger-than-life bravado of women who have starred in the role on Broadway - which include Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Patti Lupone - but she does have a down-to-earth quality that comes across as more realistic and humbling.  The actress, not the most powerful singer, still radiates with passion and drive.  Many of the show’s best known songs, from the illustrious Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim score, come under her purview - remember, this was an Ethel Merman musical.  They include “Some People,” “Small World,” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.”  Two of the most winning numbers from the show are songs not vocalized by Rose.  They are the heartfelt duet, “If Mama Was Married,” sung by June and Louise and the rollicking “You Gotta Get A Gimmick,” performed by three burlesque house veterans.

 

Gypsy is not a big dance show.  Nonetheless, choreographer Paticia Wilcox injects some fun with the various routines of Baby June and her Newsies and then Farmer backups.  She also provides a stylish number for Michael Starr’s character Tulsa in “All I Need is the Girl.”

 

Laura Sky Herman bursts on the stage as the spunky and bright-eyed Dainty June, dancing and singing up a storm.  Yet she deftly layers her portrayal with uncertainty and a rebellious streak that counters the outward submissiveness to her dominating mother. Talia Suskauer gives a nuanced performance as Louise as she grows from a gawky, insecure teenager to a self-assured and unflappable young woman.  The role of Herbie has always been problematic.  Philip Hernandez does his best to enliven the character, but too much of the time he comes across as an afterthought.  Mention also goes to Emily Jewel Hoder as Baby June.  The youngster is a powerhouse performer with her singing, dancing, and acting abilities.

 

Alexander Dodge’s Scenic Design, primarily consisting of an ad emblazoned curtain with moveable set pieces to quickly convey different scenes and locales, is suitably efficient.  Eduardo Sicangco’s Costume Designs range from the appropriate drabness of down-on-their luck performers to the silly outfits worn by the vaudeville hoofers to the outrageous attire of the burlesque queens - Mazeppa, Electra, and Tessie.

 

Gypsy, playing at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT through June 25.  Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.