Audra McDonald dominates "Gypsy" as larger-than-life Momma Rose
In the pantheon of great Broadway musicals are many memorable shows, but only two have often been described as the most perfect examples of the genre, “Guys and Dolls” and “Gypsy”. Based on the life and career of the vaudeville stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, “Gypsy” was going to be created by Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim, who had previously worked together on “West Side Story”. Originally Sondheim was scheduled to write the songs, words and music, but when producer David Merrick approached Ethel Merman to star in the show, she refused to work with an unknown composer, because she had experienced a flop the season before in a musical written by two newcomers; she agreed to do the show only if Jule Styne, the composer of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” wrote the score.
Though the title might suggest that Gypsy Rose Lee is the central character of the show, which takes place in the 1920s and 1930s, it is in fact Momma Rose, the domineering stage mother who has no desire other than to see her two daughters, Louise and June, succeed in shabby vaudeville (Louise became Gypsy, while June found a career in Hollywood as June Havoc). “She is a larger-than-life mother, a mythic mesmerizing mother, a monster of a mother sweetly named Rose”, Laurents wrote about her. The musical, which premiered on Broadway on May 21, 1959, became a huge success and gave 702 performances, with Merman defining the role forever. Over the years, it received four revivals, all of them seemingly built around the actress playing the role rather than the main character itself.
Audra McDonald, a Broadway superstar, is totally convincing and well in her place as this universal character. In a performance that transcends previous incarnations, she turns Momma Rose into a demon with an explosive personality that dominates the entire production. Her sensational rendition of the last number, “Rose’s Turn”, is a showstopper that deserves the wild applause it gets.
The ebullient cast assembled for this occasion is also up to the star’s high-quality standards, with Danny Burstein as Herbie, the agent who befriends Rose and serves as her two girls’ manager, acceptably down-graded; Joy Woods as Louise, timid and seductive; Lesli Margherita, Lili Thomas, and Mylinda Hull superb as Tessie Tura, Mazeppa and Electra, three vaudeville stripers who coach Louise into becoming one of their own; Jordan Tyson as exuberant June; and particularly, on the performance seen, Jade Smith as Baby June, a surprisingly talented young actress who has been given the opportunity to display her multiple talents.
Under the swift direction of the renown George C. Wolfe and the clever choreography of Camille A. Brown, the show develops into a production with a new spirit and a smart attitude that benefits it tremendously and enables it to emerge with a new look that seems to better fit contemporary requirements.
The technical details enhance the visual aspects of the show, from the subtle scenic designs by Santo Loquasto, to the lightings by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, and the flashy costumes by Toni-Leslie James. All these elements give the production a shine that subsists and enhances its development. Seldom has the revival of a celebrated musical seemed so entrancing and compelling on all levels. Sondheim, the sole creative survivor at the time when it was conceived, would have loved it.
Music Supervision and Music Direction: Andy Einhorn • Choreography: Camille A. Brown • Scenic Design: Santo Loquasto • Costume Design: Toni-Leslie James • Lighting Design: Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer • Sound Design: Scott Lehrer • With: Audra McDonald (Rose), Danny Burstein (Herbie), Joy Woods (Louise), Jordan Tyson (June), Kevin Csolak (Tulsa), Lesli Margherita (Tessie Tura), Lili Thomas (Mazeppa), Mylinda Hull (Electra/Miss Cratchitt), Jade Smith (Baby June) and others
Cover photo: Julieta Cervantes