Gypsy (Broadway, January 3, 2009)

There are so many Broadway shows closing this month that I'm scurrying back and forth into the city to try to see as many as possible before the final curtain comes down.  Not that I needed the incentive to see the consistently magnificent Patti LuPone (left) sing Rose in Gypsy.  Oddly enough for such a theater nut, I'd never seen a production of Gypsy before, and only knew the bare outline of the plot (stage mother from hell turns her daughters into burlesque stars).  This would be my third time hearing Patti Lupone (the title role in the original Evita and Mrs. Lovett in the recent actors-as-orchestra Sweeney Todd were the other two), so I was quite confident of a star turn from her and just hoped the rest of the production would measure up.  No fears: this was a production to set the standard for me for a lifetime.  Its rave reviews (New York Times review here) are well-deserved.

It's rare for me to really have nothing negative to say about a production; maybe if I had seen some of the other significant productions of the last few decades I would find something to quibble about.  But I found all the performances excellent, and strong enough to match LuPone.  Baby June (Leigh Ann Larkin) was appropriately cloying as the original star of the family; her cutesy costumes and numbers made me wince, which is exactly what one wants from the performance.  I'm not sure whether "Baby June and Her Newsboys" or "Dainty June and Her Farmboys" was more annoying.  Boyd Gaines as Rose's reluctant theatrical agent balances nimbly between his love for Rose and the obvious pain she causes him with her maniacal obsession with vaudeville success at any cost.  And the gorgeous Laura Benanti as Louise perfectly portrays her character's evolution from a gawky, ignored tomboy, constant second fiddle to her pretty sister, into the simultaneously flirtatious and ice-cold Gypsy Rose Lee.  Her final confrontation with the mother she has finally escaped and outdone is absolutely chilling.  And yes, we get a cleverly-staged strip-tease, though the transformed Louise's costumes (right) are gorgeous enough that I was rather sorry to see them go, even briefly.

What else is there to say?  It was magnificent.  And it's closing by the end of the month, so anyone within range who still wants to see it should hurry up and do so.  Or if not, take a look at Patti LuPone's performance of showstopper "Everything's Coming up Roses" at the 2008 Tony Awards for a glimpse of what you're missing:

Comments

[Susan de Guardiola]

I meant to note this last week, but got swamped: June Havoc, the "Baby June" sister of Gypsy Rose Lee, died recently. NYT obit here. Apparently she wasn't altogether fond of the portrayal of her in the show.

She had quite a showbiz career after the events depicted in the show and spent her last years up her in Connecticut.