Book by Arthur Laurents, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Music by Jule Styne
Directed by Arthur Laurents
Synopsis:
The new production is based on the critically acclaimed New York City Center Encores! production which enjoyed a triumphant three-week run in July. LuPone will lead the cast in the role of "Rose," the quintessential stage mother, joined by Gaines as "Herbie" and Benanti as "Louise," the daughter who transforms into the title character of "Gypsy" in this musical fable suggested by the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee.
NEW YORK TIMES:
"A great Momma Rose is usually enough for a thoroughly compelling “Gypsy.” But this one has so much more. Mr. Laurents and his cast have applied the same careful analysis to all the major characters. As a result we become newly sensitized to “Gypsy” as a sad story of colliding desires, of people within an extended family vainly longing for love, for security, for recognition from one another. And this production makes us painfully aware of the toll exacted by repeatedly missed connections. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK POST:
"LuPone bawls with the best of them, but realizes, to quote the show, that "You Gotta Get a Gimmick." In her case, that "gimmick" is an unassailable talent and showbiz genius.
She brought both to the St. James Theatre last night, following a three-week "tryout" at City Center in July. And though this essentially modest production has the lingering scent of a summer stockpot, its virtues are such that few will care. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS:
"It's fitting that the revival of the backstage classic at the St. James Theatre starring Patti LuPone has the stuff Broadway dreams are made of: an electrifying leading lady and bangup supporting cast (kids included), making good on the show's implicit vow to entertain you and make you smile. "
Read the whole review HERE.
THEATERMANIA:
"In a performance that'll have musical comedy fanatics buzzing for months, LuPone executes a show-biz finish to end all finishes. And -- get this! -- it's even been heightened by the 89-year-old Laurents, now the show's director, since it was presented as part of City Center Encores! Summer Stars series last year. If this brilliantly jarring fade-out doesn't cop LuPone her second Tony Award, we can assume there's truly little justice left in the world. "
Read the whole review HERE.
VARIETY:
"Watching Arthur Laurents' riveting revival of the show he wrote and premiered in 1959, it's clear that "Gypsy" has the dramatic vertebrae of a superior species. This is not your everyday canned tuner; in this production it's an incisively acted musical play with as much emotional resonance as showbiz pizzazz. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEWSDAY:
"What defined her Rose last summer, however, was a marvelous new vulnerability and charm. This was a stage mother/monster who, along with the ruthlessness, had a deep playfulness. 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. "
Read the whole review HERE.
AMNY:
"Why is "Gypsy" back only five years since its last Broadway revival? Because (1) Patti LuPone is ready to play Mama Rose; (2) Arthur Laurents, who hated Sam Mendes' revival, wants to redirect it; (3) Laurents and LuPone patched up their feud; and (4) "Gypsy" is the best musical. Ever. If "La Boheme" and "Hamlet" receive annual revivals, why can't "Gypsy"? "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK SUN:
"What happened? How does a musical move into a theater more than 1,000 seats smaller and get broader in its delivery? How does a director who worked on the original production of a classic, who literally wrote the book on it, allow scene after scene to collapse into mood-shattering mayhem on his watch? How does a glorified summer-stock presentation emerge with the energy and discipline of a Broadway hit, and the resulting Broadway transfer meander with the diffuse, undermotivated energy of summer stock? How on earth, in other words, has the benighted revival of "Gypsy" that opened last night been allowed to happen?"
Read the whole review HERE.
NY1:
"No matter how many times they produce it on Broadway, "Gypsy" is indestructible. Critics are left to quibble about interpretation and pacing, but it's a virtually foolproof show that tests the mettle of our best talents - and what exceptional talents this time around. "
Read the whole review HERE.
TALKIN' BROADWAY:
"Not quite, but two things are very wrong. One is LuPone, who with her steel-belted personality and ceiling-slamming belt might have been born to play Madam Rose, the Medea-hewn ultimate stage mother, but forgoes the opportunity to instead deliver one of the most disgustingly self-indulgent performances in recent Broadway history. The other is the bookwriter, Arthur Laurents, who aids and abets her and directs this classic into nonsensical oblivion."
Read the whole review HERE.
TIME OUT NY:
"Wow. Wow. Wow. The Broadway revival of Gypsy, starring the astonishing Patti LuPone, has now arrived at the—wow—at the St. James Theatre, and from the moment the—wow. Sorry, but: wow. There are times when a critic can calmly analyze the assets and demerits of a production; and there are other times, thrilling and rare, when a show slaps the sense clean out of him, and when the proper reaction is awe, delight and gratitude. This Gypsy is a stunner: an achievement that no one who loves musicals, no one who loves theater, no one at all should miss. "
Read the whole review HERE.
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