Gypsy

St. James Theatre

By Cindy Nemser


From the moment you see Patti Lupone striding up the aisle and hear her blasting “Sing out Louise,” you know you are in for several hours of riveting entertainment. As the quintessential obsessed stage mother Lupone is the first to totally incorporate the mesmerizing qualities of this complex, driven woman since the original Mamma Rose, Ethel Merman, for whom the show was written, brought her to life.

Lupone is in late middle age, somewhat on the stocky side, but she still has a curvy figure, sexy legs, which she uses to seduce men she can use, and most of all she is an inferno of boundless energy that never lets up and never burns out. Determined to put June, her talented singing dancing daughter on the stage, she refuses to admit failure when the girl escapes tyrannical grasp. Instead of mourning her loss, Rose immediately focuses on her other daughter the shy Louise (Laura Benanti) who up until then she has basically seen as a prop for her gifted sister. And Rose accomplishes the miracle with her timid girl; she transforms her into Gypsy Rose Lee, the most celebrated strip tease artist of the period: However her success proves to be hollow. Louise eventually gains confidence, becomes her own person and discards her. And to make matters worse, Herbie the flawlessly astute Boyd Gaines, the man she loves, breaks out of her obit too, driven away by her insatiable need for fame.

There is no question that the story based, on the memoirs of the famous stripper Gypsy, is a grabber--a tale of the ambition gone wild and the eternal conflict between the generations, especially the generations of mothers and daughters. However, without the awesome artistry of the creative team of Arthur Laurents, who wrote the book (and now in his eighties directs this revival), Julie Styne, who composed the haunting melodies; the young Stephen Sondheim, who authored the lyrics for songs that both stand on their own, yet never miss a beat in moving the narrative along; and Jerome Robbins who choreographed, the entrancing dance episodes, this musical masterpiece could never have attained the world wide acclaim it certainly warrants

And, to their credit fabulous the lead performers as well as the supporting cast make excellent use of the stunning material the creators have handed down to them. Lupone, who finally has learned to enunciate impeccably, has the audience totally rooting for her when she belts out “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” even in the face of disappointment and frustration. She also charms when she displays her softer side in her ballads ”Some People” and “Small World” which she sings with Gaines. But of course it is her cut to the heart rendition of “Rose’s Turn” that gives Lupone her triumph and maybe her Tony as well. As her name flares up across the screen behind her, thanks to the magical skill of lighting designer Howell Binkley, and she sings from the depth of her being her of her suppressed abilities and hungers, the audience for a short time is one with the image of Rose as a star. Then, the lights go off and she is just an abandoned old woman no good to anyone least of all herself our hearts ache for her, even though we know she is self-centered steamroller. Some critics interpret narcissistic, embittered Rose as a symbol of the demise of American’s can-do optimism and also the signal of the end of the great golden age of Broadway musicals 1950’s. With the exception of a the up- beat sentimental shows like those of Jerry Herman, they may be right.“

However there is more to Gypsy than the singing and acting of diva Lupone. There is the incredibly inventive Boyd Gaines who embodies a sly sexy honey of a man who opts for real life when he realizes that the party (in his case vaudeville) is over. There is also the scintillating Laura Benanti (Louise) whose loveliness and feminine appeal shines through even though it is encased in shabby ill-fitting masculine clothes and gawky movements for most of the evening. Even though she is the Cinderella of the story, you know her prince is coming when she imagines herself twirling about in the arms of Tony Yazbeck (Tulsa) an outstanding dancer who has the ability to create enchantment as he performs Robbins’s exquisite piece of choreography to “All I Need Is The Girl. And sure enough, our self-effacing wall flower is transformed in the end into a luscious, super sexy glamour puss with the world at her feet, who can sing out “Let Me Entertain You” with as much confidence as her multi-gifted sister, Dainty June (Leigh Ann Larkin) who is terrific performing the terrible “act” concocted by her clueless mother, but a little bit too much of a one-note surly teen in her off stage sessions.

However, this minor quibble aside, “Gypsy” is a powerhouse of a show in every way. The deliberately tattered curtains of the sleazy third run theaters and shabby boarding houses conjured up by James Youmans and the ingenious and hilarious costumes created by Martin Pakledinaz, included a cow with oodles of charm, are a perfect fit for this disintegrating world.

Though this show spins out a painful story and even leaves a bit of a sour taste in one’s mouth, it is still irresistible. There is certainly no conventional fairy tale happy ending and there is plenty of heartache, resentment and unfulfilled desire. Rose is bitter as happens with people who try to gain their happiness by living through other people. Rose seems fearless, but in actuality she is terrified of standing up for herself and living her own life. But she is by no means worthless. Her force and stubbornness gave us two unforgettable entertainers: June Havoc, a theater and film star and the totally unique Gypsy Rose Lee both of whom chose “Let Me Entertain You” as their manta.