Curtain up, light the lights: Gypsy Rose Lee and Mama Rose have arrived with full force to the Theatre Tuscaloosa. A stunning cast, powerful monologues and a full supporting orchestra came together to make Saturday night’s performance of “Gypsy” an unforgettable show.
“Gypsy: A Musical Fable,” is a Broadway show that’s credited stars such as Cynthia Gibb, Ethel Merman and Patti LuPone. The play tells the story of Gypsy Rose Lee, or Louise Hovick, and her overbearing and controlling stage mother, Madam Rose Hovick, who will go to any length to make her daughters into stars – including pushing Louise into burlesque.
From the moment the show opened, the theatre was filled with laughter. Not only was Ava Buchanan’s voice vibrant and loud enough to fill the theatre, her line deliveries were flawless, adding just the right amount of humor and truthfulness to the lines. However, she wasn’t the only one that gave a funny performance. Bridget Winder played a stunning Louise. Her lines were perfectly given, and we had a surprising bit of comedy during “Dainty June and Her Farmboys.” The theatre roared with laughter at the deadpan “Moo moo, moo moo” that came from Caroline the Dancing Cow, as played by Louise. Paired with Bridget was actress Courtney Dover, cast as June. The voices of these two starlets meshed wonderfully together during “If Momma Was Married,” and they acted like sisters all through the show. Added into the mix of wonderful young performers was Russell Stephens, who played Tulsa. In the show, Tulsa is an exceptional dancer who leaves the group to be a performer. Russell doesn’t disappoint, using smooth Fred Astaire style to turn that bum into Beau Brummel.
Entrances are something that most productions don’t pay very much attention to – performers typically enter from stage left or stage right, and if they want to be really creative, upstage. But in “Gypsy,” entrances were part of the performance.
When act two opens, in the back, a voice is heard. The familiar voice of Rose moves from the back of the theatre, and Rose makes her way through the aisle, barking orders at the girls. That, as well as the entrance of the girls and Louise into the burlesque house, in which they enter from the side, all show how much work and detail the director and producer put into the show.
Then, the audience is surprised as half-naked women with heavy New York accents appear onstage. Here, we’d met the women of the burlesque house: Tessie Tura the Texas Twirler, played by Rose Webber; Electra, played by Amelia Webber; and Miss Mazeppa, played by Mary Claire Owen. These girls bring massive amounts of comedy to the show, delivering lines and singing their big number, “You Gotta Get a Gimmick.”
The laughter soon died down, however, as the audience watched Rose pushing Louise into doing a burlesque routine as Gypsy Rose Lee so she could finally be a star. The burlesque house gets a surprise when they find out that Louise is rather good, even if a little awkward, as the audience sees when she stumbles onto the stage to begin a rickety version of June’s old song, “Let Me Entertain You.”
Finally, we see the most famous number from Gypsy, “Rose’s Turn.” Ava turns this song into a full-blown concert, singing with passion and emotion, so much that you can feel Rose’s pain yourself.
Overall, I was very pleased with the show. The producers couldn’t have picked a better cast, crew, orchestra and show. I would highly recommend Theatre Tuscaloosa’s performance of “Gypsy” – it’s a show worth watching.
“Gypsy” will be showing at Theatre Tuscaloosa Wednesday, July 18 at 2 p.m., Thursday, July 19 through Saturday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 22 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $14 to $22.
