Here she is boys! Here's the new gold standard Rose! Here's Audra McDonald in Gypsy! I'm not sure what I could possibly say to add to the acclaim for her titanic performance in the musical theater equivalent to Lear. But everything you've heard about her is true and then some. From the moment you hear her bellow, "Sing out, Louise!" from the back of the theater to her heartbreaking, self-delusional bows during "Rose's Turn," McDonald has us under her spell and electricity fills the air. That she can sing the role was never in doubt, nor that she could act the part. But the real shocker is just how deeply she disappears into it. Fierce and unrelenting, she leaves nothing but a path of destruction in her wake. By turns domineering and cruel, this Rose is of a single vision: stardom for her children, and by proxy, herself. And yet, there's always an undercurrent of humanity. This is a performance that people will talk about for years.
Already acclaimed as one of the greatest musicals of all time, Gypsy shows no signs of age or passé tropes. Created by the perfect storm of collaboration, the tight, fat-free book by Arthur Laurents, and the tuneful, iconic score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim are as fresh as ever. Even still, I found myself feeling nostalgic. They simply don't write them like this anymore. And under the brilliant direction of George C. Wolfe and with freshened choreography by Camille A. Brown, this revival never forgets its auspicious beginnings, but allows the show to breathe on its own terms today. It would be disingenuous to ignore the casting of this revival; it is important and integral to this staging in both obvious and implied ways. The message - especially these days - is not to be forgotten. But it also doesn't hit you over the head with the point. Instead, it simply is, reminding all of us that regardless of race, the desire for attention and struggle for acceptance is universal.
Lavish throughout, and appropriately spare when it serves the story, the design team has created a feast for the senses. Here, too, this Gypsy is both a tribute to the original and still a new thing all its own. Santo Loquasto's scenery, even when it doesn't take up the stage, is flush with details and clever clues as to where we are, and Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer's lighting blankets the space with warn hues, troubling shadows and bright, show biz-y flare. All three are storied pros who continue their legacy here with panache. Toni-Leslie James's costumes - and there are a lot of them - are gorgeous, character and period perfect, and serve the piece beautifully.
It speaks volumes for the level of the company - and to the perfection of Audra's star turn - that the rest of the cast not only doesn't get lost, but thrives as part of the glorious whole. The comic centerpiece of the second act is the backstage burlesque scene featuring three world-weary, but razor sharp strippers. One can't imagine a better trio than Lili Thomas, Mylinda Hull and Lesli Margherita, who rightly stop the show cold with their triumphant "You Gotta Get a Gimmick." The always terrific Kevin Csolak is a charming Tulsa, and Jordan Tyson gives a dazzling performance as Dainty June, whose anger and frustration permeates the house. Her heart-pounding and raw duet with Woods, "If Momma Was Married," is a scorching highlight of the entire performance (if not the season). She really impressed me with such an about face from her role in last season's The Notebook, and I wish they both had more to do.
Star on the rise Joy Woods continues her ascent to the pantheon of Broadway divas, as Louise - later Gypsy Rose Lee - with a brilliant performance. Hardly recognizable as the shy, unsure young girl, watching her metamorphosis into the greatest stripper of all time is truly something to behold. And that final showdown with her mother is no less than breathtaking. One feels a sense that it is a passing of the torch not only from Rose to Gypsy, but from McDonald to Woods as well. As Herbie, the great Danny Burstein both warmed and broke my heart. The perfect match for this Rose, his Herbie is a careful and precarious balance between a too kind doormat and a man with a drive to provide and love. One of the many highlights of this production is when he, Ms. Woods and Ms. McDonald join forces for an uplifting "Together, Wherever We Go." Here, in sharp focus, we see what could've, no should've, been for these people.
In a season full of career defining performances and high quality productions, this one may prove tough to beat. Bravo, to all concerned.
📸: J. Cervantes
