Gypsy and Patti LuPone -- A True Diva Moment

There I was in the back row of the St. Jame Theater last Saturday night witnessing Patti LuPone sink her teeth into the role of Mama Rose in Gypsy and tear the place apart. It was an amazing evening as she practically took the roof off of the place. I felt like I was witnessing some kind of historic event. That sounds like an awfully bold statement I know, but she is on fire and you can tell she's having a blast with this character.

I do not claim to be a Broadway expert, but I do know that this role was created for Ethel Merman in 1959 and few actresses have been able to compete. It's a really strenuous role with one gigantic powerful song after the other. A difficult feat to take one for any actress, but Ms LuPone delivers the goods. I was lucky enough to see this at City Stages last fall, but seeing it on Broadway was a whole new experience. I wasn't that familiar with the story or the show. I had always caught various scenes and I knew some of the songs, but I had no idea how many great songs are in the show that I did know. And the story of an over the top stage mother that would do anything to make her daughter a star is really great.

The play opens with children on stage auditioning for Uncle Jocko's Talent Show in Seattle then from the audience Mama Rose screams out , "Sing out Lousie" as she's walking down the aisle. The audience goes nuts and Patti LuPone works it as she pauses before delivering the next line. It is a true diva moment.

Some of the best songs for me included "Some People", "Everything's Coming Up Roses", and "You'll Never Get Away From Me". Charles Isherwood in The New York Times a few weeks ago pointed out the differences between this revival and the recently opened South Pacific. South Pacific opened the decade of the Fifties and reflects the sweetness and innocence of a country healing after WWII. It features many great songs including "A Wonderful Guy" in which the lead character sings, "I'm as normal as blueberry pie". Gypsy closed the 50s when it premiered on Broadway in 1959. It's definitely a darker tale and acts as reflection of the turbulent decade to come. In comparison, Mama Rose in "Some People" sings "Goodbye to blueberry pie". It sums up how different both shows are and how they defined that decade. Stephen Sondhiem, the show's lyricist, ushered in a whole new era of Broadway musicals with Gypsy.

Patti LuPone closes the show with "Rose's Turn" and it is truly a show stopper. When she finished last Saturday night the crowd erupted and jumped to their feet. It was quite a moment. Gypsy with Patti LuPone is not just a must see this season, it is truly an event.

Comments

[GiggidyGeshmoygen]

thanks for sharing that fab clip -

it makes one wonder why a hit show's producers don't maximise their profits by recording such great stage performances on dvd -

also... let's not forget bette midler's made-for-tv mama rose which was also quite wonderful.

[MizJ]

I saw it with Merman. The difference is that Merman was merely loud, Patti is the real deal!.

[raker]

I hope I get to see this Gypsy. I'm in the minority on this but I think Rosalind Russell was perfect in the movie, even with dubbed singing. I think all the principals in the movie were perfect - except Natalie Wood. I didn't love Tyne Daly as Rose because she really isn't a singer and on stage, that matters. I think I would have loved Lansbury, but not so much Peters. Rose has to be a self-absorbed monster, and I don't see monster coming from Bernadette Peters. You know who could be the best of them all? Christine Ebersole. Her playing complicated/crazy in Grey Gardens was one of the best things I've ever seen.

[3fingerbrown]

Best Mama Rose I ever saw was Tyne Daley, on Broadway several years ago. What a brave performance: She steamrolled her way over everybody and everything on the stage; she wasn't trying to be a lovable monster, which is the great temptation of the role, she was simply a monster, playing the hell out of the part with utmost honesty. The Broadway old-timers had problems with her singing voice, but I thought it worked: a rough, unsophisticated voice perfectly suited the rough, unsophisticated character.

Also saw Bernadette Peters in the part a couple of seasons ago: good, but not great. By all accounts, Lupone has topped her. Lupone's edge might be that this new production was directed by the show's librettist, 90-year-old Arthur Laurents. No one knows what makes this show tick better than he does.