Chris got us tickets to see New York City Center's new production of Gypsy, starring Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti and directed by Arthur Laurents, with musical direction by Patrick Vaccariello. It was Thursday and it was a full house. I just wondered where these people came from. They were all very excited and eager to be entertained.
Gypsy: A Musical Fable is the full title of a 1959 musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. It is usually referred to as simply Gypsy. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Mama Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business mother." In particular, it follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of showbusiness life. The character of Louise is based on Lee, and the character of June is based on Lee's sister, the actress June Havoc. 
Gypsy has been referred to as the greatest American musical by numerous critics and writers, among them Ben Brantley[1] and Frank Rich;[2] Rich even goes so far as to call it the American musical theatre's answer to King Lear. Theater critic Clive Barnes wrote that "Gypsy is one of the best of musicals..."
The character of Rose was described by Barnes as "one of the few truly complex characters in the American musical...bossy, demanding, horrific..."[3] Rose was described by Rich as "a monster".[2] Critic Walter Kerr points out that though Rose is a monster, she must be liked and understood.[4]
Gypsy is being presented by Encores! from July 9 to 29 of 2007, with Patti LuPone again playing Mama Rose, and direction by Arthur Laurents.[9] Principal casting includes Laura Benanti in the title role of "Gypsy/Louise", with Boyd Gaines as "Herbie", Leigh Ann Larkin as "Dainty June", Tony Yazbeck as "Tulsa", Alison Fraser as "Tessie Tura", Nancy Opel as "Mazeppa"/"Miss Cratchitt", and Marilyn Caskey as "Electra". 
I cannot help comparing musicals to operas. Obveriously, musicals are much more accessible. However, because it is so much simpler for the audiences’ ears, it does not leave much space for your thinking. So from the first moment one, you are put into a speedy car and the car drives you to the dramatic heights of the play. But at the end of the show, I do not feel as satisfied as I walk out of the opera house. There is everything on the stage—the wonderful set, the beautiful dancers and singers, the gorgeous customs, the fantastic lighting, the unforgetable music and the magic orchestra. But, there is something I have not got yet. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I know it is not there. The final touch, which gives you the sense of intoxication!
Gypsy: A Musical Fable is the full title of a 1959 musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. It is usually referred to as simply Gypsy. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Mama Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business mother." In particular, it follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of showbusiness life. The character of Louise is based on Lee, and the character of June is based on Lee's sister, the actress June Havoc.
Gypsy has been referred to as the greatest American musical by numerous critics and writers, among them Ben Brantley[1] and Frank Rich;[2] Rich even goes so far as to call it the American musical theatre's answer to King Lear. Theater critic Clive Barnes wrote that "Gypsy is one of the best of musicals..."
The character of Rose was described by Barnes as "one of the few truly complex characters in the American musical...bossy, demanding, horrific..."[3] Rose was described by Rich as "a monster".[2] Critic Walter Kerr points out that though Rose is a monster, she must be liked and understood.[4]
Gypsy is being presented by Encores! from July 9 to 29 of 2007, with Patti LuPone again playing Mama Rose, and direction by Arthur Laurents.[9] Principal casting includes Laura Benanti in the title role of "Gypsy/Louise", with Boyd Gaines as "Herbie", Leigh Ann Larkin as "Dainty June", Tony Yazbeck as "Tulsa", Alison Fraser as "Tessie Tura", Nancy Opel as "Mazeppa"/"Miss Cratchitt", and Marilyn Caskey as "Electra".
I cannot help comparing musicals to operas. Obveriously, musicals are much more accessible. However, because it is so much simpler for the audiences’ ears, it does not leave much space for your thinking. So from the first moment one, you are put into a speedy car and the car drives you to the dramatic heights of the play. But at the end of the show, I do not feel as satisfied as I walk out of the opera house. There is everything on the stage—the wonderful set, the beautiful dancers and singers, the gorgeous customs, the fantastic lighting, the unforgetable music and the magic orchestra. But, there is something I have not got yet. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I know it is not there. The final touch, which gives you the sense of intoxication!
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