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Gypsy Reviews
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There is a reason it is called Patti Lupone gypsy Review by: broadwaybabe1234, Jan 2, 2009 |
| Gypsy was the first show i have seen on broadway. that does not mean that i haven't been exposed to theater because i am an actress in seattle and see tones of shows that come there. Being my first show i didn't know what to expect except that the acting was going to be good and the sets were going to be amazing. Well it knocked my expectations down and was the best show i have ever seen! The leads were so strong and there is a ... read more reason Patti Lupone's name comes before the name of the show!!! she is amazing! Gypsy has been on broadway 3 times now with 3 spectacular roses but i think that Patti Lupone is the best and the Laura Benanti is exactly the kind of louise, her voice is perfect for the part! i saw thisa with my mom and being 13 i had really wanted to see 13 the musicla but i am so glad i got to see the once in a life time show , with a outstanding group of actors!!! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Very good acting Review by: TheatreTeacher, Dec 31, 2008 |
| I'm not sure I have much to add to what has already been said about this show. The acting is great. Some of the best musical theatre acting on Broadway. Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti, Boyd Gaines and Tony Yazbek were all fabulous. The story is good...kind of a cautionary tale. I thought it was super sad, but that was just me. Not much as far as spectacular sets, lights and costumes are concerned, but I liked that. It drew more focus ... read more to the nuances of the acting. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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Family
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Seniors
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Good piece of theatre with a great intense story but not the best show on Broadway. Review by: David N, Dec 29, 2008 |
I left this show dumbfounded. The ending in Act 2 is intense... VERY intense!
I was very lucky because I had bought tickets in the balcony but they brought us down to the mezzanine because of the low attendance that matinee.
Patti, Boyd and Laura are extremely good actors and Laura's Little Lamb is excellent. I LOVED Leigh Ann Larkin as Dainty June.
I found the ensemble bland. Lots (not all) looked ... read more worn out and tired which was too bad.
I have to say that the show grows on you afterwards (it did for me). I appreciate it much more now than during the performance and lots of the music pieces are memorable.
Don't expect big effects and impressive scenery... the direction is simple but it works very well. I also love how the orchestra is on the stage.
This isn't the show to bring kids too. |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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It's time for this show to "Mooooove Over" Review by: ShowMe, Dec 15, 2008 |
| I saw this show last Tuesday evening and we all agreed that it is time for this show to close. It is about as tired out as the cow was when she visited Momma in her dream and says..."Moooove over!" You know, Patty Lapone's vocal inflections are just so plain weird . . . and actually distract from the superb musicality of the score. This was my second time seeing it and she looks tired, haggard and frankly romps around the stage, probably ... read more just fulfilling her contract. Even the curtain call was sloppy. The curtain got stuck and Lapone had to bend down and peer out from under the curtain to take her final bow. I've never seen that on Broadway; grade school..yes! Eight months ago, I'd say, see this show but now, save your money and see something that is fresh and not played out. Gypsy really deserves better. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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EXCELLENT GYPSY Review by: rbobby, Dec 15, 2008 |
| Even if you don't like musicals, don't miss this one. This is the greatest American musical ever written, and is being given an excellent production. Best of all are the performances, each and every one brilliant. The score, the lyrics, the book...all delivered beautifully. The production is spare, but serves the material well. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, The Entire Family, Seniors
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| 6 |
Legendary Review by: fuzzysuncle, Dec 2, 2008 |
This show will be talked about 100 years from now. Patti Lupone's performance is simply legendary. Her performance of "Rose's Turn" was particularly fantastic. The emotion was palpable. When she ended her final note, the audience rose to their feet and roared. It was the most profound theatrical experience I've ever encountered.
The rest of the cast brought their A-Game as well. Laura Benanti was a revelation. Her transformation ... read more from Louise to Gypsy Rose Lee was another high point of the show, along with her gorgeous rendition of "Little Lamb." Also brilliant was fellow Tony winner Boyd Gaines. Not to be forgotten are the three strippers, all of whom threatened to steal the show (particuarly the hilarious Marylin Caskey as Electra).
If you're in NY, see this show! It's history in the making.
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Review by: Kaylee, Nov 29, 2008 |
After seeing this show 5 times, I still can't say enough about it. The cast is unbelievable! Patti LuPone is such an amazing actress/singer and has an incredible presence on stage from the moment she steps on. Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines are incredible supporting actors and really bring it all to the table. The chemistry of the 3 of them is something I haven't seen on stage before. The majority ... read more of the songs are wonderful.
Although the scenery is somewhat lacking, the story line and performances from the actors make up for it. Truly one of the best shows I've ever seen with one of the best casts I've ever seen. If you get a chance, do yourself a favor and see it before it leaves Broadway March 1st! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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The Usher is rude Review by: mark, Nov 28, 2008 |
| just saw gypsy on sunday. it was as great as the review said. point of information though, the usher in the balcony section covering row f seats 101 thru 104 needs to learn some people skills. she was extremely rude to most all patrons and lived up to the unfavorable quote of: put a uniform on the person and the power goes to their head |
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You go girl! Review by: jtee, Nov 20, 2008 |
| We really enjoyed the production. Patti Lupone still has it! It's worth seeing. |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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I saw this show with:
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Seniors, Tourists
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| 10 |
Patti Lupone is no Rosalind Russell and Laura is no natalie wood Review by: theatreadoration, Oct 12, 2008 |
if you never saw gypsy before go see it. Patti Lupone is not right for this part. Angela Lansbury, yes. It was a dull production. Laura Benati isno natalie wood and Patti Lupone is no Ethel Merman or Rosalind Russell. You get a really lousy and obstructed view in the mezzanine unless you are all the way up top. last row. The house was not filled to capacity, but Patti Lupone got curtain call after curtain call.
Go only ... read more if you are a Patti Lupone rabid maniac. And sit in the orchestra or balcony. Don't waste your money. Go see Phantom or Tale of two cities instead if you want to be moved. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Patti ..Patti. is the show !!! Review by: Javy, Oct 11, 2008 |
Saw Gypsy at the St. James Theatre. Patti Lupone demonstrates Acting Ability, Presence, and Humor. She Invites you to her world and gives you 100 Percent. The Supporting casts come in and out in thier preformances, but should involve themselves to the show. The Music and the Musicians are fantastic.
The play is a Must for Seniors, and for Older couples. I truely believe that I dont see anyone replacing
Patti Lupone, It Starts with ... read more her, and She should end it when she is ready.
Don't Miss the Amazing Patti Lupone !!! |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
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Solid show but not to my liking. Would not see again, Review by: macavity, Oct 6, 2008 |
| My husband and I went to see Gypsy for our birthdays. While the performances were extremely strong and more than worthy of their Tonys, and some moments, like Rose's hysteria in the last song, really resonated, overall I'd say I didn't enjoy the musical aspect of this musical production. I know this is an older show, compared to Phantom of the Opera etc, but even then it still didn't have the level of pomp and finish that I've come to expect ... read more from musical theater (with the exception of the last few Louise scenes). The songs weren't...beautiful. It's hard to explain and to fly in the face of all the complimentary reviews, but this is just one couple's opinion. On the business side, we purchased tickets from broadwaybox.com and everything went smoothly. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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What a disappointment! Review by: Dorry, Oct 1, 2008 |
| My friend and I were appalled at the audience's enthusiastic response as well as by the positive reviews online. While Le Pone manages to carry the show, Louise and Herbie seemed to specialize in "the pause" , resulting in a draggy pace. When did the director last see a performance. Tighten up!!!! I cannot believe each of these actors won Tonies for their performances. We really thought something was the matter- perhaps they had lost their ... read more way? Or were they in another show? Or were their performances the result of a long run going stale? |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Not so good Review by: Nick Theater Lover, Sep 25, 2008 |
| Gypsy is at the same time dated, yet timeless. I saw it with Bernadette Peters and I saw it with Patti Lupone. Honestly, I think Patti Lupone gets way more credit than she deserves. She can certainly belt out the songs (a la Merman) but she also seems to be spitting them out without feeling them. I think she robbed Kelli O'Hara of the Best Actress Tony. Kelli was a million times better in South Pacific as Patti was in Gypsy. |
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Go see if you get a chance
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EVERYTHIING'S COMING UP PATTI Review by: Beth M, Sep 19, 2008 |
GYPSY
By Beth Mandelbaum
Gypsy is a big, brassy, thrilling and absolutely divine musical, quite probably one of the greatest ever written, with music, lyrics, a book, choreography and direction by some of the giants of musical theater. To offer an idea of this musical’s impact on me, and the degree to which I was totally emotionally absorbed in it even after it was over, I left the theater without remembering to return my hearing assist ... read more device and so my passport was locked up in the St. James Theater until I was able to retrieve it. This is unprecedented in my years of theater going.
Gypsy is probably one of the most well known and beloved musicals of the 20th century. I have to say that even if you have seen other versions of it, this incarnation is a true MUST SEE because of Patti Lupone’s performance, which had me awestruck. I saw Ms. Lupone, and the other wonderful cast members who are shining lights in this current revival, in the summer of 2007 when Gypsy was done as a New York City Center Encores production, which at the time seemed to be perfection. Quite amazingly, it has gotten even better in its Broadway transfer.
As a reminder, all three of the leads in Gypsy won Tony Awards for their extraordinary work: in addition to Patti Lupone, the ever wonderful Laura Benanti in the title role, and the deeply human and very fine actor Boyd Gaines, who plays Rose’s agent/lover Herbie. What comes to mind is a line from the Gershwin song “I Got Rhythm” from the musical Girl Crazy, actually sung by the first and legendary Madame Rose Ethel Merman: Who Could Ask for anything More?!
While I have had the amazing good fortune of having seen every Broadway production of Gypsy with such extraordinary stars as Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and Bernadette Peters, I don’t even want to venture to say that Patti is the best since Merman because most of the other productions are too far in my past for me to make any kind of comparison. But I will say that Ms. Lupone’s Rose was thrilling to the point that I found my jaw dropping in sheer amazement. She is like a lighting bolt and thunder combined, and yet all of this seemed to come so very naturally, as if it were almost effortless.
As Rose, Ms. Lupone does a brilliant job portraying the extremely varied aspects of this extremely complex character, and a “character” she is!! She can show a deep sensuality and sexiness in her relationship with Herbie (the chemistry between Ms. Lupone and Boyd Gaines in phenomenal), and a true sense of “maternal” warmth and affection for the many children and teens that she moved across the county in their numerous vaudeville acts but which ought to have been focused on the two daughters that she alientated.
But there is the far darker side of Rose which offers Ms. Lupone ample opportunity to reveal the enormous talent that she has on a Herculean scale. Many words have been used to describe this most frightening of stage mothers: for example, monster, driven, narcissistic, a bull dozer, ruthless, fiercely determined, pig headedly single minded, and the like. But even beyond these kinds of personality traits, to me Ms. Lupone was at her absolute height when portraying a woman, once so controlling, unstoppable, profoundly powerful and confident, coming to the verge, and, to me, moving even beyond the edges of total sanity into a frighteningly off-kilter and nightmarish breaking point, where she seems on the brink of character disintegration after having pushed away everyone she ever truly loved. The only current comparison that comes to mind is the powerful and deeply sad ending of August: Osage County, and possibly also the end of Sunset Boulevard, in which, interestingly, Ms. Lupone also starrred.
I read in the Wickipedia article on Gypsy that Arthur Laurents, who wrote the book for Gypsy and also directed it, was drawn to this musical because he “saw that the story was one of parents living their children’s lives.” Rose clearly is living out her own personal and unrealized dreams of stardom through her children, in Act 1, through Baby June, and in Act 2, through Louise. At the close of Act 1, though Rose is shocked and angry at being abandoned by June, within a few minutes Rose’s sense of power and control is regained as she fills herself with hopes and dreams for Louise. Mama Rose is able to cut her losses and focus on her other daughter in an act of fierce determination and to me, desperation. She convinces herself that everything will work out by bringing the ever pushed aside Louise into the foreground, in one of the all time great first act closers, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.”
And the word “Rose” impacts as having a double meaning: it not only reflects Rose’s belief that things will turn around and end happily, but if one simply adds an apostrophe, the word becomes “Rose’s.” So this would seem to tells us in no uncertain term’s that Rose is doing this to keep her own dreams alive in the threat of extinction.
In Act 2 of Gypsy, Louise, who has become the mega star Gypsy Rose Lee, is finally able to keep her mother from meddling and involvement in her life. In fact, Louise has shut her mother out of her life. Like her sister June, Louise clearly needs to fully live her own life, and, what a life! Louise is a woman fully in charge. She has even barred her mother from coming to her dressing room.
Ultimately, Rose realizes that her entire life has been spent doing everything possible, and more, to enable her daughters to live out her own frustrated and unfulfilled dreams of stardom; but in a private moment of utter personal triumph, Rose “reclaims” her lost dreams and has her own time in the spotlight in the extraordinary “Rose’s Turn.” Just watching Ms. Lupone perform this is more than worth the price of admission.
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Seniors, Tourists, Adults
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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