Gypsy
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Music By Jule Styne
Lyrics By Stephen Sondheim
Book/Libretto by: Arthur Laurents
Based on: the Memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee
Produced by: David Merrick & Leland Hayward
Choreography by: Jerome Robbins
Directed by: Jerome Robbins
Type of Musical: Broadway, Movie
Opened: May 21, 1959
Theatre: Broadway Theatre (New York)
# of Performances: 702
Licensing Agent: Tams-Witmark
Synopsis
The story starts in Seattle with stage mother, Rose, pushing her two daughters into Uncle Jocko's Kiddie Show. June, her mother feels, is the most likely to become a star. Louise is plainer and quieter; she stands meekly in her sister's shadow. A new act called 'Baby June and her Newsboys' is conceived by Rose, and the family is off to the 'big time' in Los Angeles. The act steeped in star spangled banners, dancing horses (Louise plays the rear end), and screaming newsboys moves to Dallas, Akron, New York, Buffalo and Omaha. Along the way Rose meets Herbie, a theatrical agent, and hires him as manager. He makes himself father to the troupe, sharing with them their meals of chow mein, Rose's favorite food. Rose scrimps as she schemes and scrambles for bookings and billings to maintain their hand to mouth existence. She sleeps her charges six in a dingy hotel room and makes their costumes from hotel blankets. Her object is to make her two penniless girls into world stars. The girls begin to grow up and the act becomes 'Dainty June and her Newsboys.' Unfortunately its quality does not improve. Bookings are cancelled and the act moves on.
Louise wishes that Momma would marry a plain man so they could settle down. Herbie proposes but is rejected. June elopes with Tulsa, one of the boys in the act. Rose sets out to make Louise into the star. She bursts into new enthusiasm with the rousing number Everything's Coming Up Roses. Behind Rose lies a worrying sense of doom; a feeling that she never will fulfill her dream of stardom for her girls because it is really a dream of stardom for herself.
Finally the troupe reaches the bottom, a burlesque house in Wichita. Rose laments that she would rather starve than perform there. Louise realizes there is no vaudeville left except for burlesque. Here the clumsy Louise shoots into stardom by becoming something different: a ladylike stripper. Three strippers dressed respectively in a ballet costume, a trumpet and well placed electric light bulbs are used in a most exaggerated, but very funny number, You Gotta Get a Gimmick, to indicate the difference between the usual brassy stripper and the very elegant Louise. At last Louise breaks away from her mother and goes out on her own as Gypsy Rose Lee.
Rose bursts into the plaintive Rose's Turn in which she sings of her suppressed talents that she has sacrificed to further the careers of her unappreciative daughters.
Song List
- Overture
- Let Me Entertain You
- Some People
- Small World
- Baby June And Her Newsboys
- Mr. Goldstone, I Love You
- Farm Sequence
- Little Lamb
- You'll Never Get Away From Me
- Dainty June And Her Farmboys
- If Mama Was Married
- Broadway
- All I Need Is The Girl
- Seattle To LA
- Everything's Coming Up Roses
- Madame Rose's Toreadorables
- Together Wherever We Go
- You Gotta Have A Gimmick
- Let Me Entertain You (reprise)
- Rose's Turn
Cut Songs
- Mama's Talkin' Soft
- Smile, Girls
- Three Wishes for Christmas
- Who Needs Him?
Cast List
Ethel Merman, Jack Klugman, Sandra Church, Lane Bradbury, Maria Karnilova, Paul Wallace, Jacqueline Mayro, Karen Moore, & Joe Silver
Awards & Nominations
- Variety Drama Critics Poll Award for Best Female Performance in a Musical (Ethel Merman)
- Variety Drama Critics Poll Award for Best Female Supporting Performance in a Musical (Sandra Church)
Grammy Award winner for Best Original Cast Show Album
1960
- 1960 Tony AwardŽ Best Musical Book by Arthur Laurents; Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Music by Jule Styne; Produced by Leland Hayward [nominee]
- 1960 Tony AwardŽ Best Actress in a Musical Ethel Merman [nominee]
- 1960 Tony AwardŽ Best Featured Actor in a Musical Jack Klugman [nominee]
- 1960 Tony AwardŽ Best Featured Actress in a Musical Sandra Church [nominee]
- 1960 Tony AwardŽ Best Scenic Design (Musical) Scenic Design by Jo Mielziner [nominee]
- 1960 Tony AwardŽ Best Costume Design Costume Design by Raoul Pčne Du Bois [nominee]
- 1960 Tony AwardŽ Best Direction of a Musical Jerome Robbins [nominee]
- 1960 Tony AwardŽ Best Conductor and Musical Director Milton Rosenstock [nominee]
1975
- 1975 Tony AwardŽ Best Actress in a Musical Angela Lansbury [winner]
- 1975 Tony AwardŽ Best Featured Actress in a Musical Zan Charisse [nominee]
- 1975 Tony AwardŽ Best Direction of a Musical Arthur Laurents [nominee]
- 1975 Theatre World Award Zan Charisse [winner] John Sheridan [winner]
- 1975 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical Angela Lansbury [winner]
- 1975 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Bonnie Langford [nominee]
- 1975 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Musical Arthur Laurents [winner]
1990
- 1990 Tony AwardŽ Best Actress in a Musical Tyne Daly [winner]
- 1990 Tony AwardŽ Best Featured Actor in a Musical Jonathan Hadary [nominee]
- 1990 Tony AwardŽ Best Featured Actress in a Musical Crista Moore [nominee]
- 1990 Tony AwardŽ Best Costume Design Costume Design by Theoni V. Aldredge [nominee]
- 1990 Tony AwardŽ Best Revival Produced by Barry & Fran Weissler, Kathy Levin, Barry Brown [winner]
- 1990 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical Tyne Daly [winner]
- 1990 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Jonathan Hadary [nominee]
- 1990 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Crista Moore [nominee]
- 1990 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival Produced by Barry & Fran Weissler, Kathy Levin, Barry Brown; Produced in association with Tokyo Broadcasting System Intl., Inc., PACE Theatrical Group, Inc. [winner]
- 1990 Theatre World Award Robert Lambert [winner] Crista Moore [winner]
2003
- 2003 Tony AwardŽ Best Revival of a Musical Produced by Robert Fox, Ron Kastner, Roger Marino, Michael Watt, Harvey Weinstein, WWLC [nominee]
- 2003 Tony AwardŽ Best Actress in a Musical Bernadette Peters [nominee]
- 2003 Tony AwardŽ Best Featured Actor in a Musical John Dossett [nominee]
- 2003 Tony AwardŽ Best Featured Actress in a Musical Tammy Blanchard [nominee]
- 2003 Theatre World Award Tammy Blanchard [winner]
- 2003 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Musical Produced by Robert Fox, Ron Kastner, Roger Marino, Michael Watt, Harvey Weinstein, WWLC [nominee]
- 2003 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical Bernadette Peters [nominee]
- 2003 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical John Dossett [nominee]
Misc. Show Information
- Sep 23, 1974 - Jan 4, 1975 Musical / Revival Winter Garden Theatre, NY, USA
- Nov 16, 1989 - Jul 28, 1991 Musical / Revival St. James Theatre, NY, USA Marquis Theatre, NY, USA
- May 1, 2003 - May 30, 2004 Musical / Revival Shubert Theatre, NY, USA
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Added: Fri Nov 24 2006