Gypsy. Book by Arthur Laurents. Music by Jule Styne. Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Suggested by the memoir of Gypsy Rose Lee. Directed by George C. Wolfe. Music supervision, music direction, and additional arrangements by Andy Einhorn. Choreography by Camille A. Brown. Scenic design by Santo Loquasto. Costume design by Toni-Leslie James. Lighting design by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer. Sound design by Scott Lehrer. Hair and wig design by Mia Neal. Makeup design by Michael Clifton. Animal trainer William Berloni Theatrical Animals, Inc.. Dialect and voice coach Kate Wilson. Orchestrations by Sid Ramin and Robert Ginzler. Dance music arrangements by John Kander. Additional orchestrations and arrangements by Daryl Waters. Music coordinator Tomoko Akaboshi. Associate director Carson Crow. Associate choreographers Chloe Davis and Amanda Castro.
Cast: Jacob Ming-Trent, Brandon Burks, Summer Rae Daney, Jace Bently, Marley Lianne Gomes, Jade Smith, Kyleigh Vickers, Hunter Capellan, Ethan Joseph, Jayden Theophile, Audra McDonald, Tana June, Thomas Silcott, James McMenamin, Danny Burstein, Jordan Tyson, Joy Woods, Kevin Csolak, Tony d'Alelio, Brendan Sheehan, Zachary Daniel Jones, Andrew Kober, Mylinda Hull, Brittney Johnson, Sally Shaw, Majo Rivero, Kellie Jean Hoagland, Krystal Mackie, Aliah James, Andrew Kober, Lesli Margherita, and Lili Thomas.
Theater: Majestic Theatre
Tickets: Telecharge.com

Audra McDonald Photo by Julieta Cervantes

You'll need to decide for yourself the extent to which you see Rose as a sympathetic character. But even allowing considerable leeway for dramatic license, it's hard to set aside this quote from daughter June in a New York Times interview late in her life. "My sister was beautiful and clever–and ruthless. My mother was endearing and adorable–and lethal. They were the same person. I was the fool of the family. The one who thought I really was loved for me, for myself." That's Gypsy in a nutshell, though a version of this quote is actually attributed in the show to her sister: "I thought you did it for me, Mama."

Through the years, ever since Gypsy made its debut in 1959, it has been the score (music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) that has become lodged in the collective memory of musical theatre lovers, with such winners as "Everything's Coming Up Roses," the explosive "Rose's Turn," "Small World," "Together," and my personal favorite, "You'll Never Get Away from Me." Here, however, it is Arthur Laurents' book that stands out, at times outshining even Audra McDonald's singing. And that's rather surprising.

Rose is often played by a brassy belter; think Ethel Merman, Tyne Daly, and Patti LuPone. But McDonald is a lyric soprano, and here she dances her vocals from alto to mezzo to full out soprano. It's different, and it takes some getting used to. Indeed, you may not.

Danny Burstein, Joy Woods, and Audra McDonald Photo by Julieta Cervantes

Racism. Sexism. Financial desperation. It's a tough world, no doubt, but it still begs the question: how far would you go to make your dream come true? And, more significantly, for whom is the dream of stardom repeatedly conjured? Rose would say, without hesitation, that her ambitions are for her daughters, though the truth is she is very aware that since "I was born too soon and I started too late," her Plan B is to live vicariously through June and Louise. Never mind what they might want for themselves. And by the time we meet Rose, she's already well along the obsessive path of her life.

The evidence quickly mounts that Rose has long since crossed the line, clinging relentlessly to her dream and doing everything in her power to make it come true. This production makes you think about everything Rose says and does. Parse the comic number "If Momma Was Married," and you realize that the men in her life did not merely walk out on her as she claims; she drove them away, as we see her do to Herbie (the excellent Danny Burstein). June (Jordan Tyson) doesn't merely run off with Tulsa (Kevin Csolak) on a romantic whim; she flees for her life. Watch the way Rose and her father butt heads and wonder whose fault it is, and how she steals his plaque so she can pawn it, and how she fills her traveling show with unpaid children, discarding and replacing them on a moment's notice (as we watch her literally doing in this production). And as disturbing as "Rose's Turn" is, pay attention to "Everything's Coming Up Roses" at the end of Act I. It is scary as hell.

There is no question but that Rose is the center of Gypsy, and McDonald and Wolfe never let us forget it. None of the rest of the characters is as well drawn, and aside from the four main roles, the other 29 cast members are mostly on hand as supporting players. One exception is Marley Gomes (she alternates with Jade Smith) as Baby June; her short time on stage gives you a real sense of the star power of the character, who was considered to be "the next Shirley Temple." As the strippers, Lesli Margherita (Tessie Tura), Lili Thomas (Mazeppa), and Mylinda Hull (Electra) also do well with "You Gotta Get a Gimmick."

Unless you are new to Gypsy, you'll likely have your favorite Rose from the many previous productions. There really is no quintessential version of the character or of the show. None is perfect, including this one. Camille A. Brown's choreography nowhere matches the creativity she has shown in other musicals such as Hell's Kitchen, and there are times the evening starts to drag. (Do we really need the "Garden of Eden" number?) But this is Audra McDonald's turn at bat, and she sinks her teeth into the role like no other. Whatever quibbles we might have with her vocal range here, her rendition of "Rose's Turn" ranks among the best acted and sung of this show-stopping mental breakdown of a number. And even if you think Rose is indeed a monster, McDonald goes all out to show us the troubled person beneath, which of itself makes this Gypsy a worthy addition to those many Roses who came before. Salute them all: Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, and now Audra McDonald.