There is no giant gorilla or flying car in Gypsy. What it offers is what musicals have traditionally been about: upbeat and hummable music, smart lyrics, an engaging storyline and a sense that the cast is enjoying itself which spills off the stage and into the audience.
Unlike the current spectacle King Kong, which is getting all the hype, Gypsy ticks all these boxes. It demonstrates what recent musicals seem sometimes to forget: that impressive special effects are extras not the essence of a musical.
When Gypsy: A Musical Fable was written in the 1950s it brought together three great Broadway talents : Jule Styne wrote the music, Stephen Sondheim the lyrics and Arthur Laurents the book. Some critics think it is Broadway’s best musical and songs such as ‘Let Me Entertain You’ and ‘Everything’s Coming Up Roses’ are popular standards.
The story is loosely based on the memoirs of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee but the real focus of the show is her mother Rose, the ultimate pushy showbiz mother who loses her daughters in a desperate attempt to make them stars.
The role was written for Ethel Merman and I reckon if they had known Caroline O’Connor the original team might just as easily have written it for her. O’Connor is perfect: her powerful voice and impressive energy had every member of the opening night audience on their feet in appreciation (a rare sight in Melbourne). Rose is a tough role: she has to be appalling yet appealing and O’Connor’s charisma and talent are given full stretch centre stage.
She is ably supported by cast and chorus and it is a fine achievement of director Gale Edwards that, while O’Connor is definitely the star, we never feel she is hogging the limelight or unbalancing the production.
The show begins when Rose’s two daughters, Louise (later Gypsy) and June, are children and the first group of performers include a fabulous Shirley Temple-style solo from Baby June (played alternately by Hattie Hook and Paris Mahar). The kids are great: sharp, slick and clearly very well-trained.The switchover is handled particularly well as the adult dancers swap in to the children’s roles and the story continues with Rose insisting they are still babies and chasing her vaudeville dreams while vaudeville dies and her children grow up.
Christina Tan is perhaps better as Louise than in the final scenes when she grows into Gypsy. Her voice is a little thin against O’Connor and she doesn’t give us the sense of relish in her new life that Natalie Wood offered in the 1962 film. But she is great as a gawky teen against Nathan Pinnell’s slick Tulsa and Gemma-Ashley’s appropriately saccharine June.
Matt Hetherington nails the sweet but weak Herbie, the agent who wants to be Rose’s fourth husband, and the trio of strippers played by Chloe Dallimore, Nicki Wendt and Anne Wood do a great clowning scene, belting out ‘You Gotta Get a Gimmick’.
Gypsy is a great story for a musical. There is enough poignancy in the book to stop the musical being cheesy and enough charm in Rose – especially as played by O’Connor – to keep the sense that this is a feelgood show.
This production doesn’t need extra bells and whistles. Broadway-style lighting effects and traditional costuming give the performers all the support they need. Unusually the orchestra is split and displayed on the stage, a decision that works well giving the music a prominence it deserves and using the large Arts Centre stage well.
As a result, a smallish cast and chorus absolutely fills the stage with a sense of energy and humour.
Gypsy delivers a great night of entertainment. It’s not new or inspirational it’s just good fun. If you love musicals, this is an excellent choice: one that ensures you will be humming your way home.
Four stars out of five
Gypsy
The Production Company
Arts Centre Melbourne
6 to 14 July
Tickets
