Gypsy - 2008 Broadway Cast Recording
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Free Music Notes for Gypsy - 2008 Broadway Cast Recording
Free Music Review: Patti LuPone in the role she was born to play
Hit: 5 Stars
Firstly, I must say how disappointed I am with the Amazon reviewer writing "The Gypsy soundtrack includes bonus tracks.Curtain Up!"
This is NOT a soundtrack. If the Amazon reviewer does not know the difference between a (film) soundtrack and a (stage) cast recording they are not qualified to write reviews of these products.
That said, this is a smashing recording.
True, the role was written for Ethel Merman and her performance is a Broadway legend. The 1959 original Broadway cast recording is indispensable.
Other actresses have approached the role from a variety of angles. Rosalind Russell (dubbed, in part at least, by Lisa Kirk) gave us Rose as played by Auntie Mame. The film is watchable but the CD is barely listenable.
Next came Angela Lansbury's thoughtful performance. Lansbury doesn't quite have the vocal range the score demands but she acts the songs better.
Tyne Daly was dramatically intense on stage but poor health at the time of the recording shone a spotlight on her vocal inadequacies.
Bette Midler tried admirably to make the part her own but there is a bit too much Bette and not enough Rose in her performance.
With Bernadette Peters we come to the first real attempt to reexamine the role and make Rose over into something new and different. If it doesn't fully succeed it is mainly because the show was written for Merman's mighty belt. Had it been written for Peters it would have been a vastly different show, but Peters stepped into the existing script. She tries hard and succeeds at some points, but she is obviously wearing a gown fitted to another actress.
With Patti LuPone we have an actress who has both the vocal and dramatic muscle for this role. It's no wonder she won the Tony Award. As did her co-stars, Boyd Gains and Laura Benanti. Their performances on this CD perfectly capture the excitement a good production of GYPSY can generate.
Album producer Robert Sher wanted to make this recording stand out from the others and with the permission of Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim and the estate of Jule Styne, six songs that were written for the show but cut before the original production opened are presented here as bonus tracks.
Since the rest of the GYPSY score is well known and everyone probably already has at least one of their favourite Roses on disc, it is the bonus material that will drive the decision to add this one to your collection.
If the songs were obvious clunkers this would only be of interest to cast album mavens who must have every performance recorded. But they are not. These are outstanding songs, perhaps not perfectly suited to the final book of GYPSY but certainly on the same level as everything else in the score.
For years the story regarding the dropping of "Mamma's Talking Soft" - the counterpoint to "Small World" - have been passed around. In short one of the child actresses was afraid of heights and the only way the number worked was to show them peering down on Rose as she seduces Herbie. The simple solution was to cut their part of the number. In truth the scene probably works better in its simpler form, but bow is your chance to hear the full version. You may even program your player to includ3e this in place of the standard version.
Similarly, you can program the delightfully funny "Smile Girls" in place of "Toreadorables." True it would not really work in the show, but on CD, it's great!
"Three Wishes For Christmas" is going to get a lot of airplay on my radio show this holiday season, and the "Mothers's Day" numbers will be useful next May.
"Who Needs Him" is a dramatic soliloquy for Rose and on CD nicely fills teh gap left by the missing reprise of "Small World." The reprise is really just a few phrases sung by Rose after Herbie walks out. Dramatically effective in the theatre, it would not work as a stand-alone track on a CD. This brings up an interesting point: Cast albums can and should reflect the score as heard in the theatre, but they must also provide the home listener with a coherent musical program. Sometimes segments (dance music and reprises) that are effective in the theatre, do not translate well to recordings. Of course with CD's allowing almost 80 minutes of playing time, they can be included and a discerning listener can always program the tracks out, but Robert Sher knows the value of creating a recording where one track leads quite naturally into another and he wisely left this bit off.
The packaging is the icing on the cake here. A glossy booklet with plenty of pictures, a detailed synopsis and some fascinating essays will provide all the context you need.
In short, this is one of the most satisfying cast albums to come along in quite some time.
Free Music Review: A Definitive Recording
Hit: 5 Stars
For those of you wondering why we need another revival of "Gypsy," your answer is right there on the cover: Patti LuPone. She is the reason this revival came into being, and she justifies it 110% with her towering performance as Mama Rose.
Anyone who has heard LuPone sing knows she has a belt that was built for this score. And she uses it, again and again, to make these old songs sound new again. But LuPone's real genius, and the reason she won a Tony and near-universal praise for her performance, is the layers and layers of depth she brings to her interpretation. She acts the hell out of these songs, and you can hear the steely determination in her voice during "Some People" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses." She's playful and even loving on "You'll Never Get Away from Me" and "Small World," and has great comic timing on "Together Wherever We Go." And as for "Rose's Turn," well...LuPone knocks it out of the park. It is an absolute powerhouse of a performance, filled with pain, grief, regret, and anger, all palpable and packed into just over 4 minutes.
Yet LuPone isn't the only good thing about this production. Everyone brings more emotion and depth to their roles than almost any previous production. In his few duets, Boyd Gaines establishes his Herbie as someone who isn't just a pushover, but genuinely torn between his love for Rose and disapproval of her actions. As Dainty June, Leigh Ann Larkin has an incredible belt and a deft sense of comic timing, as demonstrated by her deliciously and intentionally campy acting of the girls' vaudeville act "Dainty June and Her Farmboys/Broadway."
But perhaps the biggest revelation of the group is Laura Benanti as Louise, who would go on to become the famous stripper Gypsy Rose Lee. She takes "Little Lamb" and makes it utterly heartbreaking; you can't help but feel her pain when she sings "I wonder how old I am." She is the first actress I have ever seen make "The Strip," during which she transforms from a shy tomboy into a glamorous stripper, really work. In fact, that number is actually one of the highlights of the disc, and she strikes just the right balance between sultry and playful. Even when she's playing support, she shines, such as her hilarious "Moo moo, moo moo"s during the "Farmboy" number or her unrestrained glee at the end of Tulsa's "All I Need is the Girl."
If you're still unconvinced as to this disc's worth, look at all of the extras included with it. We are treated to a full 7(!) songs that were cut from the original production, fully orchestrated and performed by the revival's actors. We also get a full color booklet with linear notes by Patti LuPone herself, a detailed plot synopsis, photos from the production, and an explanation of where each of the cut songs would have occurred in the show and why they were cut, giving extra insight into the creation of this landmark musical.
This is a definitive recording of one of the true classics of musical theatre. The only recording I would even consider recommending above this one would be the original with Ethel Merman, and even then just barely. Of the 4 Broadway revivals, this one is tops.
Free Music Review: PATTIS' TURN
Hit: 5 Stars
"Roses' Turn" is one of the greatest 11 0' clock numbers ever written for the stage and 50 years ago when Ethel Merman stormed Broadway in "Gypsy" she grabbed the song in a strangle-hold and never let it go.......until now. Patti Lupone roars through this nervous breakdown set to music like a diesel train until the track (pun intended) threatens to lift off the CD. Ms Lupone is simply amazing.
She also belts the first act finale "Everything's Coming Up Roses" with her almost psychotic determination to make Louise the neglected and seemingly untalented daughter into a star after June the perceived star runs off with a dancer from their vaudeville act to escape the clutches of Mama Rose. This song as performed is one of the scariest songs about optimism.
Rose also shows a softer side with "Small World" but even here she has ulterior motives as she seduces poor hapless Herbie a candy salesman into becoming the manager of her rag-tag vaudeville troupe. Boyd Gaines is excellent as spineless Herbie until he grows a backbone and leaves Rose when she pushes Louise into becoming a stripper.
Laura Benanti who I liked in "Nine" and "The Wedding Singer" sings the poignant "Little Lamb" where all she wants for her birthday is to know how old she is (Mama Rose purposely never counted the years).
The score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim is loaded with other goodies such as "You'll Never Get Away From Me" "If Momma Was Married" "Together, Wherever We Go" "You Gotta Have a Gimmick" and "Let Me Entertain You" which is a appropriate cornball song Rose uses and uses and uses for her hilariously awful vaudeville routine for Dainty June and Louise. There is also a number "Mr Goldstone" where Mr Sondheim uses his clever lyric writing and in the course of a two-minute song manages to pair up the word stone with every kind of stone he could think of eg: grindstone, milestone, rhinestone, millstone and gallstone.
Does anyone really need another "Gypsy" for their musical theatre library? Yes you do when it's Patti Lupone And does Ms Lupone wrest the crown from the great Merman? Well...lets just say the crown now sits a little lop-sided but whomever you prefer, the dynamic Patti Lupone will not dissapoint you.
One little theatrical anecdote: It has always been rumored that when "Gypsy" was being rehearsed, Ethel Merman was threatened by the talents of the young actress who played the title role. She exercised her diva will and had the creators tone down her role. This accounts for the fact that Gypsy is nearly a supporting role. This incident was the inspiration for Jacquelin Sussans "Valley of the Dolls" where Patty Duke as Neely O'Hara was an up and coming broadway musical performer and is fired when Susan Hayward as Helen Lawson the star is worried that the young upstart may outshine her.
Free Music Review: This production COULDN'T fail!
Hit: 5 Stars
By anyone's whose opinion I trust, gave the Patti LaPone version of "Gypsy" the great reviews it deserved. I had the pleasure, thrill, and excitement of seeing Ethel Merman perform the role of 'Rose' as it was written for her. Many others have played the role since and by all standards of Broadway theologions, "Gypsy" is considered the BEST and most perfect Broadway musical ever written. Jule Styne, who composed the score, had more hits than sands in an hourglass, after Merman chose Jule over Sondheim. At the time, Stephen Sondheim was in his mid-twenties and had the lyrics to "West Side Story" already on his young resume...later to become America's most prolific Broadway composer and lyricist of all time. Arthur Laurents who wrote the libretto had a resume a mile long when he wrote the book. There was no way under the sun that the show couldn't succeed. Two revivals sprang forth...both winning Emmy's for their stars...Angela Lansbury and Tyne Daly...then to TV with Bette Midler and only a couple of season's back, the reigning first lady of the American musical, Bernadette Peters, elevated her stardom by playing Rose. Hundreds and hundreds of companies have included "Gypsy" in their stock season. Even I played Herbie to a young wannabe star, Donna Tomko.
A semi-feud was blown out of proportion concerning Patti LaPone and Arthur Laurents, but ALL was forgiven for this latest and historic rendition with a nonagenarian, Laurents, and the strongest female voice since Merman, (LaPone} buried the hatchet ars gratis artis and presented the finest version of "Gypsy" since Merman, nearly 50 years ago. The Sid Ramin orchestration, especially the overture, became the greatest Broadway Overture of all time. On the new CD, five songs cut from the original show...with explanstions why they were cut are on the CD with new orchestrations by Sondheim's favorite arranger, Jonathan Tunick.
IF you're an avid OC collector...THIS is a must...even if you own the Lansbury, Daly, or Peters version, believe me, your collection is NOT complete without the Patti LaPone version. The CD also presents longer versions, incidental music, and included spoken dialogue never recorded before. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to rate this with ten stars or four, but it exceeds any number of stars I might award it. You WON'T be sorry. Lapone has that brash stage mother with moments of quiet solitude...a wide range gamut of emotions, but she conquers EVERY ONE...as the Merm did.
Free Music Review: PATTI LUPONE CREATES THEATRICAL HISTORY: AN ESSENTIAL, VIBRANT RECORDING
Hit: 5 Stars
"Here she is boys...here she is world!" Here is Patti LuPone as Mama Rose in the musical theatre classic "Gypsy."
History has definitely proven that "Gypsy" can survive without Ethel Merman. Librettist/director Arthur Laurents seems to have the magic touch with this show. Laurents has directed three different productions of "Gypsy", and each time he has directed it, the actress playing Mama Rose: Angela Lansbury (1973-1974), Tyne Daly (1989), and now Patti LuPone (2008) has received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The 2008 Production also saw Boyd Gains (Herbie) and Laura Benanti (Louise/Gypsy Rose Lee) win Tony Awards as Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a musical, respectively.
But after Ethel Merman, Rosalind Russell (1962 film version), Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bette Midler (camping it up and desperately channeling Ethel Merman in a TV presentation) and Bernadette Peters have all taken individual turns as Mama Rose, you may well wonder... do we need another Cast Recording with Patti LuPone? The answer is a resounding "YES!!!!!" This recording is so fresh and vibrant, it seems that the show was just written today instead of nearly 50 years ago. Patti LuPone gives a ferocious performance as Mama Rose; justifying all the praise she has deservedly received and creating theatrical history in her own right.
And, unlike Mama Rose, Patti LuPone does not hog the spotlight here. Boyd Gaines makes a touching Herbie, and Laura Benanti, alternately heartbreaking and sultry-seductive, is a major revelation as the pushed aside daughter Louise who comes into her own as sophisticated stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.
The CD booklet is packed with gorgeous color production photos. The CD boolet also includes a complete synopsis and the entire 50 year history of "Gypsy"; and entertaining liner notes by LuPone. This CD also includes seven songs cut from the show prior to Broadway. The one outstanding "cut" song is "Smile, Girls"-- which furthur reinforces Mama Rose's unwavering drive and optimism in the face of reality and disaster. LuPone's tour-de-force, go for broke performance of "Rose's Turn", the emotional and mental breakdown that Rose has long been on the brink of, will haunt you. This recording is absolutely essential for fans of Patti LuPone and the musical theatre masterpiece that is "Gypsy."