The Imelda Staunton GYPSY

I will be just fine if I never see a production of GYPSY again

grrr, some stupid editing cuts in that youtube video. Dolores Umbridge is pretty good tho...

Saw this at The Savoy, perfect retro venue, and loved it. Delighted Imelda et al are captured on film. Looking forward to the full version.

She was a TERRIFIC Mama Rose. Production was so-so.

I cannot decide if she is too relentless and over the top or just being true to the character. Rose is a pretty miserable character.

In the PBS video last night, I kept thinking Louise looked like Jodie Foster.

Lupone was a far sexier and effective Mama Rose. Staunton is more matronly

Staunton has her moments, but her Rose is so angry from the start. There's nowhere to build to. Even hambone LuPone knew she had to make Rose charming occasionally to make people understand why Herbie and Louise stick around for so long. Apparently, this is transferring to NYC in 2018. Not sure if the rest of the cast is coming with Staunton, but she's definitely coming. I hope they rethink some of the production a bit. The TV taping did her no favors.

Lara Pulver does have a Jodie Foster-esque quality, especially in her final scenes as Gypsy when she deepens her voice.

Brie Larson just signed on as Louise in Imelda Staunton's GYPSY

Too bad we never got to see an Imelda Marcos "Evita."

I've never thought Rosie's Turn works. I never buy that she has an epiphany and processes through it in a matter of seconds.

Staunton's rendition came closest to working because she stopped then song to allow the character to digest what she'd just realized.

Her Rose is a real monster. But so was the real one.

The rest of the cast was just OK. Most of the accents were fine -- except for the actor calling "Five Minutes" at the end. His American accent was hilariously bad.

I thought she was just like several others I've seen....too angry from start to finale. She looked too old for the part and she's not that great of a singer. The production itself was 2nd rate, so it should flop if it transfers here unless they hire big stars for the other roles and have better production values.

I watched it and it made me realized what a flawed show Gypsy is.

Too much time wasted on the kids and their fucking awful act. They should have cut 30 minutes from the show.

I think Gypsy is probably the perfect musical, but ever time I see a new production or film version, I always wish I could fast forward through some of the kiddie act stuff. After the 2nd time, it grates the nerves. Also, Mr. Goldstone needs to go. It's a cute enough song, but even Sondheim thinks it's filler and could stand to go.

I agree about Staunton having one of the first Rose's Turns that actually works. She takes that loooooooong pause before "Mama's gotta let go" and it works. In my opinion, I don't think Rose is really supposed to learn anything from the song. It's like she has a wake up call for a second and starts wondering why everyone's left her, but then she realizes she doesn't need them because SHE is going to be the star now. That's how I've always read it, but I've seen many versions of the song that have failed.

If the scene afterwards is any indication, Rose hasn't really learned anything. She's right back to pushing her daughter in the back to be the headliner on a magazine cover. She'll never change.

Come to think of it, Brie Larson would probably be a pretty great Louise.

Staunton paused for a realllllllly long time in person. The broadcast version cut to pause way down.

I agree that they should give her a much better production when she does it in NY. Brie Larson is a good idea for Louise. If they get an Oscar nominee for Herbie, they could have a triumvirate.

Why not take Barbra Streisand's Herbie suggestion - Alec Baldwin? I was thrilled to find out he'd been cast as her Herbie before the funding fell through. He'd be pretty great and he's done stage before.

Baldwin wouldn't play second fiddle to Imelda Staunton.

They could probably get Eric Roberts, Tom Berenger or Greg Kinnear. Tom Wilkinson would probably do it, though I'm not sure how old he reads these days. Maybe Mark Addy.

Actually, they should get Stsunton's husband. He'd bring in the Downton Abbey/PBS audience.

Those actually aren't bad choices either.

[quote]Also, Mr. Goldstone needs to go. It's a cute enough song, but even Sondheim thinks it's filler and could stand to go.

If any song needs to go, it is that fucking awful "Little Lamb." I'd rather the brats did their horrible Baby JonBenet routine for the seventh time.

What about those flabby, geriatric "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" strippers?

It's a funny idea that they were SO BUSTED, but, with the exception of Tessie, they had no presence. And it was difficult to believe that ANYONE would pay to see them take their clothes off.

Mazeppa was dull and would frighten the first 30 rows.

The strippers were like something out of a nightmare. I've never seen them look so awful. I thought they were all drag queens, which would actually be a kinda interesting casting idea in a production, but these were just terrifying. Then again, the entire production was terrifying, like a horror film. No nuance at all. I saw this kind of approach before in that Papermill production with Betty Buckley and it was just as bizarre. At least I remember the strippers getting some laughs that night. Betty sure didn't.

Yeah, there weren't as many laughs (in general) as there usually are. So many lines fell flat because of that.

[quote]Too much time wasted on the kids and their fucking awful act. They should have cut 30 minutes from the show.

You have got to be kidding? The point of the musical is to show the demise of vaudeville in Act I (i.e., Rose fighting to make June a star in a dying theatrical genre) and the rise of burlesque in Act II (i.e. Rose switching gears and pushing Louise to become a star stripper). Therefore, Act I has to be all about Baby/Dainty June's act, which is supposed to be godawful. June is the only redeeming quality. That's why Mr. Grantiziger dismisses the act but is willing to invest in making June a star.

Besides, Baby June and her Newsboys is only shown once, immediately followed by the Uncle Sam tribute, and then the passage of time strobe light. The second time we see the act is when they're grown and are now called Dainty June and her Farmboys and perform "Broadway, Broadway" for their grand finale. And that's it. Then Act I ends with June running away. The show isn't just about the stripping part.

That said, just saw this and wanted to see if there was a thread. Admittedly, I didn't like it. At all. I thought Imelda was fine, but everything else was terrible! (How did it win so many Oliviers?) I hate how they treated it like a musical comedy, with the emphasis on comedy. It came off like a really bad Norman Lear sitcom, especially with all that shouting. IMO, GYPSY works so much better when it's treated like a dramatic play with music.

A dramatic play with music AND humor, that is. The 2015 London revival just aimed for laughs and fell flat.

Wait! There were laughs in this production? This has to be one of the least humorous productions of the show I've ever seen. Imelda screams and shouts everything and is an awful harridan from beginning to end. No nuance, no shading, nothing. If anything it could stand a lot MORE humor.

Sorry...she's no Patti