Review of "Gypsy"

It's often pointed out that almost every one of the American musical theater's major songwriters has been gay or Jewish, or both. (Make a list in your head. It's uncanny.)

If you're willing to tolerate a somewhat higher percentage of exceptions, the same general statement could be made in reference to directors, choreographers, and book writers. The all-time classic tuner Gypsy is a stellar example of this phenomenon; its book, lyrics, and original direction/choreography were done respectively by Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, and Jerome Robbins, all of whom fall (or fell) into both categories.

The producers have crimped corners in terms of the sets, by James Youmans, and there are no live animals in this Rose's menagerie — but on the other hand, a 25-piece orchestra is present to play that fabulous score. The conductor and musicians are situated on stage on a moving platform that has them down front for the famous overture. Then the platform moves them upstage and they remain hidden by drops for the rest of show, except for their revelation in two key numbers: “All I Need is the Girl” and “Rose's Turn.”

The success of any production depends largely on the strength of its casting, and in that respect, Laurents has done a superb job – though it must be noted that he more or less cast LuPone under duress. He and she had a feud that lasted several years and, as a result, he wouldn't allow her to appear in Gypsy in New York. LuPone had to play Rose at the Ravinia Festival, and garner rave reviews for her performance there, before Laurents realized it was in his best interest to bury the hatchet and sign her for the City Center production.

At any rate, Laurents' casting is far superior to his direction. As seen at City Center, this production was thrilling overall, but it did exhibit some odd quirks that have now ballooned into an evening full of damaging directorial choices. In a nutshell, the problem comes down to ridiculous exaggeration and needless underlining of the show's themes and the various characters' personality traits, not to mention the insertion of frequent, lengthy pauses in the dialogue, presumably in an attempt to stress its dramatic import and subtext.