GYPSY AND PATTI LUPONE—A True Diva Moment

There I was in the back row of the St. Jame Theater last Saturday night witnessing Patti LuPone sink her teeth into the role of Mama Rose in GYPSY and tear the place apart. It was an amazing evening as she practically took the roof off of the place. I felt like I was witnessing some kind of historic event. That sounds like an awfully bold statement I know, but she is on fire and you can tell she's having a blast with this character.

I do not claim to be a Broadway expert, but I do know that this role was created for Ethel Merman in 1959 and few actresses have been able to compete. It's a really strenuous role with one gigantic powerful song after the other. A difficult feat to take one for any actress, but Ms LuPone delivers the goods. I was lucky enough to see this at City Stages last fall, but seeing it on Broadway was a whole new experience. I wasn't that familiar with the story or the show. I had always caught various scenes and I knew some of the songs, but I had no idea how many great songs are in the show that I did know. And the story of an over the top stage mother that would do anything to make her daughter a star is really great.

The play opens with children on stage auditioning for Uncle Jocko's Talent Show in Seattle then from the audience Mama Rose screams out , "Sing out Lousie" as she's walking down the aisle. The audience goes nuts and Patti LuPone works it as she pauses before delivering the next line. It is a true diva moment.

Some of the best songs for me included "Some People", "Everything's Coming Up Roses", and "You'll Never Get Away From Me". Charles Isherwood in The New York Times a few weeks ago pointed out the differences between this revival and the recently opened SOUTH PACIFIC. SOUTH PACIFIC opened the decade of the Fifties and reflects the sweetness and innocence of a country healing after WWII. It features many great songs including "A Wonderful Guy" in which the lead character sings, "I'm as normal as blueberry pie". GYPSY closed the 50s when it premiered on Broadway in 1959. It's definitely a darker tale and acts as reflection of the turbulent decade to come. In comparison, Mama Rose in "Some People" sings "Goodbye to blueberry pie". It sums up how different both shows are and how they defined that decade. Stephen Sondhiem, the show's lyricist, ushered in a whole new era of Broadway musicals with GYPSY.

Patti LuPone closes the show with "Rose's Turn" and it is truly a show stopper. When she finished last Saturday night the crowd erupted and jumped to their feet. It was quite a moment. GYPSY with Patti LuPone is not just a must see this season, it is truly an event.