Today we’re going back to the middle of the noughties with a revival version of one of the greatest shows, featuring one of the most iconic Broadway divas ever written. This week’s TONY Tuesday is:

“Rose’s Turn” from Gypsy at the 2003 TONY awards ceremony. 

Gypsy is often considered one of the crowning achievements in the history of book musicals, being amongst the first of its kind. The show is inspired by the memoirs of performer Gypsy Rose Lee and charters the life of the overbearing Mamma Rose and her daughters June and Louise and her impassioned mission to make them stars, living the life that she never could. 

Producer David Merrick came up with the idea of musicalising the memoirs for Ethel Merman to play after reading a chapter in a magazine release. Merrick approached Lee about the rights and secured them. Jerome Robbins became interested in the project alongside Arthur Laurents who found the concept of parents living their children’s lives - an interesting concept for a musical. After renowned Broadway composers, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter, both passed on the opportunity to score the show, Robbins approached Stephen Sondheim, whom him and Laurents had worked with previously on West Side Story. The producers however wanted someone more established to write the score as opposed to a first timer, so Sondheim was enlisted to pen the lyrics whilst Jule Styne was hired to write the score. 

The musical featured direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins, scenic and lighting design by Jo Mielziner, costumes by Raoul Pene Du Bois and orchestrations and overture by Sid Ramin and Robert Ginzler. The show opened and it was a critical success, citing Robbins’ work as one of the most influential stagings in musical theatre history. The opening cast included Ethel Merman as Rose, Jack Klugman as Herbie, Sandra Church as Louise, Lane Bradbury as June and Paul Wallace as Tulsa. The musical opened at The Broadway Theatre on 21 March 1959 then transferred to The Imperial Theatre before closing on 25 March 1961. The show was nominated for eight TONY awards, however it failed to win any.  Following the closure, two US touring productions ran back to back with Ethel Merman playing Rose in the first tour, whilst a young Bernadette Peters played in the ensemble and covered the role of June in the second tour. 

The West End production was slated to open in 1973 with Elaine Stritch in the role of Rose, however when ticket sales failed to be as successful as they hoped, the producers replaced her with the more widely known Angela Lansbury in order to boost sales. This production was directed by original book writer Arthur Laurents with choreography by Robert Tucker. Zan Charisse starred as Rose, with Debbie Bowen as June, Barrie Ingham as Herbie and Andrew Norman as Tulsa. The cast also contained a young Bonnie Langford. It opened at the Piccadilly Theatre on 29 May 1973. Dolores Gray succeeded Lansbury when she left the show to tour in America before helming the 1974 Broadway revival and winning a TONY for it. 

Gypsy has become a popular staple of American musical theatre, being revived a further three times on Broadway with Tyne Daley, Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone all making their mark on the character of Mamma Rose. The show has been produced all over the world and regionally in the US and UK. 

The only West End revival came in the form of the 2015 production starring Imelda Staunton as Rose. It started out life at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2014 before transferring to the Savoy Theatre the following year. The show was directed by Jonathan Kent and choreographed by Stephen Mear. Joining Staunton was Lara Pulver as Louise, Gemma Sutton as June, Peter Davison as Herbie and Dan Burton as Tulsa. 

The show was adapted into a TV movie in 1993 starring Bette Midler as Rose, a role in which she won a Golden Globe for. The 2015 West End revival was also filmed and released on DVD. There has been talk of a Barbra Streisand lead film since 2011 with the last being reported that Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino will write and direct.

Gypsy is a classic slice of Broadway majesty. I was lucky enough to work front of house at the Savoy Theatre watching the astounding revival many times. Listen and watch Besties, its an absolute must for any musical theatre fan. 

Cast recordings available on Spotify and AppleMusic. DVD available on Amazon. 

FACTS:

Music: Jule Styne

Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim

Book: Arthur Laurents

Theatre: The Broadway and Imperial Theatres

Run: 21 March 1958 – 25 March 1961 (2 previews, 702 regular performances)

TONYS:

(NOMINATED) Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – Ethel Merman, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical – Jack Klugman,  Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical – Sandra Church, Best Direction of a Musical – Jerome Robbins, Best Conductor and Musical Director – Milton Rosenstock, Best Scenic Design – Jo Mielziner, Best Costume Design Raoul Pene Du Bois.

(WON) Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – Angela Lansbury (1975), Tyne Daly (1990), Patti LuPone (2008), Best Revival (1990), Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical – Boyd Gaines (2008), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical – Laura Benanti (2008)