Despite some iffy production choices, she delivers the world on a plate.
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Fate twists and keeps twisting.
But then there wasEthel and Angela and Tyne and Bernadette and Pattiand now Audra.
Shine out, Rose.
Its your show after all.
At least, its certainly Roses show right now, in ways both compelling and frustrating.
Instead, her most striking moment is one of her quietest.
Its moments like this one that throw other aspects of thisGypsyinto such strange and discouraging relief.
Is this a scrappy production, or isnt it?
Hey, look at the headline!
The world of dog food and desperation and unpaid rent is too far away.
Why are we looking at three tummies covered in pantyhose?
Isnt this a playaboutstripping?
Whatever the reasoning here, its dispiriting.
The strippers are rock-star parts, gloriously unembarrassed, scene-stealers if ever there were any.
Are we really so afraid of these actors real bodies?
Its not an individual actor problem; its an overarching, miscalculated choice.
Theyve got too much shtick weighing them down.
JUNE: Nine going on ten.
CRATCHITT: How long has this been going on?
Something light and smart is lost, replaced with something bulky and obvious.
So, out of decidedly mixed surroundings, steps Audra.
Theres no honk or bellow about her.
She doesnt rail; she resonates.
But she also acts the pants off the role.
Its chilling and invigorating in equal measure.
We better talk about heading up north.
Suddenly, the same words that were always there land as code.
Vaudeville may be dying, but thats no longer the only reason this act is doomed.
WolfesGypsymay flicker, but McDonald glows like a furnace at its center.
Gypsyis at the Majestic Theatre.
