Audra McDonald plays Rose with her entire being— she is magnificent in “Gypsy” at the Majestic! Every song, every facial gesture, every moment will move you. She presents Rose as a woman passionate about the success of her children and determined to push them whether they want it or not — she is a woman who was born at the wrong time and now tries to live through the success of her children. McDonald plays her with an energy, passion, and frustration that the entire audience can feel.
As I sat in the audience at the Majestic Theatre (W. 44th Street) and watched this record-holding six-time Tony Award-winning actress perform, I thought, “Audra has ‘Audrafied’ Rose. Her distinctive, gorgeous voice gave me chills every time she sang. Her vocal instrument is a breath of fresh air that flirts with the audience. It is glorious.”
From the first number she has with Danny Burstein, who plays Herbie, her character’s love interest and the children’s agent; a man who is attracted to her and loves children, you can feel the energy between them. Burstein is completely charming and vulnerable in the role of Herbie. They complement each other so well.
Playing her daughters as adults, Joy Woods is stunning in the role of Louise and Jordan Tyson shines brightly as Baby June.
The vocal and acting chops of these four people are astronomical.
When you think of a Broadway musical that has been non-traditionally cast with a Black star playing a role that depicts a white woman, it demonstrates how society is making room for and giving opportunity to people of color because they have the ability to do the job superbly. You have McDonald as the lead playing Rose, and she delivers a spectacular performance in the role. What genius it was to cast this gifted, glorious, seasoned actress — the audience absolutely loves her, as they should.
This musical comes together with such humor, power, and humanity that one of the thoughts that came to my mind as I experienced it was “Thank you, George C. Wolfe,” the director, who had the vision to make this “Gypsy” one to go down in history. It is one of the best Broadway productions to come along in a long time. You will walk out of it knowing that you have seen history being made. You have felt the power of an Audra McDonald performance and you will forever have that moving memory locked away in your heart.
This musical is packed with beloved, fun, and dazzling numbers, including “Have an Egg Roll, Mr. Goldstone,” “If Momma Was Married,” “All I Need is the Girl,” “You Gotta Get a Gimmick,” and “Let Me Entertain You.” Of course, there are the showstopper numbers, including “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” which McDonald delivers with such disturbing intensity and power that you are left speechless. When Rose ends with “Rose’s Turn,” you have never seen this song delivered with the humanity, disappointment, and regret that McDonald displays. Superb! Brava, diva!
I often found myself in tears as I experienced McDonald’s heart-wrenching delivery of a woman who simply wanted to be seen.
The cast truly delivers with McDonald and the other three featured actors to give audiences a “Gypsy” they will never forget. (Did someone say seventh Tony nomination for McDonald?)
Of course, the musical suggested by the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, a real-life person who was a stripper and so much more, has an engaging and captivating book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreography by Camille A. Brown, with music direction and supervision by Andy Einhorn. There are also additional orchestrations and arrangements by Daryl Waters.
Members of the company include Kevin Csolak, Lesli Margherita, Lili Thomas, Mylinda Hull, Jacob Ming-Trent, Kyleigh Denae Vickers, Marley Lianne Gomes, Jade Smith, Natalie Wachen, Tryphena Wade, Shanel Bailey, Jace Bently, Brandon Burks, Hunter Capellán, Tony d’Alelio, Summer Rae Daney, Kellie Jean Hoagland, Sasha Hutchings, Aliah James, Brittney Johnson, Zachary Daniel Jones, Ethan Joseph, Andrew Kober, Krystal Mackie, James McMenamin, Cole Newburg, Joe Osheroff, Majo Rivero, Ken Robinson, Sally Shaw, Thomas Silcott, Brendan Sheehan, Jayden Theophile, Jordan Wynn, and Iain Young.
The creatives behind this flawless production include Santo Loquasto, scenic design; Toni-Leslie James, costume design; Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, lighting design; Scott Lehrer, sound design; Mia Neal, hair and wig design; and Michael Clifton, makeup design.
As long as McDonald is on that stage, “Everything is Coming Up Roses.”
For tickets, visit https://gypsybway.com.