★★★★★
“Extra! Extra! Read all about it” as Hope Mill Theatre’s grandiose staged-concert production of Sondheim’s Gypsy rolled into Manchester Opera House for one night only – but did everything come up roses?
Gypsy has an incredibly rich award-winning history, opening in 1959 with Ethel Merman as Rose, before more stars joined the limelight in following productions, including the likes of Mitzi Green, Angela Lansbury, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Imelda Staunton, and more!
Gypsy, which is loosely based on Gypsy: A Memoir by Gypsy Rose Lee, tells the tale of Mama Rose, who takes her two daughters, June and Louise, through the pits and falls of showbiz, facing rejections, using stale material, and ultimately ignoring their desires for a normal life, forcing them to pursue this unreachable American Dream of stardom.
While June (May Tether of Heathers) initially seems like the spoilt golden child, she yearns to be free of her mother’s control and the constant infantilisation of her as “Baby June” in their stale ‘May We / Let Me Entertain You’ act with the newsboys.
Louise (Grace Mouat of Six), on the other hand, just wants her mother to notice her, and for their family to settle down and quit the showbiz lifestyle that Rose (I’d Do Anything winner Jodie Prenger) ardently chases and pesters for.
Despite claiming to have the best intentions for her daughters, she refuses to give June a chance to become a standalone actress, and sidelines her other “talentless” daughter for years, despite Louise proving her talented vocals and childish innocence to the audience in the monologic birthday song ‘Little Lamb’.
This focus on stardom slowly consumes Rose’s life, as more and more people, past and present, abandon her and she flips her attention to Louise’s career as she transforms from shy little girl to the captivatingly confident “Gypsy Rose Lee”.
In a way, it becomes ironic that she becomes the title character, despite not craving her name in bright lights like her mother had, but she fully embraces her stardom and elegantly recites a saucy version of ‘Let Me Entertain You’ as she progresses through the industry.
There’s something in this in-depth exploration of mother-daughter relationships, the bonding of the sisters over their mother’s audacious antics despite both wanting normal lives (‘If Momma was Married’), and the difficulty Rose herself faces with the idea of letting go of her own dreams of showbiz and vicariously living her life through her daughters that becomes simply heart-wrenching as relationships buckle under the weight of the forced showbiz dream.
Despite being a poor mother-figure for ignoring her daughters’ wishes, Rose is such an endearing and relatable character, stricken
with grief over a life she wishes she could have had if not for her age and ardently trying to catch some small grasp of this ethereal life of fame as vaudeville stars.
Gypsy is endearing and heart-warming, yet simultaneously shrouds the tragic and melancholic themes of trauma and the realities of showbiz behind velvety red curtains, glitzy costumes, energetic smiles, and intentionally cheesy song and dance numbers that perfectly encapsulate the feel of 1920s Broadway shows.
Truly, the story is something to be admired and is performed with upmost respect, nuance and sincerity by the gorgeous Jodie Prenger (Mama Rose), whose astounding performance of ‘Rose’s Turn’, a song that brings together motifs from previous songs, most noticeably ‘Everything’s Coming Up Roses’, and epitomises every shade of Rose’s character. It’s performed with the perfect blend of emotion, rawness, delusion and anguish by Prenger and the characterful on-stage orchestra.
Whether it was the capitulation of great writing, or the perplexing talent of Prenger, this was by far my favourite iteration of this classic Broadway song, for the gorgeous oscillations between outrage and delusion, despite the beautiful renditions by Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters.
And the burlesque section… mind-blowingly fun! Combining the talents of Absolutely Fabulous‘ Harriet Thorpe (Tessie Tura), Liz Fletcher of Fletchers on the Farm (Electra), and RPDRUK drag superstar Divina De Campo (Mazeppa) was an ingenious move that brought so much life to the second half with its mixture of glamour, risqué comedy, and stunningly crafted burlesque dresses that even featured lights and wing-like fabrics.
The all-star cast also included Tom Lister (Emmerdale), Idriss Kargbo (Wicked), Peter Gunn (Corrie), Angela Lonsdale (Doctors), and Matthew Kelly (Corrie), who was only announced recently – he is currently starring in the world premiere of Jim Cartwright’s The Gap at Hope Mill Theatre.
Despite a limited set, which mainly included projections on a curtain describing which theatres the troop had travelled to with matching maps, the stage felt filled with life, whether it was the funny bits of masking tape left scattered across the stage floor, evoking an authentic backstage experience (intentional or not), the orchestra who were signalled for her daughters’ numbers by Rose (which felt poetically meta), the colourful spotlights, or the vibrant costumes from giant pink hair ribbons and flashy burlesque designs (literally), to dancing cows… the stage was always filled with character and charisma in every way possible.
After a well-deserved standing ovation, and of course roses for (Mama Rose), the two “babies” huddled their older counterparts tightly, while the rest of the cast smiled eagerly as Hope Mill Theatre founders (and husbands) Jospeph Houston and William Whelton discussed the short time frame in which they rehearsed and choreographed the show, despite its flawlessly glossy finish.
It seems Rose was delusional about her own fame, but Gypsy indeed had “nothing to hit but the heights”!
Gypsy has to be the most gorgeous, glitzy and glamorous passion project I’ve seen to date, with truly evocative acting and a sensational score.
Head to Hope Mill Theatre’s website to see what else they have on.
The Gap runs at Hope Mill Theatre until March 16.
Photo: Grant Archer
JADAR 