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Entries tagged with 'Gypsy'
Posted May. 13, 2008,
Rosie O'Donnell Tidies Up in No, No, Nanette
By Whitney Spaner
Two nights ago I saw the Encores! presentation of the 1925 relic No, No, Nanette at the New York City Center. The Roaring Twenties-era musical about two rich families in New York and a big misunderstanding that lands everyone in Atlantic City wasn't the deepest thing I've seen this year (think a chorus of boys in bright colored spandex swimsuits and a snarky maid who has her tap-dancing day played by O'Donnell) but sometimes it's nice to just chill in the shallow end. I loved the old school tap numbers and a talented cast starring Rosie O'Donnell, Sandy Duncan, Beth Leavel, Mara Davi and Michael Berresse.
I've been going to many of the Encores! productions (there are about three or four a year) ever since I went to see Follies last year starring Donna Murphy, Victoria Clark, Victor Garber and -- well there were too many fabulous people involved to list --and had one of the best theatrical experiences of my life.
Posted Apr. 8, 2008,
Have an Eggroll Patti LuPone!
By Whitney Spaner
Tonight I’m going to see Gypsy on Broadway starring the Patti LuPone and I’m so excited! I just saw the Encores! version at City Center in July with the exact same cast, and it is supposedly much better now on the St. James stage. Maybe a few of you remember when I wrote about the opening night party for the show last week. Well today I was listening to the cast recording of the last Broadway performance of Gypsy starring Bernadette Peters as Momma Rose today prepping for the show when the song “Mr. Goldstone, I Love You” came on I remembered Boyd Gaines (who plays Herbie in the current version)’s opening night gift to Patti that she showcased at the party. It was a purse in the shape of a Chinese takeout box for all the Chinese food Momma Rose and her brood eat in the show! Brilliant! That Boyd Gaines is so thoughtful! Here’s a pic of her at the party carrying the cute little memento!
Posted Mar. 31, 2008,
Gypsy Is Back on Broadway and Patti LuPone Is the New Diva in Town
By Whitney Spaner
The fifth production since the first in 1959 of what's said to be the best American musical ever written, Gypsy opened last Thursday at the St. James Theatre to wonderful reviews. New York Times critic Ben Brantley did backflips for Patti LuPone the latest to play the notorious stage mother Momma Rose the ultimate part for the Broadway Diva -- evident by the big names before her, Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and Bernadette Peters.
Posted Dec. 5, 2007,
Jo Anne Worley's Backstage Chit-Chat with Mr. Mickey
By Mickey Boardman
JoAnne Worley, legendary comedian and Broadway baby, made a name for herself on the seminal, ‘60s political comedy hour Laugh-In, where, alongside the likes of Goldie Hawn and Lili Tomlin, she helped shape and paved the way for female comedians today. She also happens to be a Broadway regular, having starred in such shows as Grease and the ill-fated The Prince of Central Park. For years, she was a fixture on the regional theater circuit, taking on roles such as Mama Rose in Gypsy. At present, she’s back on Broadway and doing her last week in the fabulous The Drowsy Chaperone. We caught up with her backstage and talked about all her favorite topics: animals, theater and her fabulous return to the stage!
Mickey Boardman: You’re having quite the year on Broadway if count Follies.
JoAnne Worley: The Drowsy Chaperone is such a wonderful theater family because, as you know, Follies was a short run and this is a big, fat, wonderful, ongoing hit.
MB: I like to fantasize that Follies will be resuscitated. I mean wasn’t there talk at the time, because of Donna Murphy being in it?
JW: One never knows! It was really a joyous experience. Follies has many, many levels and many deep things. The Drowsy Chaperone, as you know, is a show within a show and it’s about the Man in Chair and his life and his relationship to musical comedy. And it’s presented simply for the enjoyment of the audience. That’s its only purpose.