GYPSY - THEATRE REVIEW (West End)

G Y P S Y

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Savoy Theatre, London

★★★★★

THEATRE | Kyle Pedley

EVERYTHING'S COMING UP ROSES FOR STAUNTON...

“You either have it, or you’ve had it.”

So chides Imelda Staunton as the indomitable Momma Rose towards the end of Gypsy, and were it not for the irrepressible joy and thrill this London revival so effortlessly instills, one would almost have taken the resignation of that morale to heart - for here is a show which renders criticism or critique almost entirely redundant; a near-perfect piece of musical theatre mastery so complete and completely brilliant that it quite simply must not be missed. The ever-reliable Staunton brings every fibre of talent, experience and energy she has to a barn-storming, show-stopping performance that easily sits amongst the Lansbury’s, Merman’s and Lupone’s who have come before her in the role, and helps make Gypsy exactly the kind of talk-of-the-town success story that Momma Rose so yearns for.

Based on the real life memoirs of renowned American Burlesque/striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, Gypsy follows the exploits of the implacable Momma Rose, serial divorcee and Vaudeville troupe leader who doggedly pursues her dream of making it big in the world of showbiz via her two daughters, June and Louise. The former in particular initially serves as the basket in which Rose places all her eggs, blueberry pies and hopes for the future, never willing to look back at the people she has lost or trodden on for what has so far amounted to a string of gaudy, generally unsuccessful vaudeville engagements that barely cover their living costs.

It’s one of the facets of what has made Gypsy so endlessly compelling, and what makes Momma Rose in many regards the apex of leading ladies in musical theatre. She is a mass of arrogance, ignorance, delusion and neuroses, but at the same time admirably defiant, irrefutably strong of will and refuses to be disregarded in the cut-throat, patriarchal world of show business. She’s a genuine force of nature, leaving a string of metaphorical bodies in her path, disregarding and manipulating those around her without nary a thought, and yet, particularly with Imelda Staunton’s fiercely passionate turn here, it’s difficult to shake the sense that there is some misguided nobility and altruism hidden somewhere amongst all the bulldozing and alienating.

"Momma Rose is a mass of arrogance, ignorance, delusion

and neuroses... yet, particularly with Imelda Staunton's fiercely

passionate turn here, it's difficult to shake the sense that there is

some misguided nobility and altruism hidden somewhere."

As mentioned, many greats have stepped into the role, but few have dissolved into it with the same degree of conviction and sheer power as what Staunton offers here. She charts Rose’s journey from determination to desperation with a brash, earthy bravura - this is a Rose who you can believe has been through it all and brushed herself off to keep going - yet there’s enough sincerity and nuance to the occasional moment of tenderness with her family to make her a figure of empathy and even sympathy. Where others have laced their Rose with poison and vitriol, or taken her to a place of raving instability (I’m looking at you, Ms. Lupone), Staunton gives us a woman gradually unravelling, breaking down yet ferociously clinging on to her hopes, dreams and self-delusions even as they collapse about her, leant extra tragic irony by dint of everything she hopes for actually happening outside of, yet decidedly not in spite of, her. It’s an electrifying, devastating performance that works on so many levels and hits hard in both the gut and heart; a more impressive leading performance you’d be hard pressed to find.

Of the supporting cast, Lara Pulver initially hovers under the radar (albeit deliberately so) as Rose’s insular, overlooked daughter Louise, in favour of the theatrical, baton-twirling, high-pitched talents and conditioning of her elder sister June (quite exquisitely played both young and older alike by Lauren Henson and Gemma Sutton respectively). Once June abandons the sinking ship that is Rose’s vaudeville act and seizes the chance to become a serious actress independently, Louise is drafted in against her will to become the surrogate ‘star’. It is here that Pulver really shines, taking the hesitant, sweet-natured Louise to a whole new height as, through a mixture of Rose’s manufacturing and a soupçon of depseration, she finds herself embroiled in the world of Burlesque and en route to becoming the titular star of her own accord. It’s a journey that on the page can seem sudden, and is certainly truncated into a later pocket of Act II, but Pulver is so effortlessly convincing be it as the timid, shy Louise or in her later sultry, confident, ‘photoshoots in the bathtub for Vogue’ awakening, that it’s an arc an audience can easily buy into.

Peter Davison is likeable and earnest as the troupe’s long-standing manager and the nearest Rose comes to husband number four, repeatedly trying to persuade the staunch matriarch into marriage. Davison can’t contend with Staunton or Pulver vocally, and whilst he is a sympathetic figure, he is completely overshadowed by the woman around him, particularly Staunton, to a degree even further than perhaps intended. Speaking of strong female characters, particular credit must go to Louise Gold, Julie LeGrand and Anita Louise Combe as a trio of seasoned strippers, for almost stealing the whole of the second Act with their hilarious, no-holds-barred performance of ‘You Gotta Get A Gimmick’, which is legitimately side-splitting and one of the resounding highlights of the show.

"Like Rose herself, this is an energised, almost hyperactive

revival which crackles with a palpable energy and vibracy."

Jonathan Kent’s direction coupled with Anthony Ward’s design work manages to tread the perfect balance between honouring the classic Broadway musical heritage of the show whilst simultaneously keeping it an exciting, kinetic and contemporary feeling production that never stays still for too long. Like Rose herself, this is an energised, almost hyperactive revival which crackles with a palpable energy and vibrancy as set changes are frequent, economic yet highly evocative of time, place and period. June Styne’s music has never sounded better and tears through the Savoy, particularly the big brass rises of ‘Rose’s Turn’, ‘Everything’s Coming Up Roses’ and the aforementioned ‘You Gotta Get A Gimmick’, whilst the demands of Stephen Sondheim’s vocally acrobatic lyrics are taken to town and back by Staunton in particular.

Gypsy is, quite simply, a triumph. For all of its finesse and style, it hinges entirely upon its challenging central performance, in which Staunton is quite simply sensational. With the show and Staunton both recently extending their run from July to November, there remains very little to say other than to catch this powerhouse production and essential theatre-going experience whilst you can - celebrating the return of an All-American classic back to the London boards for the first time in 40 years. In the hands of Jonathan Kent’s sophisticated revival and the superlative Imelda Staunton once again cementing herself as one of the finest actresses of her or any generation, it truly is ‘Rose’s turn’.

MUSINGS

+ Imelda Staunton's sensational Momma Rose (move over, Ethel)

+ Pulver impresses as Louise, particularly come Act II

+ 'You Gotta Get A Gimmick' a comic masterstroke

+ Superb musical arrangements and orchestration of Styne's score

+ A true Broadway classic revived in style

+ The songs and story are as brilliant, characterful as ever

+ Few final numbers can compete with 'Rose's Turn'

- Peter Davison's Herbie is likeable but little more

Run: Booking until 28 Nov 2015

Tickets: 0844 871 7674 / Official Website: click

#ticker #review #5star #new