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Gypsy: A Musical Fable is the full title of a 1959 musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. It is usually referred to as simply Gypsy. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Mama Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business mother." In particular, it follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of showbusiness life. The character of ...Read More
Gypsy: A Musical Fable is the full title of a 1959 musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. It is usually referred to as simply Gypsy. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Mama Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business mother." In particular, it follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of showbusiness life. The character of Louise is based on Lee, and the character of June is based on Lee's sister, the actress June Havoc.
The musical contains many songs that became popular standards, including "Small World," Everything's Coming up Roses, "You'll Never Get Away from Me," and "Let Me Entertain You." It is frequently considered one of the crowning achievements of the mid-20th century's conventional musical theatre art form, often called the "book musical."
Gypsy has been referred to as the greatest American musical by numerous critics and writers, among them Ben Brantley and Frank Rich; Rich even goes so far as to call it the American musical theatre's answer to King Lear. Theater critic Clive Barnes wrote that "Gypsy is one of the best of musicals..."
The character of Rose was described by Barnes as "one of the few truly complex characters in the American musical...bossy, demanding, horrific..." Rose was described by Rich as "a monster". Critic Walter Kerr points out that though Rose is a monster, she must be liked and understood.
Songs
Act I
"Overture" - Orchestra
"May We Entertain You" - Baby June and Baby Louise
"Some People" - Rose
"Small World" - Rose and Herbie
"Baby June and Her Newsboys" - Baby June and newsboys
"Mr. Goldstone" - Rose, Herbie, ensemble
"Little Lamb" - Louise
"You'll Never Get Away From Me" - Rose and Herbie
"Dainty June and Her Farmboys" - June and farmboys
"If Momma Was Married" - June and Louise
"All I Need is the Girl" - Tulsa and Louise
"Everything's Coming Up Roses" - Rose
Act II
"Madame Rose's Toreadorables" - Rose, Louise and the Hollywood Blondes
"Together Wherever We Go" - Rose, Herbie, and Louise
"You Gotta Get a Gimmick" - Mazeppa, Electra, and Tessie Tura
"Let Me Entertain You" - Louise
"Rose's Turn" - Rose
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