Julie Lumsden and Kate Hennig in ‘Gypsy’ (Shaw Festival, 2023), Photo by David Cooper
A perfect companion piece to their production of James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner (which I caught on the same day—a resonant pairing), Shaw Festival has captured a distinct slice of nostalgic Americana in their handsome staging of Gypsy. Based on her memoir, this “musical fable” by Arthur Laurents (book), Jule Styne (music) and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) romanticizes the life of Gypsy Rose Lee.
Well before she fell haphazardly into burlesque, the significantly longer first act introduces us to the young Louise (Julie Lumsden)—pushed into show business with her sister June (Madelyn Kriese) by their mercenary and domineering stage mother, Mama Rose (Kate Hennig). With a handful of boys she’s collected to fill out the troupe, this caravan drags their hokey show through the dying vaudeville circuit.
Hennig’s charismatic portrait of Mama Rose captures the larger-than-life persona the iconic role demands, drawing the other characters and the audience towards her where she charms, goads and terrifies. Determined to give her daughters the show biz life she desperately wanted for herself, she’s a formidable presence; though Hennig allows us glimpses at her playful enthusiasm and let’s us know she’s frustrated, vulnerable and—despite being surrounded by a whirlwind of chaotic activity—quite lonely.
Jason Cadieux is a sturdy and comforting presence as Herbie, the upstanding businessman serving as the troupe’s agent while trying to convince Rose to marry him. As the perennially girlish star-of-the-show June, paraded around like a living doll, Kriese conveys her self-confidence and resentment, always on the cusp of becoming cruel or obnoxious yet revealing an impressive poise and self-regulation.
Lumsden is thoroughly endearing as the sidelined sister Louise, her quiet nature more stoic than timid. In her nuanced rendering, the stylized transition into the roguish and teasing Gypsy Rose Lee feels entirely earned, despite how quickly it occurs. Aided by the clever writing, she drops subtle hints of her ambition and star-power along the way.
The whole ensemble comes together to present a vibrant and thrilling society of theatre-makers. The rowdy boys bounding about at Mama Rose’s beck and call, stage hands and theatre managers scrambling, the brash and ebullient burlesque broads owning their space!—this is a bustling and colourful world that encloses and softens the impact of the darker family drama.
Director Jay Turvey maintains an authentically gaudy vaudeville aesthetic with every sequined g-string, fake cactus and cheesy backdrop. Cory Sincennes’ set frames the action within a gold proscenium lined with flashing bulbs and a rolling playbill gives each scene a snazzy, Brechtian introduction. Stage rigging and stored flats loom in the background as establishing set pieces roll in and out with campy panache.
The production is a rich blend of Broadway spectacle and heartfelt melodrama. A traditional ghost light bookends the action, beautifully punctuating the bittersweet quality of the story with an enduring wistfulness. Gypsy captures the mystique of a life in theatre—a raucous and grimy reality that underpins the glitz and glamour.