Broadway
Starring Audra McDonald
22 June 2025 – Matinee
Gypsy is a show that I have seen before and have had trouble connecting to as a whole. I couldn’t relate to the complexity of the emotions that are expressed in this show: grief, sorrow, being defeated, refusing to give up, jumping through hoops to rationalise your own behaviour because the thought of never reaching the top is soul crushing, and even ultimately, giving in to the delusion of someone else to save your relationship with them… resulting in you being trapped for life and that just being an accepted fact.
Oh how a few long years can change a person.
With this cast, most notably led by Audra McDonald as Mama Rose, every single, heartfelt emotion was radiated from the stage. And it wasn’t just Audra McDonald that deserves the credit. The entire cast were vocal powerhouses – able to go from a meek, quiet, timid character and slowly transforming into powerful, loud, confident belting in a way that not many can do.
A special shout out has to go Joy Woods as the character of Louise. That character as a whole made a full transformation from being so tiny in the background, to standing up for herself in full confidence, and then to see her know she has that confidence, that ability, and to choose to keep a toxic person around out of…what, really? Pity? Perhaps a sense of duty?
Danny Burstein as Herbie also gave an amazing performance! To watch his character go from someone who was able to be sweet talked with the promise of marrying the woman he loves and then transform into a character who still loves the woman, but knows it will never work and that he cannot accept the toxicity that comes with her love, even if it emotionally destroys him to leave….even if it means never achieving his own goal.
Audra McDonald’s performance of Mama Rose is powerful! Beyond her insane belting ability, she exudes the raw emotions that her character feels throughout her entire body. At intermission, I turned to my friend who I had joined to see this show (he wanted to see it and I cannot thank him enough for that) and pondered how physically and emotionally taxing this role just might be on any performer who has to do it eight times per week with this level of intensity.
It is not easy to change the emotion of written words, but this cast manages to do just that through simple changes in demeanour: a half smile, a sigh – through tiny, little gestures that manages to speak volumes without actually saying anything at all. This show forces the audience to feel every difficult emotion that each character has to go through. And it is powerful. It is effective. And it can be felt throughout the entire theatre.