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Arts & Entertainment

"Gypsy" is the Hottest Ticket in Town

Playhouse 22's production of Gypsy runs through May 13, and Sunday's performance is already sold out!

Director Gerry Appel, though, has already formed his opinion. He did so three decades ago.

“I remember seeing the Rosalind Russell Natalie Wood movie on the Million Dollar Movie, on TV in the afternoon when I was a kid,” Appel said, “But, I fell in love with the show when I was cast as Herbie in a summer stock production at Shawnee Playhouse 30 years ago."  

Many of the tunes from Gypsy have become so widely known, they're familiar even to those who have never set foot in a theater. The score, by Jule Styne with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, includes “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “Let Me Entertain You,” “Together Wherever We Go,” and “Gotta Have a Gimmick.”

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With such memorable music, it'd be easy for Gypsy's story to take a back seat. But Appel doesn't feel this is the case. "The script, written by Arthur Laurents, follows an incredibly driven stage mother, Rose, as she drags her two children, June and Louise, through some of the best and worst theatres in this nation during the Great Depression," Appel said.

It’s most often referred to as Gypsy. Its full title is Gypsy: A Musical Fable. And if you know anything about American musicals, you know that critics and writers alike frequently hail it as the greatest of all American musicals. Former New York Times theatre critic Frank Rich calls it musical theatre's version of King Lear, and another great critic, Clive Barnes, calls the main character of Mama Rose, "one of the few truly complex characters in the American musical.”

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For the next two weeks, East Brunswick audiences will have the opportunity to decide the question for themselves. , East Brunswick’s community theatre, presents two more weekends of Gypsy at the East Brunswick Cultural Arts Center on Cranbury Road.

Part of the fun Appel has had staging a play that revolves around the vaudeville and burlesque era has been coming up with ways to immerse the audience in the feel of the age. 

“As the audience makes their way to their seats before the overture, the ensemble are placed throughout the theatre rehearsing vaudeville acts,” he said. “We have a musical saw player, a ventriloquist, two young fellows doing 'Who's On First,' a tap and a ballet dancer, an accordianist, a Will Rogers impersonator and many more.  It helps to give a flavor of being within the backstage chaos.”

Appel is no stranger to large-scale productions. As a professional director, he has tackled other famously "huge" plays such as Mame, and has even helmed awards ceremonies at George Street Playhouse.  “One of the greatest challenges attached to such undertakings is to keep a quick tempo to the piece and don't allow major scene changes to slow it down.  I am lucky to have a cast and production team who achieve both beautifully.”

A director can’t do much without a cast to bring his vision to life, and Gypsy presents two of the most iconic female roles in American musical theatre: the unstable stage mother Rose and her initially unwilling protégé daughter Louise. Ultimately, Appel went with Suzanne Ramsey-Restivo and Krissy Daniels in these roles, respectively, but the decision was not an easy one.

“There were about a dozen potential Roses and a dozen possible Louises who auditioned for this show,” Appel said. “This made it an extremely difficult decision of who to choose.  Both roles were selected based on singing and acting talent.  I think you will see that the right performers were chosen.”

Gypsy is a show that brings its own following to the theatre, as Playhouse 22 quickly discovered. Performances of the show began selling out almost as soon as tickets became available.

“I think the cast increased their focus due to the increased demand for tickets,” Appel said. “It helped them to be better.  And, with each passing performance, the show continues to get better.”

Gypsy runs weekends at the East Brunswick Cultural Arts Center through Sunday, May 13. The May 6 performance is already sold out. Performances on Fridays and Saturdays begin at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $22 for Adults and $20 for seniors and Students. For more information, visit www.playhouse22.org or call -732-254-3939.

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