Latest / The BSB Podcast / 'Gypsy' Story and Characters | The Box Seat Babes Podcast

Transcript

'Gypsy' Story and Characters | The Box Seat Babes Podcast · The BSB Podcast

• 0:01
  Welcome back listeners.
• 0:02
  On this episode of the Box Seat Babes podcast, we're going to explore the story and characters of the Broadway revival of Gypsy, starring Audra McDonald.
• 0:11
  But before we jump into it, please like, follow, and subscribe here on YouTube and all other social media platforms at Box Seat Babes.
• 0:18
  Thank you so much for joining us and enjoy the show.
• 0:18
  RJ, how you doing today?
• 0:22
  You know, it's the middle of winter and we have six more weeks, so...
• 0:28
  The groundhog did see his shadow.
• 0:33
  We are in trouble.
• 0:36
  That's fine.
• 0:38
  It's okay.
• 0:38
  I mean, if you think about it, we've had a pretty good winter so far.
• 0:42
  We just got back from New York where we had seen what?
• 0:45
  Seven shows.
• 0:48
  One of which was gypsy.
• 0:51
  So winter's not going so bad.
• 0:54
  No, it's already February, so I can't actually complain.
• 1:01
  Yeah, you missed your two trips to New York, but I digress.
• 1:06
  So today, obviously, we're be talking about Gypsy, which is kind of one of the biggest Broadway revivals right now that's on the scene.
• 1:13
  But before we start talking about what we saw on stage, I wanna talk about how familiar you are with Gypsy itself.
• 1:20
  So I know you've been in the Broadway scene, theater scene your entire life.
• 1:25
  Have you seen the movie?
• 1:26
  Have you sung these songs?
• 1:28
  Have you put on this play?
• 1:30
  What is your relationship with Gypsy up to this moment?
• 1:35
  I knew the title.
• 1:37
  Woo, off to a great start!
• 1:40
  Yep, that's about it.
• 1:46
  But to be fair though, once I started to hear the music, I I came to realize that many of the songs that are in it, I've known for a very long time.
• 1:58
  So while I did not know anything about the story or the premise, I knew probably 85 to 90 % of the music.
• 2:10
  I mean, which makes sense.
• 2:11
  mean, this is what I would consider it classic Broadway.
• 2:15
  Like, that how you would kind of describe this?
• 2:17
  This is like quintessential classic Broadway.
• 2:19
  having good old Sondheim.
• 2:22
  Right.
• 2:22
  Early Sondheim, know, this is, you know, West Side Story, Gypsy, where some of his first shows ever, we're not talking about the later Sweeney Todd, you know, this is, this is
• 2:33
  like the epitome of Broadway at the peak of kind of the golden age of Broadway.
• 2:40
  We like to think about the modern golden age of Broadway.
• 2:44
  Yeah, it was what people wanted to see.
• 2:48
  Absolutely.
• 2:49
  And in fact, the little lady next to me who she was loving it.
• 2:53
  you know, at one point she turned to me and she said like, this is what Broadway is supposed to be.
• 2:56
  I'm like, absolutely for, for you.
• 2:59
  It was definitely what she seemed to like.
• 3:02
  And so it was, it was interesting to see, to see this classic kind of played out on stage.
• 3:09
  but it's interesting that you've never really encountered this before.
• 3:12
  So this is not a show that you've acted in.
• 3:14
  This is not a show.
• 3:15
  Like you knew some of the songs because these are probably audition songs, but they're not necessarily...
• 3:20
  Yeah, mean, the songs, I've been in a couple of musical reviews.
• 3:27
  So definitely the songs from there and or yeah, audition pieces, of course, power ballads.
• 3:37
  But truthfully, I don't even know that I've even just generally seen even a high school or a community theater do Gypsy.
• 3:50
  in my lifetime.
• 3:52
  within this, I mean, I'm sure people have done it, but I have not heard about it in my circles.
• 4:01
  Yeah, I was going to say like I saw this is one that I watched with my mom and my grandma back back when it was, you know, the Natalie Woods film, which was very popular.
• 4:12
  So I kind of grew up on this.
• 4:13
  I kind of knew the story.
• 4:14
  But this is, again, not one that you see like this is not a touring production.
• 4:18
  It hasn't been revived in years.
• 4:20
  This was like kind of a big deal.
• 4:22
  And you got like a kind of a big voice to bring it to the stage.
• 4:27
  But this is not necessarily something that you you tend to see.
• 4:31
  And as we kind of talk about the story, think that part of that goes back to that it does feel a little dated.
• 4:35
  This is definitely like, again, we quit to central classic Broadway and it feels like it.
• 4:42
  Yeah, mean, and what does it's hard because that means different things to different people when we say classic Broadway.
• 4:57
  But what I visualize is
• 5:01
  I mean, big number after big number after big number with a dance break and a lot of power balance, which we of course encountered.
• 5:15
  think more modern musicals have fewer.
• 5:20
  I could be totally wrong, but I think there's just the storyline and the plot, which we'll get into later, moves a lot quicker.
• 5:30
  in modern that it did in quote unquote classic.
• 5:36
  For sure.
• 5:37
  What is, I guess what is slightly off topic, but I feel like it's relevant.
• 5:40
  What is your classic show?
• 5:42
  Like when you picture a classic show, you say ballad after ballad.
• 5:45
  What show automatically comes to mind?
• 5:49
  Like.
• 5:52
  Because for me, has to feel like it's like a West Side story, you know, like, or like, I even think of singing in the rain.
• 5:57
  Sondheim or it's like Rodgers and Hammerstein.
• 6:02
  And that's even like a little bit that I would say like that's a step past Sondheim in regards to like modern or classic.
• 6:13
  But you still have you have the tap number, you have the big dance break, you have the really elongated power ballad with the the long holds and the breath control.
• 6:27
  and less happening in regards to staging or set.
• 6:35
  But I think that also makes sense because
• 6:40
  you use what you have, which at the time of these being created, they're focusing on talent and probably less on
• 6:53
  obviously minimal technology.
• 6:57
  how many pieces can you really move out an offstage in an act?
• 7:02
  Like it's very limited.
• 7:03
  You're probably using the same set for the majority of the show.
• 7:07
  For sure.
• 7:07
  Yeah.
• 7:08
  Cause it was more of like a walk in, like what do call it?
• 7:11
  A stand in sing or whatever.
• 7:12
  Like it's, it's, it's your focusing on the talent, the music, the people less about even maybe the dancing, but less about the, the, the flashy scenery, you know, like I think
• 7:23
  it's not like a death becomes there, which was huge set pieces and stuff.
• 7:26
  You know, these are, and you saw that in, in gypsy as we get into it, like there is, there was like a focus on the person and not the places.
• 7:38
  Yeah.
• 7:39
  With that being said, I think that we just need to jump into what kind of what is Gypsy.
• 7:45
  I knew this story.
• 7:46
  Like I said, I seen this film before and I still was shocked by the story.
• 7:52
  Obviously this is the story of Gypsy Rosalie, who was a very famous burlesque dancer in real life.
• 8:00
  whose mom was kind of the like.
• 8:04
  Would you consider her like a classic dance mom?
• 8:07
  Like she was very much like pushing her daughter into pushing her daughters, because there's two of them in the story, to kind of like live vicariously through that.
• 8:17
  Yeah, mean, stage mom is definitely still a term that's still used and still applicable to ensure success and push and push and push.
• 8:34
  For you know, like, mean, I dance bombs now because we have, you know, TV shows around that is more prominent.
• 8:41
  It's same same thing, you know, talking to the.
• 8:44
  director talking to the producer shoving their way through an audition even if the talent is not.
• 8:53
  Pop tier.
• 8:55
  You know, I think that speaks to the opening scene where we're getting these, you know, we're getting the young baby June and we're getting Luis and they're, they're up there on
• 9:03
  stage with, with uncle Django or Junko.
• 9:09
  and they're kind of, they're kind of performing, they're like auditioning.
• 9:13
  And then all of a Audra McDonald's, know, Rose like walks on and it just like, my babies aren't front and center.
• 9:20
  And they're like, you're, you're missing out on them.
• 9:22
  You're not paying attention to them.
• 9:23
  It was like very much like the.
• 9:25
  I think the whole crowd got like this like huge gig out there because that was like a dynamic that we are maybe a little more familiar with because of things like Dance Moms.
• 9:32
  But like you said too, like growing up in the world of theater, you probably encountered Theater Moms kind of like that.
• 9:42
  Yeah, and actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I saw I did a lot of vocal competitions as a kid.
• 9:50
  And that it just it translates to everything I think right because you have you have the sports parents and you have the dance moms and you have the so I think it translates
• 10:01
  everywhere but I for sure witnessed it firsthand when you know you're you're
• 10:07
  singing in seven different categories.
• 10:09
  You have a different outfit for every category.
• 10:12
  And this is from the age of five to 18.
• 10:17
  And it didn't matter what age you were, you still had parents that were just jumping down kids' throats, making sure the costume was right, the makeup was right, they were warmed
• 10:28
  up correctly.
• 10:30
  So yeah, something that especially rings true
• 10:35
  where I think particularly gets a laugh out of the audience because we have all either been that or seen that or experienced that in one way or another.
• 10:45
  It's like universal.
• 10:46
  shows that like these certain patterns in life are, they carry through time.
• 10:51
  Like they're timeless, you know?
• 10:52
  We think of timeless things as like, you know, family heirlooms, but there's also personality traits that we see time and time again.
• 10:59
  And Rose is that mom who is just continuing to push her daughters sometimes to the point where it almost feels like they're going to break.
• 11:12
  And so we see that playing out here.
• 11:13
  so again, the universal message people can relate to, can see, they can talk to and relate to.
• 11:19
  that is kind of an interesting dynamic for the show that I don't think as a kid I necessarily got.
• 11:26
  I think that's like an adult thing to look back on and see that playing out on stage for Gypsy.
• 11:34
  Who do you feel like is the?
• 11:38
  I guess I want to say like protagonists, but like whose story is this really?
• 11:42
  It's kind of called gypsy because it's focusing on gypsy Rose, but who's who's the real journey is is gypsy.
• 11:50
  Is there one?
• 11:53
  I don't know that there is one.
• 11:55
  that's what kind of makes this a little bit unique.
• 11:58
  And I mean, full disclosure, I still have not seen the movie and I'd be interested in seeing.
• 12:07
  So the musical felt slightly imbalanced in that way where.
• 12:13
  We have this whole premise, the whole title around Gypsy and then the person's.
• 12:20
  the whole picture that we're actually getting is roses.
• 12:24
  So from start to finish, whereas like, yeah, June we get for an act really.
• 12:32
  And then same thing with Louise.
• 12:35
  We get her for basically an act and maybe even less than that.
• 12:40
  And yet she is the title name.
• 12:48
  So.
• 12:50
  It's interesting in that way.
• 12:52
  Yeah, think it's it is one it is individualistic in that sense.
• 12:57
  I can't think of another show that is like that work.
• 13:00
  You're not quite sure.
• 13:03
  There's different plot lines happening.
• 13:06
  While I'm pretty sure that roses.
• 13:10
  The primary.
• 13:13
  That's where all our empathy and sympathy are really going aside from like maybe one scene with Gypsy, but.
• 13:24
  It's also up for interpretation.
• 13:27
  You know, speaking about that, think what I think is interesting is that you're right.
• 13:31
  The one connective narrative throughout the entire show is Rose, um, the mom, but truly like act one is, is baby June story from like childhood being like that child actor, um,
• 13:47
  in, a circuit, like in an adult world.
• 13:50
  like, this is again, not child acting.
• 13:53
  Like we know it today.
• 13:53
  This is child acting at the time where, you know,
• 13:57
  what, 1930s, I think is the timeframe of this film, of this show.
• 14:01
  So like this mom is like leaving her home.
• 14:05
  There's the whole scene with the, with her dad too, of like leaving the home, taking money, going about to take her kids to have this dream.
• 14:13
  And for the entirety of act one, Louise is shoved to the back and is, is, is the daughter that nobody really wanted.
• 14:21
  And well, I shouldn't say she didn't want.
• 14:22
  But she was definitely neglected for Baby June, who was kind of the prize winner in Rose's eyes.
• 14:29
  And then Act One ends with Baby June leaving.
• 14:33
  And so then you do switch focus right away, and the only really continuative narrative is Rose.
• 14:44
  It's her story.
• 14:46
  Yeah, I mean the kids are definitely obviously branches out of Rose's story.
• 14:53
  But the only consistency that we're really getting is Rose.
• 15:01
  And so it's interesting because obviously this is kind of made from an autobiography of Gypsy Rose.
• 15:08
  But like really her story doesn't really come into play at the end.
• 15:11
  And even at the end, was interested because, you know, obviously she becomes the star.
• 15:16
  She's not very good at some of the singing stuff.
• 15:18
  She becomes a burlesque dancer.
• 15:19
  And then she kind of disappears for a little bit there.
• 15:22
  Then it's kind of just Rose's story and how Rose has lost everything, everyone out of her life.
• 15:28
  There's nothing left for her, which really does give Audra McDonald that time to shine.
• 15:33
  But like, it was interesting because I was like, there is not a lot of gypsy Rose in this, in this play called gypsy.
• 15:41
  Yeah, and I just once again, that's why I'm kind of like, is that the nor like, is that also how the movie is portrayed?
• 15:56
  But also, I understand why it is that way, because you need to have some type of character development.
• 16:03
  And I think Rose for a minute was so stagnant that
• 16:11
  something had to give.
• 16:13
  So obviously we have like a quintessential the mother daughter scene and it kind of you know the blow-ups happen and then we kind of revert backwards and but
• 16:30
  It is I almost was not knowing once again, not knowing the story.
• 16:34
  was like waiting for June to all of a sudden show back up.
• 16:37
  Like I was just waiting for this like a reunited moment.
• 16:41
  Um, or just, I don't know, even like a grander.
• 16:47
  I think I was assuming it was going to be more like family centric.
• 16:51
  And then it just like took a turn to actually be pretty individualistic rather than like come together.
• 16:57
  It was just like a.
• 16:59
  a little bit more real, like a little bit more raw.
• 17:02
  Like this is actually, this happens and it happens probably more frequently than we think.
• 17:11
  It's been years since I've seen the film.
• 17:12
  I'll just say that I think I was in middle school the last time I watched it.
• 17:14
  we're, God, we're thinking like 20 years now, dear Lord.
• 17:19
  but it does seem like there is a bigger emphasis on, gypsy because it's Natalie Wood and obviously she was the star.
• 17:28
  but it's interesting because I was sitting there in the musical as well.
• 17:31
  You know, we're sitting there packed like sardines in that theater and I was.
• 17:38
  waiting for baby June to come back and have that reconciliation moment of like, because I think I was like, baby June doesn't have a real growth, like, like doesn't have like a
• 17:48
  like a growth story.
• 17:50
  Even Luis doesn't have like a strong growth story.
• 17:53
  In fact, you might, for modern day audiences, there might be some people who don't love that growth story.
• 17:59
  They guess you can she kind of comes into her own, but she's there's like a cruelty that almost comes with with some of her decisions are like, like, like,
• 18:08
  Almost like the I'm the star now, like almost very.
• 18:12
  I don't want to say selfish, but you know what I mean?
• 18:14
  Like there's like, there wasn't.
• 18:16
  You saw her grow into this, this woman, but it was again, kind of forced like her power was kind of away from her when she got it back.
• 18:22
  It wasn't like, it didn't feel genuine per se, but, Rose is like the one character that does grow from start to finish.
• 18:33
  But in what ways I also can't pinpoint.
• 18:35
  Can you pinpoint what her like?
• 18:37
  What is the end goal of her story?
• 18:40
  Well, and that's where I think and also I don't know like the truthfulness around it either.
• 18:48
  what liberties they kind of took with that.
• 18:51
  part of me is wondering like they were they were trying to stay true to reality, but also obviously put like a Hollywood spin on it.
• 19:04
  I think it's very real.
• 19:06
  think.
• 19:09
  that the struggle and the reason that the song that I, what, Rose's turn is so powerful is because there are so many mothers who probably feel that way and so many children who also
• 19:30
  feel the other side of it and have experienced that.
• 19:35
  And not knowing the damage
• 19:38
  maybe damage is not the right word, but not knowing the wear and tear that you put on each other through that, especially when you're transferring.
• 19:47
  And obviously there is an extreme situation where she has just envisioned them as children their entire lives, even though they're adults.
• 19:57
  But that departure from childhood to adulthood obviously was a struggle.
• 20:04
  And
• 20:07
  I mean, we can talk about mental health all day.
• 20:10
  We can talk about the psyche behind not wanting to let go that and the fear of what happens when you do.
• 20:19
  So I think all of that plays into it, but that also plays into the growth and the self-realizations that Rose has while still kind of staying true to the narcissism that is
• 20:35
  very strong.
• 20:37
  of Rose because at the end of the day, yes, she had a love, strong love for her children, which is why she's claiming that she's doing what she's doing.
• 20:45
  But then we obviously discover shockingly that it really is a lot about her, maybe even more so.
• 20:57
  You, one of the moments that I absolutely loved in the dynamics that we got to see was the moment with Herb played by, Danny, Burson was when like throughout this whole show, you
• 21:10
  know, he's kind of this back character.
• 21:12
  He's this character that is in love with Rose and Rose is kind of using him.
• 21:17
  And then she finally like kind of gives them like, I'm going to marry you.
• 21:19
  the moment she decides that, that, you know, Louise is going to be a burlesque dancer.
• 21:27
  And like his heart's broken and she's like, could see she's broken, but she's determined.
• 21:32
  And for me, that was the real moment.
• 21:33
  was like, Oh, you really got to see this.
• 21:36
  Like that was the changing point for me for, for Rose.
• 21:40
  Um, because there was such a, there was such a rawness to it, but she was so that can think of a better word than determined.
• 21:47
  She was determined to make her dreams work through her daughters.
• 21:53
  Yeah, the stardom, the focus on stardom without any.
• 22:00
  Care about at what level stardom, right?
• 22:07
  shows, it just it brings out, it says the quiet part out loud, right?
• 22:11
  Basically, up till that point, I feel like the show is like, you have all you see all these things happening, and all the undertones are there.
• 22:19
  And you're like, this is really for her.
• 22:20
  It's really for her.
• 22:21
  And then at that point, I'm not sure if it's shame, or just some type of, like psychological breaking point, or you're like,
• 22:35
  Well, this is the very last thing I can possibly get or grasp at.
• 22:39
  And so I'm going to, even if that means disappointing literally everyone in my life.
• 22:46
  And I feel like as a psychologist, I see that a lot of times where people are just like, they have put all of their eggs into one basket.
• 22:53
  I think she even says that in the show too.
• 22:55
  think it's at the end of act one and she's like, I put all my eggs into baby June and I'm sorry, but I'm gonna put all my eggs into yours now.
• 23:01
  And then in that moment, she also realized that she no longer had eggs in anybody.
• 23:06
  There was no more eggs to give like, and that was a really heartbreaking moment for her.
• 23:10
  And she tried to hold onto that last grass of something ultimately ruined her own relationship.
• 23:16
  Which kind of leads me to think that like she is the villain of her own story.
• 23:19
  But do you see like, do you see as like a different villain of this?
• 23:23
  Do you see her as a villain?
• 23:24
  Or do you think that, I don't know, maybe everybody's a little more black and white than having like an antagonist of to Gypsy.
• 23:32
  I think another reason this story is maybe a little bit generational and or dependent on where you are in life is because of that narrative.
• 23:44
  think if you're a church, you are just in your.
• 23:50
  If you are the child, if you are living currently and seeing the show and you are a child of someone and you don't have children, I think you identify with June and Louise and you
• 24:02
  probably see Rose as 100 % as the villain.
• 24:06
  Like how dare she live through her children.
• 24:11
  And also I think that's a generational differential, I think.
• 24:17
  generations coming up like no longer see that as an excuse or no longer accept that that is going to happen.
• 24:25
  Whereas before
• 24:28
  I think it would have been almost applauded because that meant that they were getting you to success.
• 24:35
  So as long as it carried, as long as the parent was carrying you to success, it was okay.
• 24:42
  It didn't, the means of which it was happening didn't matter.
• 24:46
  And that's where I think too, if you are currently a parent and you're seeing the show, you probably, of course, and I identify with Rose.
• 24:55
  Maybe you see some of the problematic behaviors, but you're identifying with, I would do anything for my child.
• 25:03
  It doesn't matter.
• 25:04
  Like I want them to be successful in everything that they do, everything they touch, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get them there.
• 25:11
  Which, maybe not to that extreme, but that is, think as children, we can all see our parents in that somehow.
• 25:18
  know, granted, I don't know your mom super well, but I know that she wanted the best for you and she sacrificed a lot.
• 25:25
  I know my mom has sacrificed a lot to do so.
• 25:32
  And so that's definitely something that has impacted the way that we are going.
• 25:40
  forth into these environments and these problems.
• 25:46
  Is there any character dynamics that stood out to you specifically?
• 25:58
  I don't say I mean, I feel like it was pretty.
• 26:03
  Exactly what it was.
• 26:04
  I'm not sure that anything was particularly shocking or.
• 26:10
  Yeah, water.
• 26:14
  No, absolutely.
• 26:15
  Is there any themes that you feel like that stood out to you that you liked?
• 26:19
  feel like I definitely appreciated like the the seek for independence.
• 26:22
  I think that's something that everybody our age could really appreciate.
• 26:27
  But I think that there's also just so much.
• 26:31
  There's so many different themes in the story that you can pick from and kind of like you said, you can see yourself in you can see your family and so that's very that's
• 26:38
  interesting in that aspect.
• 26:42
  Yeah, I think I can appreciate.
• 26:47
  that I mean, one of the last scenes, one of the last conversations between Gypsy and Rose of kind of that reconciliation moment.
• 26:56
  They both kind of said what they wanted to say to each other.
• 27:01
  Meanwhile, knowing it's not exactly what they wanted to say because they knew who their audience was, right?
• 27:08
  Like, there's only so much you can say and only so much the other person's gonna hear.
• 27:14
  But still having that conversation is important.
• 27:18
  That was kind of a good, I guess, more takeaway because I think it's something that does not.
• 27:26
  These days, we're all too quick to cut people off completely before having conversations.
• 27:32
  So.
• 27:33
  I agree with that.
• 27:35
  I think it's beneficial.
• 27:38
  Absolutely.
• 27:38
  And so with that, actually, we're running out of time, but look out for part two of our gypsy discussion where we will talk more about the highs and lows of the current Broadway
• 27:47
  hit.
• 27:48
  Thank you again for joining us here in our box seats till next curtain call.