New York Post columnist
Liz Smith has modified her earlier report that the Weinstein Company is planning to bring
Gypsy to the screen.
According to the scribe, Arthur Laurents, who wrote the book of the Jule Styne/
Stephen Sondheim classic, has not given his permission for the rights to be sold to Harvey and Bob Weinstein. Smith had previously written that the Weinsteins sought Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta Jones (
Chicago) for a planned film adaptation, but Laurents (a good friend of Smith's) called her to contradict her report.
Today, Smith wrote, "Well, I didn't say Harvey had the rights. Just that he had dreams of producing a Gypsy movie, with
Rob Marshall
at the helm. And he does have such a dream. No doubt there is many a
slip 'twixt the cup and the lip, and there would be lots of talks with
Arthur, with
Stephen Sondheim and with the estate of the late (composer) Jule Styne before this could come to fruition...But nothing can stop Mr. Weinstein from dreaming big."
Gypsy opened at the Imperial Theatre on May 25th, 1959 and ran for 702
performances, garnering 8 Tony nominations (it was overshadowed by the
more sugary The Sound of Music). Gypsy,
which recounts stage mother Rose's attempts to turn both of her
daughters into stars and daughter Louise's transformation into
burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee, featured a star turn by Ethel Merman
that has become legendary. It also featured Sandra Church, Jack Klugman and Maria Karnilova. A number of revivals--in 1974 with Angela Lansbury, in 1989 with Tyne Daly and in 2003 with Bernadette Peters and directed by Sam Mendes--have all been successes.The Ravinia Festival in Chicago will present Lonny Price's staged concert of Gypsy, starring Patti LuPone as Rose, in August, while Karen Mason is set to star in the St. Louis MUNY's production from July 17th through 23rd.
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