Who Sang The "Rose's Turn" Climax The Best?

[MikeHemsworth]

I came across this video and I have to say, LuPone is amazing as always I loved also Peters, Buckley. Merman and Imelda. I feel like some are just singing the song and there's no emotion (Ehem Bette Midler) What do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAC3VwfQkVY&lc=UgzmhvtGl5MV3ANuUFZ4AaABAg

[gypsy101]

my favorite is Ethel. i also hate when people sing “may” instead of “me”

[Soaring29]

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! 

 

:)

[lovebwy]

I'm kind of shocked at how great Angela Lansbury is there.

[Princeton2]

it's hard with some of them as it's cabaret performance vs stage performance but I'd say

Angela Lansbury
Tyne Daly
Imelda Staunton
Bernadette Peters

[David10086]

Tyne Daly - hands down! She may not have the best singing voice, but such raw emotion in her delivery. This wasn't Tyne Daly - this was Mama Rose.

[Mike66]

ethel.merman.

I feel so lucky to have seen her do it.

I think something folks might forget that she filled the theatre will HER voice.  No amplification.

I've gotten used to the microphones on the foreheads.  And I'm not asking to go back.  But it's different.  We always sat in the last row in the balcony (my parents had love, not money), so I can vouch for Merman's ability.

Her ANGER when she sang that song -- after all of the emotion leading up to it -- no one has ever captured that quite the same.  She stamped her feet and her body projected up into the cheap seats.

No disrespect to those who came after -- but the role WAS written FOR her, and she will always be the measure.

[lovebwy]

Mike66 your post have me goosebumps. Cherish that great memory. You re lucky to have it. I was born during her run in Dolly, so I never got the chance.

[Zamedy154]

Mike66 - Wow. So envious of you. And I'll just add... the live recording of her from the show that's out there is evidence of a more vulnerable (at times) but no less domineering Rose. For example... in the final "Everything's coming up Rose!" she begins to break down and cry on "Everything's coming up Roses!" Chilling in its perfect presentation.

[nealb1]

I saw Tyne Daly in "Gypsy" here in LA July 1989 before it moved to NYC.  My friend and I were so looking forward to seeing it, but were very disappointed by TD.  Then she won The Tony.  Who knew?

[Skip23]

No one will top the voice of Merman.  Acting...I don't know

 

Lansbury was ferocious and that was great.  LuPone did a fine job too.

 

But overall, it was Linda Lavin who raised the goosebumps.  Stunning.

 

 

[Jarethan]

Linda Lavin was the absolute worst Rose I have ever seen.  Period.  And I have seen at least two Summer Stock productions.

For my money, Angela Lansbury was the most passionate performance and Bernadette Peters sand the most ferocious song.  I will never forget her 'wellllllllllllllllllll someone tell me when is it my turn'.  It was such a fresh take on the whole song.

Patti Lupone also gave an excellent rendition, but her Rose's Turn may simply have been impacted by 'Rose's Turn Burnout'.  It is not in the same category as a several of her songs from both Evita and Anything Goes (one of the great, praised but still under appreciated musical comedy performances).

I am mixed onTyne Daly's performance of the song because I couldn't get past her terrible singing, although I thought that her acting choices.were excellent.

[Patash]

I never saw Ethel do it live, so I won't go there, but I did see all the others mentioned and I'd have to say Imelda Staunton might have been my favorite.  While I LOVE my Patti, I'll have to also say hers was my least favorite.  It just seemed she worked so hard delivering it, too many strange histrionics for my liking.   I sat in anticipation of it the whole show and then was just so underwhelmed by it.  Sorry.  

[qolbinau]

I agree Bernadette's "wellllllllll" in Rose's Turn was an amazing moment. What I love about her performance is she is trying very, very hard - as if she is trying to prove that "she got it" (and does, unlike some other Roses). It doesn't come easy to her like it seems to LuPone. There is something a little fitting in the character about that. Perhaps similarly, her "Everything's Coming Up Roses" is so desperate. It was easy to put Bernadette's cast recording in the drawer once LuPone's Gypsy came out - but I've been revisiting Bernadette's performance recently and there are some interesting choices she and/or Mendes made that I am enjoying.

[SugarButterMueller]

She's not that well known, but Chicago Shakespeare Theatre did a production of Gypsy a few years ago directed by Gary Griffin, and Louise Pitre was Rose. The whole production itself was fabulous, but she was astounding. She just did such a fabulous Rose's Turn. They had her, on the "for me!" section, walk a little into the audience (if you aren't familiar with Chi Shakes theatre there are images online so you can see what I mean, it's a pretty intimate setting) . Even when she built up to the climax of the song she never fully lost the sympathetic aspect of Rose, which was what was so amazing and well done. Because some Rose's just go for full on crazy. 

[GavestonPS]

lovebwy said: "I'm kind of shocked at how great Angela Lansbury is there."

I haven't seen all the Roses. Certainly nobody sang it like Merman.

But the 34 times I saw her (I was working the show in Florida), Angela not only got a standing ovation (no small feat considering the age of our audiences) after "Rose's Turn", but when the audience finally sat down again, her "silent bow" was one of the most frightening things I've ever seen in a theater.

I don't know enough about acting technique to describe how she did it, but with just a slight change of expression she went from triumphant to demented. Absolutely chilling!

[Jarethan]

You really captured it...she was great on the album, but you had to see her to really appreciate how great her acting was.

[Bettyboy72]

I always say “Roses and Normas are like pizza to me. Even when it’s bad I still like it.” I find Rose such a great character that I usually find something to appreciate in each take. I haven’t seen them all but I wept during Patti’s, I held my breath and clutched my pearls during Bernadette’s and was confused during Staunton’s (with hers I felt like I was seeing all the technique and choices and it took me out. That being said I was still awed.) Some play it hurt, some play it angry, some play it mentally ill. Or a combo. I’m always excited to see what they pick.

One of the reasons seeing Glenn revisit Norma was so exciting was the empathy and compassion infused the second go around. Far less crazy and kabuki, Norma was far more sympathetic. As Close aged she clearly understood Norma more.

[followspot]

"With one look — I'll be — maaaaaaay!"  

[Broadway.Melody]

Bettyboy72 said: "I always say “Roses and Normas are like pizza to me. Even when it’s bad I still like it.” I find Rose such a great character that I usually find something to appreciate in each take. I haven’t seen them all but I wept during Patti’s, I held my breath and clutched my pearls during Bernadette’s and was confused during Staunton’s (with hers I felt like I was seeing all the technique and choices and it took me out. That being said I was still awed.) Some play it hurt, some play it angry, some play it mentally ill. Or a combo. I’m always excited to see what they pick.

One of the reasons seeing Glenn revisit Norma was so exciting was the empathy and compassion infused the second go around. Far less crazy and kabuki, Norma was far more sympathetic. As Close aged she clearly understood Norma more."

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment Bettyboy72.

I've only seen two stage productions of Gypsy. Sam Mendes' woefully misguided 2003 revival starring Bernadette Peters and the more recent one with Patti LuPone.

Although both actresses brought something unique to each of their interpretations, overall I preferred Ms. LuPone but as a whole my heart belongs to "The Merm" - - - no one can touch her.

I didn't see Close in the original run of Sunset Boulevard, but I did catch her most recent turn. I would have loved to have compared the two. I thought she was brilliant.

[broadway86]

Just from the clips alone, Lansbury took my breath away.