GYPSY: A MUSICAL FABLE Cast Set for Skylight Music Theatre Season Opener

Skylight Music Theatre has announced the cast, musicians, and creative team for Gypsy: A Musical Fable, the BOLD 67th season opener. Featuring Skylight and Milwaukee favorites, continued partnerships with Marquette Theatre and UWM's Peck School of the Arts, and youth performers, the production will feature a live orchestra and launch Skylight's 2026-27 season in the beautiful Cabot Theatre.

Set during the final years of American vaudeville, Gypsy follows the relentless stage mother Rose as she pushes her daughters toward show-business success. As vaudeville fades and her ambitions collide with reality, her shy daughter Louise unexpectedly finds fame as the legendary burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee. Suggested by Gypsy Rose Lee's autobiography, this revered, classic musical explores the complicated bonds between mothers and daughters, ambition, and the pursuit of stardom.

'Gypsy is considered by many to be a perfectly-crafted musical. We here at Skylight are very excited to bring this musical theatre treasure to the Cabot Stage. Gypsy calls for extraordinary performers, and we have just that in Skylight favorite Janet Metz, bringing her star power and Broadway pedigree to the role of Momma Rose,' says Artistic Director and Director of Gypsy Michael Unger. 'Mona Swain will be a true sensation as Louise, and Broadway and Skylight veteran Andrew Varela will shine as Herbie. They are joined by 22 additional remarkable cast members, a live orchestra, and an outstanding creative team. I am delighted to direct this bold, ambitious production and bring the power, humor, heartbreak, and beloved music of Gypsy to Skylight audiences.'

Broadway veteran Janet Metz returns to the Cabot stage as Momma Rose, one of music theatre's most demanding and iconic roles. Metz, last seen at Skylight as Golde in Fiddler on the Roof, has also appeared with Skylight in Sister Act, The Full Monty, and Dennis DeYoung's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Her Broadway credits include Once Upon a Mattress, Marie Christine, On the Town, and Fiddler on the Roof. She also starred as the Narrator opposite Donny Osmond in the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Broadway performer and longtime Skylight favorite Andrew Varela returns to the Cabot stage as Herbie, Rose's devoted partner and the steadying presence at the center of the family's turbulent pursuit of stardom. Varela was most recently seen at Skylight in his portrayal of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Broadway and national touring credits include Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Little Women, and Roundabout Theatre Company's Sunday in the Park with George. A familiar presence on Milwaukee stages as well as across the country, Varela brings decades of experience in some of musical theatre's most celebrated works to one of Gypsy's most quietly compelling roles.

Mona Swain, last seen at Skylight as Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act (2025), will portray Louise, who turns into star Gypsy Rose Lee. Her recent credits include Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard at City Stage Company, Tina Turner in the national tour of TINA: The Tina Turner Musical, and Dorothy in The Wiz.

Additional cast members include Samantha Sostarich as Tessie Tura (Amadeus), Amanda Satchell as Mazeppa (Fiddler on the Roof), and Raven Dockery as Electra (Waitress). Skylight debuts include Peck School of the Arts performer Sophie Kaegi as June (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Paramount Theatre, and Citadel Theatre), and Alex Kennedy as Tulsa (North Shore and the Palace). The cast also features local Milwaukee talent, familiar faces from the Cabot stage, student artists from Marquette Theatre and UWM's Peck School of the Arts, and a youth ensemble.

'There's no better way to begin our BOLD 67th season than with Gypsy and its powerful, complex woman at the center of the story,' says Executive Director Susan Varela. 'We are thrilled to welcome our community back to Skylight Music Theatre for a season filled with bold stories, exceptional artists and partnerships, and outstanding music theatre.'

Additionally, Skylight welcomes back choreographer Reed Luplau, who choreographed Spring Awakening (2024), along with Music Director Jeffrey Saver and Associate Music Director Eric Svejcar, both of whom previously collaborated with Artistic Director Michael Unger on A Rockin' Midsummer Night's Dream (2026).

Tickets are on sale now at SkylightMusicTheatre.org or through the Box Office at (414) 291-7800.

MEET THE CAST

• Rose - Janet Metz*
• Louise – Mona Swain
• June – Sophie Kaegi
• Herbie – Andrew Varela*
• Tessie Tura – Samantha Sostarich
• Mazeppa – Amanda Satchell
• Electra - Raven Dockery
• Tulsa - Alex Kennedy
• Uncle Jocko - David Flores
• Pop - Michael 'Paco' Pocaro
• Mr. Goldstone - Robby McGhee
• Agnes - Emmeline Buesing
• Marjorie May - Audrey Ellis
• Delores - Anna Gross
• Renee - Olivia Coleman
• Yonkers - Lucas Drube
• LA - Jared Martin
• Angie - Zaden Scheer
• Baby June - Selene Taylor
• Baby Louise - To be announced soon

YOUTH PERFORMER ENSEMBLE

• Isaac Bruce
• Olivia Loomis
• Mars Schultz
• Logan Withers
• To be announced soon

MUSICIANS

• Conductor - Jeffrey Saver
• Keyboard - Eric Svejcar
• Drums - Paul Westfahl
• Trumpet - Greg Garcia
• Trumpet - Don Sipe
• Trombone - Kyle Samuelson
• Reeds - Johnny Padilla
• Reeds - Josh Roberts

CREATIVE TEAM

• Directed by Artistic Director Michael Unger**
• Music Direction by Jeffrey Saver
• Choreography by Reed Luplau
• Associate Music Director - Eric Svejcar
• Scenic Designer – Jonathan Berg-Einhorn
• Costume Designer – Michelle Grimm
• Lighting Designer – John 'Smooch' Medina
• Sound Designer – Tye Hunt Fitzgerald
• Production Stage Manager – Natasha 'Nat' Goeller*
• Assistant Stage Manager – Sami Pekelnicky*
• Assistant Stage Manager – Rachel Zachow
• Intimacy and Fight Director – Marcee Doherty

*Appearing through an agreement between Skylight Music Theatre and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

**The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, an independent national labor union.

Gypsy: A Musical Fable

Dates: Sept 25 – Oct 18, 2026

Location: Skylight Music Theatre | 158 N Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202

Tickets and Information: www.skylightmusictheatre.org, (414) 291-7800

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