Review: GYPSY at Skylight Music Theatre

For me, there are certain musicals that become inseparable from the memories we associate with them. Gypsy: A Musical Fable is one of those shows.

Gypsy was among the first musicals I ever saw on Broadway, during a high school drama club trip to New York City, with Linda Lavin starring as the indomitable Rose. I have now seen the show five times since, and perhaps that history is part of what makes seeing a new production so fascinating. You know where the story is going, you know the songs that are coming, and yet the right performers can make you experience Rose, Louise and their complicated relationship in an entirely new way.

Skylight Music Theatre's production of Gypsy, which opened September 25 at the Cabot Theatre, does exactly that — led by a remarkable Janet Metz as Rose.

From the opening notes of "Some People," Metz makes it clear that this Rose is going to be a force. She brings Rose's enormous ambition, drive and desperation vividly to life, pairing a powerful voice with an acting performance that never loses sight of the vulnerability underneath all that determination. Rose may bulldoze her way through the lives of everyone around her, but Metz continually allows us to glimpse the fear driving her forward.

Andrew Varela provides an effective counterbalance as Herbie. In "Small World," the chemistry between Metz and Varela begins establishing the relationship between these two very different people. Varela's Herbie is a stabilizing, calming presence against Rose's chaotic energy. With a beautiful voice and an easy vulnerability, he brings warmth not only to Herbie's relationship with Rose but also to his role as the steadying presence among the collection of children Rose has assembled for her act.

The production's staging is exceptionally strong throughout. The Cabot Theatre's intimate space works beautifully for a story that moves between theatrical spectacle and painfully private family moments, while the set helps establish the changing world of vaudeville, backstage life and, eventually, burlesque. Rather than simply providing a backdrop, the scenic environment feels like part of the journey as Rose relentlessly pushes her family from one opportunity to the next.

That theatrical energy explodes during "Mr. Goldstone, I Love You," one of Act One's highlights. When Rose finally gets the news that the act has been booked on the Orpheum Circuit, the entire ensemble comes together for a wonderfully funny, increasingly manic celebration. The staging allows the excitement to keep building until the scene becomes a hilarious extravaganza.

But some of the production's most affecting moments are its quietest.

Mona Swain's performance of "Little Lamb" as Louise is heartbreaking. For perhaps the first time, we are allowed to see Louise simply being herself rather than existing as part of her mother's plans. Swain's vocals, physicality and facial expressions beautifully capture Louise's innocence and the painful realization of just how overlooked she has become.

The moment landed particularly hard for one member of my party. I brought my nieces with me, hoping to introduce them to one of my favorite "old-school" musicals. After the song, she leaned over and whispered, "They really don't know how old they are? That's so sad."

That spontaneous reaction said more about the effectiveness of Swain's performance than any critical analysis could.

Alex Kennedy, making his Skylight Music Theatre debut as Tulsa, delivers energy in bulk during "All I Need Is the Girl." His vocals are strong, but it is his dancing that makes the number soar. Kennedy makes Tulsa's dream of having the perfect partner to dance alongside him palpable. Just as importantly, Swain plays Louise's silent longing to be that partner beautifully, creating a lovely interplay between the two performers even when Tulsa remains largely oblivious to what Louise is feeling.

Then comes "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

Metz once again fills the stage and theatre with her voice, but the number is powerful because of what exists underneath its supposedly optimistic message. As Rose convinces herself that Louise can become the star June refused to be, the production's imagery becomes particularly effective. The roses incorporated into Rose's costume reinforce the song visually as Metz transforms what sounds like a declaration of triumph into something far more complicated.

Act Two brings another highlight with "You Gotta Get a Gimmick," featuring Amanda Satchell as Mazeppa, Raven Dockery as Electra and Samantha Sostarich as Tessie Tura.

The number is an absolute delight. Just as each character insists that a successful performer needs something distinctive to make an audience remember her, each actress brings something completely different to the trio. Satchell kicks things off with a commanding vocal performance and gloriously uninhibited physical comedy — all while wielding Mazeppa's horn. Dockery gives Electra a sweetness and almost unexpected innocence, paired with gorgeous vocals. Sostarich's Tessie combines a more demure quality with powerhouse vocals, terrific dance technique and a genuinely caring, nurturing attitude toward Louise.

Together, the three turn one of musical theatre's great comic numbers into exactly what it should be: outrageous, hilarious and somehow oddly affectionate.

That encounter also opens the door to Louise's transformation.

In "Let Me Entertain You," Swain does a brilliant job portraying Louise's evolution from the awkward young woman reluctantly entering the world of burlesque into the confident performer who will become Gypsy Rose Lee. The transformation happens not only vocally but physically. Her movements grow more assured, her presence expands, and the uncertainty gradually gives way to confidence as Louise realizes the power she can command onstage.

It is thrilling to watch because Swain makes us feel Louise discovering that power for herself.

Finally, there is "Rose's Turn."

It is one of those musical theatre songs that almost everyone has encountered somewhere, even if they have never seen Gypsy. Having seen the musical five times previously, I have found that "Rose's Turn" is always a revelation. Different actresses find different emotions buried within it, and each performance can make you see Rose in a slightly different way.

Metz's performance is incomparable.

Her voice resonates throughout the Cabot as Rose's desperation, jealousy, longing, fear, loneliness and resentment — toward her children and, perhaps most painfully, toward herself — finally come spilling out. Metz never allows the vocal performance to overwhelm the acting; instead, the two become inseparable. Her voice seems to grow stronger as Rose becomes increasingly exposed, until there is nowhere left for the character to hide.

It is a stunning moment, and one I will carry with me for a long time.

That is ultimately what makes Gypsy endure. Beneath the show-business spectacle, the great Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim score, the comedy and the backstage theatrics is a complicated story about ambition, family, sacrifice and the damage that can be done when a parent's dreams become indistinguishable from a child's.

Director Michael Unger understands both sides of that equation. His production gives us the excitement and theatricality Gypsy demands, supported by terrific staging and a set that immerses us in its changing world. But Unger also knows when to strip all of that away and leave his characters exposed, allowing the quieter, more painful moments to resonate just as powerfully as the show's biggest numbers.

And with Janet Metz's unforgettable Rose at its center, this Gypsy reminds us why, more than six decades after its Broadway debut, audiences are still fascinated by the woman who refuses to stop believing that everything is coming up roses.

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