Customer Reviews

Gypsy (1973 Original London Cast)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you just want to listen to Gypsy for a loud brash singer, then get the original 1959 (with Ethel Merman). If you want a recording that's indicative of the drama and the entire production and of Angela Lansbury's incredible performance, then buy this album. I own four different recordings of this show (including Merman, Tyne Daly and Bette Midler) and this one puts them all behind.

I saw Ethel Merman attempt to play "Rose" in "Gypsy" twice. All she did was stand and yell the songs and had no subtlties in her character. She just played a nasty person with no redeaming features. The big number, "Rose's Turn", at the end of the show was very unpleasant as she came out seeming to say: "Here's my big number and I want applause!" Then I was lucky enough to see Angela Lansbury who made "Rose" a real person, with a magnificant performance that showed many facets of a complex woman. She sang better than Merman as she really tried to shade her numbers to bring out the real person this woman should be. Yes, she could "belt" the numbers when necessary but never shout them as Merman did. I know this musical well as I have played "Herbie" the male lead, so understand the characters and their relationships. Even on this album, not seeing her performance in person, Miss Lansbury comes across as a wonderful, real character. It is a performance to treasure. The first time you hear some of the English accents, it might seem strange, but then you realize that the "newsboys - Baby June" numbers are purposly done poorly as the act was not a good one and has to come over that way. It is just the right touch for those numbers. Listening to "Rose's Turn" by Lansbury is chilling as you can hear the woman coming close to a breakdown as it should be. This has become my favorite version of one of the best scores ever written for a Broadway musical because of the superb Angela Lansbury.

Lansbury was the single best Mamma Rose ever, for this reviewer's money--she had both the best voice (though lacking the sheer belting power of Merman) and could act better than any of the others (with the possible exception of Betty Buckley). This recording is worth hearing just for her, though the awfulness of Dainty June's Newsboys singing with cockney accents ("Extra! Extra!/'ey look at the 'eadloines/ Around the biggest scoop of the decaide!") significantly detracts from the listening pleasure of this recording.

WOW! Agela Lansbury is one of the greatest actresses of our time. Her vocals shine here, like they did with "Mame" and "Anyone Can Whistle". Arthur Laurents, who directed, suggested her, and we should be thankful he did. Now we have three great stars as Madam Rose, Bernadette Peters, Ethel Merman, and Angela Lansbury. This recording is great. The sound is terrific. The majority of the cast does excellent, with the exception of Herbie. He really is not portrayed well. The original Broadway cast is the best to buy, but for an easier listen, look no further.

The part Mama Rose, originally written for Ethel Merman, is to Broadway musicals what Hamlet is to Shakespeare. This is only a slight exaggeration when you consider how often this musical is revived and/or filmed, but what mature actress would not want to get a chance to do "Rose's Turn" on stage for a live audience? This Original London Cast recording captures what many of those who saw it live consider to be the quintessential performance of the role by Angela Lansbury. "Suggested" by the memoirs of legendary stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, "Gypsy" has Music by Jule Styne and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, with a book by Arthur Laurents.

The legendary story of the ultimate Stage Mother who pushed her daughters to be vaudeville stars is well known by now. There might not be a more powerful ending to Act I in musical theater than Rose doing "Everything's Coming Up Roses" while her lover and her daughter watch on in absolute horror. Abandoned by her first born daughter June, at the moment when she should finally pack up and go home, Rose turns to the daughter she has ignored and predicts imminent stardom. The irony is palatable and there is nothing Louise can do to get away from her mom. Throughout the show irony invests every song with added depth of meaning from the opening "Let Me Entertain You" (which takes on a whole new meaning in "The Strip") to the plaintive "Little Lamb" sung by an abandoned Louise on her birthday to the false communion of "Together." The ultimate irony, of course, is the transformation of Louise into the legendary performer Gypsy Rose Lee since it is due to happenstance rather than the determined effort of Mama Rose. Her mother might force her out on stage, but the magic belongs to Louise and Rose will never forgive her for that betrayal.

This is really a painful story of people caught by love in destructive relationships and it is absolutely impossible to turn away from what is happening. The reconciliation between mother and daughter at the end always seems somewhat forced to me, but then it is clear from the beginning that Rose only accepts love and life on her terms and there is nothing that Louise or anybody else can do about it, all of which comes out in the glorious final eruption of "Rose's Turn." "Gypsy" is truly one of the greatest of Broadway musicals. Final note on Irony: 20 years ago I saw June Havok--yes, the original Baby June--as Mrs. Lovett in a touring company of "Sweeney Todd." Apparently you can run from Mama Rose, but you can never get completely away.

Angela Lansbury was the best Mamma Rose. Period. Her singing and acting are perfect. She brought every nuance and emotion there are to the part. Her Everythings Coming Up Roses is frightening in it's blind ambition. And Rose's Turn is amazing. With Merman, it was a bulldozer rendition, like it or not. Lansbury's is a woman who has gone over the edge and it is stupendous. She has become a broken woman and knows it. Her look across the stage as she makes her final exit spoke volumns about the character, with one look! It was an astonishing moment in the theater.
Other actresses have done admirable jobs, Bernadette Peters was wonderful in her own right. And Bette Midler was terrific, but different, on television. How nice to have a competent version on film. The movie version is dismal thanks to Russels obnoxious portrayal. Only Natalie Wood saves the film as Louise, she is beautiful and totally winning.
I won't even go into Tyne Daly's terrible portrayal.

But this version with Lansbury can't be beat. She was the ultimate Rose!!

Angela Lansbury does act this part with a great deal of subtlety compared to Ethel Merman's laser beam of a woman. She's a middle class desperate Rose instead of the single minded lower class shark Merman was. Tyne Daly was both at once - superior to either in the acting, but she did not know how (then) to translate that in a recording studio and the CD of that production suffers, though it has more of the complete score than any other. Bernadette Peters was just miscast later. Bette Midler was so harsh she made Merman seem like Jeannette MacDonald in the role. Patti Lupone is up next this summer.

There are odd omissions on this recording - no opening kid's song for instance, which sets up Gypsy's strip song later. The London cast's kids apparently couldn't learn American accents so you have a Midwest chorus lineup that sounds like it was borrowed from "Oliver". The Herbie doesn't stack up against Klugman and Hadary (who was amazing with Daly). And the whole recording sounds rushed in many places, carelessly conducted. Lansbury lived in visible fear of Merman's shadow that was somewhat mitigated when she won the Tony. Lansbury on "Everything's Coming Up Roses" can't provide the vocal zap Merman did in part because it had to be in a lower key. But then you reach "Rose's Turn" and everything she's worked into the role pays off and she matches or tops Merman on sheer acting guts. That's the reason to have this recording. Period.

... I lost 5 songs in this iMac when I went digital and gave away the CDs and NOT in my backup..OY VEY!..Apple ain't what it used to be...so I want this Angela version cause I actual saw this one,when it hit Broadway(this is recorded in London, with some English casting:you can hear closely,the accent in extra actors)...but WHO could ruin this for me??....I have seen this show on Broadway so many times, especially with Angela, love sitting in the FIRST row,so much fun, feels like you're in the show!...but when they picked B.Peters, I bought a ticket cause FIRST, I love the musical but did I learn a hard lesson.This is a show where Momma, played by the lead, be it Angela etc is ON STAGE almost the entire show(and it is almost as long as South Pacific..about 3 hours) and most times singing.It is a "tour de force", if any actress can add this show to their resume...but B.Peters and I have to say the TV version with my love,Bette Midler..could NOT pull it off ,for me! B.Peters could not hold the notes , it was pathetic...go do CABARET already!..and me paying 150 bucks for a seat, it's not RIGHT!...but along comes Patti Lapone and she was doing this show on Long Island ( I HOPED it would come to Broadway)and the last time I had seen her was in that horrendous version of "Sweeney Todd" it was meant for OFF OFF Broadway...10(?) actors and THEY were the orchestra and Patti playing the TUBA (I mean that woman can do ANYTHING but TUBA??)...it's a creative idea but I am sorry, NOT with Sweeney Todd , who I also saw with Angela Landsbury and a cast of more than 100...it's not that there were 100 people,it needs that amount, to create the environment of a town or else just do a "stage version" with no scenario(they do it in San Fransisco and also Carnegie Hall and usually filmed), which works well when the actors do not want that 8 shows/week gig!...but ANGELA ANGELA ...I miss her singing and dancing...most people who are not in NYC or London, don't have a clue the talent this woman has!...AND REMEMBER 8 SHOWS A WEEK ON BROADWAY, DON'T KNOW HOW MANY IN LONDON??...BUT THAT IS STAMINa(sorry for caps) that just not anyone can do, ESPECIALLY in this show...by the 7th show, they must be losing some voice...well B. Peters lost it about one hour into the show, she ended up"sicking out" allot!.... I am about to get the Patti Lapone one also...and we lost Arthur Laurents in may 2011(writer of Gypsy based on the story of Gypsy Rose Lee, the stripper) , who also wrote "West Side Story", "The Way we Were"etc..do a search and look at the range of his work...during the end, he was directing his shows on Broadway..I have My comments about this man, which I'll keep to myself.

GO SEE A PLAY..WHATEVER TOWN YOU ARE IN!...it changes the way you look at the universe!

Cheers...
Tony(NYC)

Angela..in this show, MAME...and so many on Broadway...LEGENDARY!

To put it simply: thrilling, in and of itself. One of the 2 best (along with the original), each valuable in and of iteslf and not to the exclusion of the other.

Is this the same musical as the Ethel Merman Original Broadway Cast Recording? Angela Lansbury and company take Gypsy to a whole 'nother level... Everything about this London Cast Recording is 1000 times better than the original. The orchestration, the singing, the acting and the sound quality. All of the performances are confident. Angela Lansbury has the ability to navigate through material that requires both subtlety and volume. Barrie Ingham can actually sing where Jack Klugman clearly cannot. The orchestra is bold and brassy and wonderfully loud and energetic. The tempo of every song, including the overture, is faster. The Orignal Broadway orchestra sounds timid and restrained in comparison, perhaps not wanting to over-shadow Ethel Merman and her ego. Perhaps if the London version of this musical were the original Broadway cast, Gypsy would have run much longer on Broadway than it did. The London Cast recording drives like a Lotus in 5th gear, where as the Original Broadway cast feels more like VW Bus climbing a very steep hill.
Jule Styne and Stephen Sondeim's score deserved the London Cast Recording. This is the only version that does their work the full justice it deserves. Lansbury is great in every single thing she does. But she is especially great when performing Sondheim. This is the Gypsy that stands head and shoulders above every other.