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Audra McDonald in Gypsy | Official Broadway Website

Here she is, boys. Here she is, world.

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AUDRA McDONALD IN GYPSY

BOOK BY ARTHUR LAURENTS

MUSIC BY JULE STYNE

LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM

Suggested by the Memoir of Gypsy Rose Lee

CHOREOGRAPHED BY CAMILLE A. BROWN

DIRECTED BY GEORGE C. WOLFE

The most awarded performer in Tony ®  history. The greatest musical of all time. A star turn for the ages. 6-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald plays the mother of all roles in a revelatory new production, helmed by Tony Award-winning visionary director George C. Wolfe , and choreographed by Tony Award-nominated Camille A. Brown .

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About the Show

Here she is, boys! Here she is, world! Here’s Audra!

Six-time Tony Award Winner Audra McDonald will return to Broadway this fall, taking on what is widely regarded as the greatest role in musical theatre, “Rose” in GYPSY .

GYPSY has been lauded by critics and musical theatre fans alike as the greatest musical of all time, the ultimate back-stage tale of an ambitious stage mother fighting for her daughter’s success – while secretly yearning for her own.

Gypsy is the landmark Broadway musical about a domineering mother in the early 20th Century who will do anything to make her young daughters Vaudeville stars. Inspired by the early life of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, this new production is directed by George C. Wolfe and choreographed by Camille A. Brown, and is the musical that introduced the hit songs “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “Let Me Entertain You,“ and “You Gotta Get a Gimmick.”

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Audra McDonald to star in GYPSY at Broadway's Majestic Theatre in Fall 2024

The greatest musical of all time. A star turn for the ages.

It’s Her Turn.

Starring SIX-TIME TONY AWARD WINNER Audra McDonald

DIRECTED BY FIVE-TIME TONY AWARD WINNER George C. Wolfe

REOPENING the LEGENDARY MAJESTIC THEATRE

( New York, NY ) Here she is, boys! Here she is, world! Here’s Audra!

Producers Tom Kirdahy and Mara Isaacs along with Kevin Ryan and Diane Scott Carter have announced that six-time Tony Award Winner Audra McDonald will return to Broadway this fall, taking on what is widely regarded as the greatest role in musical theatre, “Rose” in GYPSY . This upcoming revival will be directed by the legendary five-time Tony Award-winning Director George C. Wolfe . GYPSY features a book by Tony Award Winner Arthur Laurents , music by Tony and Academy Award Winner Jule Styne , and lyrics by Tony, Grammy, Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize Winner Stephen Sondheim.

The choreography will be by four-time Tony Award nominated Camille A. Brown .  Additional casting and creative team members will be announced at a later date.

“When we began this journey we had the specific dream of pairing Audra McDonald , our most lauded stage actress, with legendary director George C. Wolfe in a musical deemed by many to be the greatest.  Sometimes the theatre gods smile upon us.  This is one such time.  We could not be more honored to bring this particular GYPSY to the Broadway stage and also include the singular Camille A. Brown as part of our creative team," said producers Tom Kirdahy and Mara Isaacs .

Performances will begin Thursday, November 21, 2024, at Broadway’s newly renovated Majestic Theatre (245 West 44 th Street) and will open on Thursday, December 19, 2024.

According to The New York Times , “Audra McDonald has become to the American theater what Meryl Streep is to film — a star of unstinting polish and versatility. Ms. McDonald embosses any production in which she appears with a good-value guarantee.” GYPSY reunites  George C. Wolfe, whom  The New Yorker  calls “a titan of the American theatre,” with  Audra McDonald , after their collaboration on the 2016 Tony-nominated production of Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed. The Tony Awards Administration Committee recently announced that this June, George C. Wolfe will receive the 2024 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre.

Tickets for GYPSY go on sale Thursday, May 30, 2024, at 10am via telecharge.com .

GYPSY is produced by Tom Kirdahy, Mara Isaacs, Kevin Ryan, Diane Scott Carter, Peter May, and Thomas M. Neff.

GYPSY has been lauded by critics and musical theatre fans alike as the greatest musical of all time, the ultimate back-stage tale of an ambitious stage mother fighting for her daughter’s success – while secretly yearning for her own.

'' GYPSY tapers off from perfection in the first act to mere brilliance in the second.” - Kenneth Tynan , The New York Yorker – 1959

“Everything about GYPSY is right. The Jule Styne score has a lilt and a surprise to it. The music bounces out of the pit, assertive, confident, and cocky, and has a love affair with Stephen Sondheim's elegantly paced, daringly phrased lyrics. And then there is the book by Arthur Laurents. Rose is possibly one of the few truly complex characters in the American musical. Yes, the show has everything going for it. GYPSY is one of the best musicals and it improves with keeping. – Clive Barnes , The New York Times - 1974

“I've always had only one choice in the category of favorite musical. It is GYPSY .  This show actually keeps improving with age.  A wrenching fable about a tyrannical stage mother and the daughters she both champions and cripples - yet also a showcase for one classic Jule Styne-Stephen Sondheim song and rousing Jerome Robbins vaudeville routine after another - GYPSY is nothing if not Broadway's own brassy, unlikely answer to King Lear . It speaks to you one way when you are a child, then chases after you to say something else when you've grown up.  Like Lear , it cannot be done without a powerhouse performance in its marathon parental role.” – Frank Rich , The New York Times – 1989

“I was more persuaded than ever that GYPSY is one of the most enduring creations of the American theater, its scenes are as punchy as the vaudeville routines of its milieu, as relentless as Rose herself, pushing the story ahead in jump cuts to the punctuation of what may be the most seductive show tunes ever written.” - Frank Rich , The New York Times - 2003

“The American musical's most daunting maternal role: Momma Rose, the ultimate stage mother in the ultimate backstage show.” – Ben Brantley , The New York Times - 2003

''It holds up the way Citizen Kane holds up.  Every scene is juicy. The characters are vivid. The songs are sharp and entertaining. You can't get bored in Citizen Kane, and you can't get bored in GYPSY .” – Stephen Sondheim , 2003

“Styne’s score is one of the best for any show ever.” - Ben Brantley , The New York Times – 2008

Since GYPSY premiered on Broadway in 1959, starring Ethel Merman , many of the greatest performers in Broadway history have taken on the iconic role of “Rose”: Angela Lansbury in 1974, Tyne Daly in 1989, Bernadette Peters in 2003, and Patti LuPone in 2008. Now… it’s Audra’s turn.

BIOGRAPHIES

AUDRA McDONALD is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both a singer and an actor. The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards and an Emmy, in 2015 she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people and received the National Medal of Arts—America’s highest honor for achievement in the field—from President Barack Obama. In addition to her Tony-winning performances in Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill —the role that also served as the vehicle for her Olivier Award-nominated 2017 debut in London’s West End—she has appeared on Broadway in The Secret Garden; Marie Christine (Tony nomination); Henry IV; 110 in the Shade (Tony nomination); Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Tony nomination); and Ohio State Murders (Tony nomination).  On television, she was seen by millions as the Mother Abbess in NBC’s “The Sound of Music Live!,” won an Emmy Award for her role as host of PBS’s “Live From Lincoln Center,” and received Emmy nominations for “Wit,” “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill.” Having played Dr. Naomi Bennett on Shonda Rhimes’s “Private Practice” (ABC) and Liz Reddick (formerly Lawrence) on both “The Good Wife” (CBS) and “The Good Fight” (Paramount+), she may now be seen as Dorothy Scott on Julian Fellowes’s “The Gilded Age” (HBO). On film, she has appeared in Seven Servants, The Object of My Affection, Cradle Will Rock, It Runs in the Family, The Best Thief in the World, She Got Problems, Rampart, Ricki and the Flash , Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast , the movie-musical Hello Again , Cinergistik’s documentary Whitney Houston in Focus , the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions’ Rustin and MGM’s Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect .  McDonald is a Juilliard-trained soprano, whose opera credits include La voix humaine and Send at Houston Grand Opera, and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at Los Angeles Opera, where the resulting recording earned her two Grammy Awards. She has issued five solo albums on the Nonesuch label as well as “Sing Happy” with the New York Philharmonic on Decca Gold. She also maintains a major career as a concert artist, regularly appearing on the great stages of the world and with leading international orchestras. She is a founding member of Black Theatre United, board member of Covenant House International, and prominent advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, whose favorite roles are those performed offstage, as an activist, wife to actor Will Swenson, and mother.

GEORGE C. WOLFE ’s theatre directing credits include The Iceman Cometh; Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed (New York Drama Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Musical); Lucky Guy; Gary; A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, The Normal Heart (Drama Desk); Jelly’s Last Jam (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award); Angels in America: Millennium Approaches (Tony Award and Drama Desk) and Perestroika (Drama Desk); Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk (Tony and Drama League Award); Topdog/Underdog (Obie Award); Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (Drama Desk ); Elaine Stritch at Liberty (Tony for Special Theatrical Event); The Tempest; The Wild Party; Caroline, or Change (Olivier Award Best Musical); and A Free Man of Color . From 1993-2005 Wolfe was the Producer of The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival. He is the writer of the award-winning The Colored Museum, Shuffle Along , directed/adapted Spunk (Obie), and created Harlem Song for the Apollo Theatre. Wolfe directed and co-wrote the HBO film “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” as well as Lackawanna Blues , for which he earned The Directors Guild Award, a National Board of Review Award, a Christopher Award, and the Humanitas Prize.  For Netflix, he directed “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom”, which was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, and most recently “Rustin” (Gotham Award). He is the Chief Creative Officer of the Center for Civil and Human Rights and from 2009-2017 served on The President's Committee for the Arts and The Humanities. Additional awards include the PEN Mike Nichols Writing Performance Award, Actors Equity Paul Robeson Award, Society of Directors and Choreographers Mr. Abbott and Callaway Awards, the Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award, the New Dramatists Outstanding Career Achievement Award, the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award, the Lambda Liberty Award, the Spirit of the City Award, the Brendan Gil Prize, the Distinguished Alumni Award from NYU, a Princess Grace Award, the Monte Cristo Award and was inducted in the Theatre Hall of Fame. Wolfe was named a Library Lion by the New York Public Library and a living landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. The Tony Awards Administration Committee recently announced that this June, George C. Wolfe will receive the 2024 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre.

CAMILLE A. BROWN .  Four-time Tony Award nominee, including a current nomination for her choreography in Hell’s Kitchen on Broadway, is a prolific Black female choreographer who in 2022, made her Broadway directorial debut for the Broadway revival of  for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the   rainbow is enuf , making her the first Black woman to direct and choreograph a Broadway play since Katherine Dunham in 1955. The production received seven Tony Award nominations including Best Direction of a Play and Best Choreography for Brown. The New York Times proclaimed the production "triumphant." The same season, at The Metropolitan Opera, Camille became the first Black artist to direct a mainstage production, co-directing alongside James Robinson on Terence Blanchard’s  Fire Shut Up in My Bones  (2021), which she also choreographed. Fire was triumphantly brought back to the MET again this 2024 spring season. Camille also choreographed  Porgy & Bess  in 2020 and Terence Blanchard’s  Champion , which premiered April 2023, both at The MET Opera. Camille made her Broadway choreography debut with the critically acclaimed revival of Once on This Island, followed by Choir Boy for MTC. She continues to be the artistic director and choreographer for her own company, Camille A Brown and Dancers and this summer will premiere a new piece, the highly anticipated “ I AM ” at Jacobs Pillow. Most recently, Brown won the Chita Rivera Award for outstanding choreography and earned a Drama Desk nomination and her fourth Tony Award nomination for her choreography of the Broadway hit,  Hell’s Kitchen,  the new Alicia Keys musical which has garnered 13 Tony Award nominations.

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All the songs in 'Gypsy' on Broadway

Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald takes on the iconic role of Mama Rose in visionary director George C. Wolfe’s revival of the classic showbiz musical.

It is Audra’s turn. Theatrical legend Audra McDonald takes on the role of Mama Rose in the hotly anticipated Broadway revival of the classic musical Gypsy . Directed by Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe and choreographed by four-time Tony nominee Camille A. Brown, the production marks McDonald’s first musical role on Broadway since 2017.

Based on the memoir of burlesque artist Gypsy Rose Lee, Gypsy focuses on Lee’s fraught relationship with her mother, Rose, a frightening and powerful figure who lives vicariously through her daughter’s success. First on Broadway in 1959, the show features music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents.

McDonald is the latest in a long line of performers to tackle Styne and Sondheim’s beloved score, which features such standards as “Let Me Entertain You” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” Keep reading to learn more about the musical numbers in Gypsy .

Check back for information on Gypsy tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

This article contains spoilers for Gypsy .

“May We Entertain You”

Seattle, early 1920s. Young sisters Baby June and Louise rehearse their vaudeville act ahead of a performance that evening at Uncle Jocko’s Vaudeville. The siblings’ mother, Rose, interrupts their number to critique her children and boss around the musicians. Baby June is the star of the act and Rose's favorite, while Louise stays in the background.

“Some People”

Rose has grand ambitions for her children’s act, but her grandfather refuses to provide any more financial support, suggesting Rose instead find a new husband. Her rejoinder: “After three husbands, I want to enjoy myself.” Some people, Rose sings, might be content with an unexciting life, but not Rose. She refuses to let her daughters settle for the average or the expected. They will be stars.

Legendary entertainer Ethel Merman originated the role of Rose in the 1959 Broadway premiere of Gypsy after building the show from the ground up alongside producer David Merrick. The role has since been played on Broadway by Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly , Bernadette Peters , and Patti LuPone .

“Some People (Reprise)”

As Rose and the girls drive cross-country to Los Angeles, she sings again of her dreams for her daughters. But in truth, the ambitions really belong to Rose herself: “Got the dream, but not the guts… That’s living for some people, but not Rose.”

“Small World”

At a theatre in Los Angeles, Rose struggles to land her daughters a booking until Herbie, a former agent, speaks up on their behalf. He expresses romantic interest in Rose, but she doesn’t wish to remarry. She asks Herbie to represent June and Louise, but he’s done with show business. Rose seduces the sweetly Herbie, convincing him the act is worth his time: “We have so much in common, it’s a phenomenon.”

The role of Herbie was originated on Broadway by film and television actor Jack Kulgman. The role has since been played on Broadway by Jonathan Hadary (opposite Daly), John Dossett (opposite Peters), and Boyd Gaines (opposite LuPone).

“Baby June and Her Newsboys/Let Me Entertain You”

Baby June, joined by a chorus of newsboys, performs a jazzed-up version of her vaudeville act. Louise now appears only as an ensemble dancer.

Years pass, and the girls are now adolescents, still performing the same show across the country.

“Have An Eggroll, Mr. Goldstone”

Rose, June, and the company celebrate Louise’s birthday one morning, but they are quickly distracted by the news that June’s show has been booked on the Orpheum Circuit. With everyone now focused on celebrating their new producer, Mr. Goldstone, Louise’s big day is quickly forgotten.

“Little Lamb”

Singing to her stuffed animals, Louise celebrates her birthday alone, wondering: “Little lamb, little lamb, I wonder how old I am.”

Sandra Church originated the role of Louise in the original 1959 Broadway production, while film actress Lane Bradbury played June. More recently, Crista Moore, Tammy Blanchard, and Laura Benanti have played Louise on Broadway. Benanti won a Tony Award for her portrayal in 2008.

“You’ll Never Get Away From Me”

Herbie tries to warn Rose the Depression and the advent of “talkies” (movies with sound) could mean the end of vaudeville. He wonders if June and Louise should instead be in school. Herbie proposes marriage again, but Rose moves the goalposts again – if he helps her get June’s name “up in lights on Broadway,” she will marry him. The two sing together: “I couldn’t get away from you even if I wanted to.”

“Dainty June and Her Farmboys”

June and company perform for high-powered mogul T.T. Grantziger. He offers to take June under his wing and pay to send her to school for acting, but on the condition that Rose no longer be involved.

“If Momma Was Married”

June admits to Louise that she hates their act and the life Rose has forced upon them. Together, the two happily imagine a world where their mother married Herbie and let go of her showbiz fantasies.

The sisters sing together: “Momma, please take our advice, we aren’t the Lunts,” with June adding: “I’m not Fanny Brice.” The Lunts — Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontane — were a showbiz couple for whom Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is named. Brice was a famous performer in the Ziegfeld Follies and the subject of her own musical, Funny Girl .

“All I Need Is The Girl”

Rose refuses Grantziger’s offer and the act goes back on the road, now in Buffalo. Tulsa, one of the dancers in the show, confides to Louise that he is secretly working on his own two-person act, revealing: “All I really need is the girl.” Excited by Tulsa’s vigor and passion, Louise joins in the dance and fantasizes of being just the “girl” for Tulsa.

“Everything’s Coming Up Roses”

Tulsa instead secretly marries June, and the two run away together. Herbie proposes to Rose again, suggesting he get back into the candy business. But Rose refuses to let the act die, instead declaring that Louise will be the new star: “You can do it, All you need is a hand... We can do it, Momma is gonna see to it!”

Somewhere between a rallying cry and a breakdown, the Act 1 finale “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” is one of the most famous numbers from Gypsy . It became a signature number for Merman, who recorded it for multiple albums over the course of her career and even performed it for a television commercial promoting dish soap. Merman also made her final film appearance in Airplane! as Lt. Hurwitz, a shell-shocked soldier convinced he is Ethel Merman. So introduced, the film then cuts to Merman singing a few bars of “Roses” before she is subdued by doctors.

“Madame Rose’s Toreadorables”

A few years later, at the top of Act 2, Rose and Louise are still on the road. Louise is the average headliner of a far lesser vaudeville act, “Madame Rose’s Toreadorables.” Rose forces Louise to wear a blonde wig so she more closely resembles June.

“Together Wherever We Go”

Louise asks Rose to give up on her showbiz dreams, but her mother is unmoved. Despite their disagreements, Rose, Louise, and Herbie pledge to stick by each other no matter what: “We’re gonna go through it together.”

“You Gotta Get A Gimmick”

Herbie accidentally books Louise's act at a burlesque house in Wichita, Kansas. Distraught, Rose realizes the act is finished and asks Herbie to marry her. He happily accepts. Louise convinces her mother to let them play the two weeks, as the family is desperate for money.

Backstage, Louise receives advice from three strippers on how to make a successful burlesque act: “Get yourself a gimmick, and you too can be a star!”

“Small World (Reprise)”

On their last night performing at the burlesque house, Rose overhears that the show’s star stripper has been arrested. Unable to resist a last chance at glory, she volunteers Louise to perform the striptease instead. Seeing Louise’s horror, Rose pressures her into the performance: “Let’s walk away a star.” Horrified, Herbie calls off the wedding and leaves for good.

“Let Me Entertain You”

Louise performs her striptease, at first nervously, but then gradually growing in confidence as her Rose whispers instructions from off stage. As the number continues, the years pass, and Louise – taking on the stage name Gypsy Rose Lee – gradually becomes a star burlesque performer, traveling the country before ever-growing crowds.

“Rose’s Turn”

Louise is now an accomplished burlesque performer. She argues in her dressing room with Rose, who finally admits to her daughter — and to herself — that she only pushed her daughters into show business after failing to achieve her own dreams as a performer.

Rose attempts to demonstrate her untapped talent for Louise, in hopes that her daughter might understand her. She performs a bold, brassy solo confronting her regrets, fears. self-absorption, and hurt, singing: “If it wasn’t for me, then where would you be, Miss Gypsy Rose Lee?”

Louise leaves and Rose follows, their future together unclear.

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Photo credit: Audra McDonald. (Photo by Autumn De Wilde)

Originally published on Sep 9, 2024 17:43

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Gypsy , Starring Audra McDonald as Momma Rose, to Reopen Broadway's Majestic Theatre

Gypsy ,  the musical by Jule Styne, Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim, will be revived on Broadway with six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald starring as Momma Rose. The production will be directed by five-time Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe, who previously collaborated with McDonald in 2016's Shuffle Along , and choreographed by four-time Tony nominee Camille A. Brown ( Hell's Kitchen ). Performances will begin November 21 ahead of a December 19 opening at the Majestic Theatre. The show will be the first to take up residence at the Majestic since  The Phantom of the Opera  ended its 35-year run. The theater has been undergoing renovations since  Phantom  vacated last April.

“When we began this journey we had the specific dream of pairing Audra McDonald, our most lauded stage actress, with legendary director George C. Wolfe in a musical deemed by many to be the greatest," said producers Tom Kirdahy and Mara Isaacs in a statement. "Sometimes the theater gods smile upon us. This is one such time. We could not be more honored to bring this particular Gypsy to the Broadway stage and also include the singular Camille A. Brown as part of our creative team." 

First produced on Broadway in 1959 with Ethel Merman in the lead role,  Gypsy  is loosely based on striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee's 1957 autobiography. The musical focuses on her mother, Rose, whose character has come to define the quintessential stage parent. Since its Broadway premiere,  Gypsy  has been revived four times, with the role of Momma Rose performed by Angela Lansbury , Tyne Daly , Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone . Lansbury, Daly and LuPone all won Tony Awards for their performances.  

McDonald has won Tony Awards in all four acting categories, earning trophies for her performances in  Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, Porgy and Bess  and  Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill.  She garnered additional nominations for her performances in  Marie Christine, 110 in the Shade, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune  and  Ohio State Murders.  In 2015, she received a National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama and was named one of  Time  magazine’s 100 most influential people. Her television credits include Private Practice, The Good Wife  and its spinoff series, The Good Fight,  also earning an Emmy Award for hosting PBS’s  Live From Lincoln Center . Her film credits include Disney’s live-action  Beauty and the Beast  and the Aretha Franklin biopic  Respect . 

Additional casting and creative team members will be announced at a later date.

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Show Finder

First Preview: Nov 21, 2024

Opening Date: Dec 19, 2024

Majestic Theatre

247 W 44th St New York, NY 10036

Performance Schedule:

Visit telecharge.com for full schedule.

Audra McDonald

Stephen Sondheim

Arthur Laurents

George C. Wolfe

Choreography

Camille A. Brown

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By: RAVEN SNOOK

Accessibility:

Ticket Lobby: Three counters 38.5", 41.5", and 47". Accessible pass-through with writing shelf at 32". Assistance available.

Valet parking garage: 1st garage: South side of 44th St. between 6th and 7th Aves. Vertical clearance: 105". 2nd garage: East of Shubert Alley on north side of 44th St. (theater block) between Broadway & 8th Ave. No vans.

(2.5" lip) NW corner of 44th St. & Broadway; SW corner Broadway & 44th St.; (2.5" lip) SE corner 44th St. & Broadway.

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Take the M7, M20, M42, or M104 bus.

Unisex: Main lobby. ADA compliant, door 32". Stall 78"x162". Commode 18". Grab bars.

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1, 2, 3, 7, S, N, R, W, Q, A, C, E to 42nd St./Times Square; 1, C, E to 50th Street.

Front orchestra on ground level. Rear orchestra, mezzanine and lower lounge reached only by stairs. Seats 1,645.

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Ticket Lobby, Coin slot 46", Cord 29". With TTY and electric outlet.

Double doors in series: 1st set (each 28.5") has 1 pair of automatic doors from 44th St. to Ticket Lobby with push-button control. Second set (each 28", attended by ushers) to inner lobby.

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4 vision seats are front row center, available for purchase at full price. Pre-recorded audio description devices are also available.

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Audra McDonald to Star in ‘Gypsy’ Revival on Broadway This Fall

The six-time Tony-winning actress will play musical theater’s most famous stage mother in a production directed by George C. Wolfe.

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By Michael Paulson

Audra McDonald has been dreaming of “Gypsy” since she was a 10-year-old in Fresno, Calif., with a small part in a dinner theater production of the musical. She played one of the children in a vaudeville act called “Uncle Jocko’s Kiddie Show,” and ever since, she said, “Gypsy” has remained “very much alive in my brain.”

McDonald, who has won more competitive Tony Awards than any other performer in history, has for years been thinking about the show’s main character, a domineering stage mother named Rose. She has even sung from the musical’s score at some of her concerts.

Now, McDonald, 53, will play Rose in a Broadway revival of “Gypsy” opening later this year.

“It’s one of the great roles in musical theater, and I’ve always thought maybe some day I could try it,” McDonald said in an interview. “It scares me to death, but I certainly feel old enough now, and having experienced motherhood, perhaps I have what is needed to dive in and explore her and all that she is.”

The production, directed by George C. Wolfe and choreographed by Camille A. Brown, is to begin previews on Nov. 21 and open Dec. 19 at the Majestic Theater, which has been under renovation since last year’s closing of “The Phantom of the Opera.” (That show ran there for 35 years.)

“Gypsy,” first staged on Broadway in 1959, is inspired by the memoir of Gypsy Rose Lee, a stripper who reflects on her relationship with her mother. The musical’s Rose is ravenously hungry for fame for her daughters, or maybe for herself. The role was originated by Ethel Merman , and has since been played on Broadway by Angela Lansbury , Tyne Daly , Linda Lavin, Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone , on film by Rosalind Russell and on television by Bette Midler .

McDonald said she sees “Gypsy,” which features music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Arthur Laurents, as “a perfect musical” and called Rose a “deeply flawed and brilliantly alive character.” She recalled that in a 1989 review in The New York Times, Frank Rich wrote , “‘Gypsy’ is nothing if not Broadway’s own brassy, unlikely answer to ‘King Lear.’”

McDonald has appeared in 13 Broadway shows. Most recently, she starred in a 2022 production of the Adrienne Kennedy play “ Ohio State Murders .” She has been nominated for Tony Awards 10 times; her six wins were for roles in “Carousel,” “Master Class,” “Ragtime,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Porgy and Bess” and “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill.” She is the only person who has won Tonys in four different acting categories (leading and featured in musicals and plays).

Wolfe previously directed McDonald in the 2016 Broadway production of “ Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed ,” as well as in last year’s Netflix film “Rustin.” Wolfe won Tony Awards for directing “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” and “Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk” and this year is receiving a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement.

Wolfe said in an interview that McDonald asked him to direct the production, and added that he has a personal connection to one of the authors — Laurents was among his teachers at N.Y.U. in the early 1980s, and became an early supporter of his career. He called “Gypsy” “a really great piece of theater literature” and Rose “one of the best written roles in the musical theater canon.”

He said that his ideas for the production were still evolving. “The thing that keeps on resonating with me is the idea of not enough: not enough space, not enough love, not enough money,” Wolfe said. “That’s what’s pulling me in.”

The “Gypsy” revival — which will be the sixth production of the show on Broadway — is being lead produced by Tom Kirdahy and Mara Isaacs, who are also among the lead producers of “Hadestown.”

Michael Paulson is the theater reporter for The Times. More about Michael Paulson

GYPSY Will Feature Music Broadway Hasn't Heard Since 1959

Gypsy will begin previews at the Majestic Theatre on November 21, 2024.

In just a mattter of months, Gypsy, one of the most beloved musicals of all time, returns to Broadway in its fifth revival. The show has previously starred some of the greatest performers of all time ( Ethel Merman , Angela Lansbury , Tyne Daly , Bernadette Peters , and Patti LuPone - just to name a few) in what is considered one of the greatest roles in the musical theatre canon- Mama Rose.

This time, it's Audra McDonald 's turn, and she's leading an all new prroduction that will be brought to life by visionary director, George C. Wolfe .

One of the most exciting updates to expect from this revival will be the inclusion of a fully restored score- a project that is being helmed by Musical Supervisor, Director and Conductor Andy Einhorn . He checked in with BroadwayWorld to tell us all about the work he and his colleagues are doing to create a Gypsy that hasn't been heard since 1959.

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What a big week for you to get to reopen the Majestic! It sounds hyperbolic, but it was truly perfect to get the chance to reopen this beautifully restored theater, which has been brought back to its original beauty and splendor. But as George C. Wolfe said, and Audra alluded, we're in the shadows and the great company of all of those artist who have stood before us in that building and on that stage and there's a safety net that comes with that, which is beautiful and then combined with the fact that we were getting our full orchestra of 26 players, which is remarkable for today. 

Yes, but also, and featuring a restored orchestration- we will be going back to the original version that  Sid Ramin  and  Robert Ginzler  both orchestrated for the original production. And part of the journey of getting to that point was that this show has obviously been revived countless times over the years since the original production. Even after the original production, the show went on the road and that was at a time where, let's say, your woodwind player wasn't quite as strong in Decatur, Illinois, as the original players on Broadway. So what starts to happen is the orchestration began to be tweaked a bit and slightly adjusted from what the original intent was.

When we were exploring this production with all of the players involved from George to Audra to Camille, all signs pointed in the direction of why not explore this?

And what exactly goes into that restoration process?

I have a friend who has been working at Encores for almost about 20 years as sort a sort of music historian/restoration-type person. His name is Josh Clayton . I called Josh because I had some questions about why certain instrument doublings were such as they were. And over the course of that conversation, I said, 'Why has nobody ever found the original parts?' And he said, 'Well, I'll raise you and say, what if we were to actually consider rescoring the original orchestration?' So, the two of us and Jason Buell are working with the Jule Styne estate. 

Right now we are deep in the weeds of doing what everyone heard earlier this week, but the overture and all the way to the end of the show, which is a big undertaking for a short amount of time, but it will really make a big difference. 

I mean, the proof is there... that overture sounded incredible. 

There was just such a clarity to the sound. And also, that was just an acoustic version. Nothing was amplified!

I can't wait to hear the rest!

It's like an architectural dig. It's very nerdy, but it's very music historian based, but it's really combing through. The amount of material that there is is actually rather surprising because you're not only conferring from sort of the orchestrators handwritten notes, but then you're looking at pit parts from the original Broadway production. And, then you're looking at pit parts from the tours and then you're comparing that against recorded versions of the show. 

Even on the original cast album, there are different introductions from songs that were not then ever used in the show. So, we're comparing that and saying, well, do we wanna restore that? Do we wanna consider using that? Ultimately what it means is that you're trying to get back to the truest version of the show.

So, essentially what people will hear in this revival hasn't been heard since the original 1959 production?

Correct. I've had the great fortune of working on tremendous revivals in my life, but Gypsy is the classic American musical in a lot of ways. It really surprised me that this didn't exist. I keep joking with people that we're doing a mitzvah for the American musical theater right now. 

There's something wonderful about having to get inside the brain of somebody. Just as George is getting inside of the brain of these writers, and even in Jerome Robbins  and trying to understand how this was put together, I think that for us as living artists, there's something that's so satisfying to sometimes have to jump into that mindset and wonder why specific choices were made. 

And now to hear this restored sound coupled with Audra McDonald singing it... She's our greatest living, singing actor of our time. What she's gonna bring to the role is something that nobody's ever seen before. When you look at somebody like George and you combine his work with her work, there's an electricity that comes with that. And then you match that with the size and the scope of this piece. And as she has said, and as everybody will say, this is really the King Lear of musical theater roles. I can't think of another role in musical theater where musically, textually, character, it really requires a full 360 degree performance. 

A lot of people consider Gypsy the greatest musical ever written. Why do you think it holds up? 

Just as Fiddler on the Roof is about tradition and family, I think we all can connect to the idea of realizing our dreams. And within realizing our dreams, those obstacles that are around us and those obstacles that are within us. And I think there's something about these characters that has them always reaching for something greater than they have at any moment. And this is a strange word to describe any of them because it doesn't necessarily seem intuitive, but there is a humility at moments against a backdrop of a maniacal thirst and hunger. I think the best musicals are the ones where we see something of baseline human emotion that anybody in that audience can relate to. 

And then couple that with the fact that I think truly it has one of the most sensational scores ever written. I think these songs are truly timeless. Jule Styne was a master. And the fact that combined with Sondheim for the wit and the beauty of lyric and just sort of that perfect marriage of word and music with again, I think Arthur's book is flawless. It is a beautifully told story and the it tells a in a very profound way.

And now a whole new genration of thearegoers will get to experience it.

I guarantee that there will be people in this audience who have never seen the show before. Isn't it exciting to know that we are creating a revival for those who love the show, and for those who have never seen the show before. If we do our job correctly, then we will make everybody in that audience feel that they know it and love it and that in some ways it feels like it was just written today. 

Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas

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Gypsy The Musical

Returns to london from 28th march 2015 at savoy theatre, strand, london, wc2r 0et.

Broadway has enjoyed five productions of ‘Gypsy’ since 1959, all of which have provided a unique take on the show and characters. Much of the show rests on the central casting of Mama Rose, and each actress who takes on the challenge brings something very different to the show.

Original Broadway Production, 1959 – The Broadway Theatre 

Ethel Merman starred as Rose, alongside Jack Klugman as Herbie, Sandra Church as Louise.Scenic and lighting design was by Jo Mielziner, with costumes by Raoul Pene Du Bois. The iconic overture was orchestrated by Sid Ramin and Robert Ginzler.

The original production was well received  and many have said in hindsight that it was one of the most influential stagings of the period. The show was nominated for 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical but failed to take home any.

1974 Broadway Revival – Winter Garden Theatre

The production was produced alongside Edgar Lansbury and directed by the show’s bookwriter, Arthur Laurents, with choreography by Robert Tucker.

1989 Broadway Revival – St James Theatre 

Tyne Daly starred as Rose, with Jonathan Hadary as Herbie and Crista Moore as Louise. The production won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival and Tyne Daly won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

2003 Broadway Revival – Schubert Theatre 

Peters was joined in the role by John Dossett as Herbie, Tammy Blanchard as Louise, Kate Reinders as June and David Burtka as Tulsa. The show opened on May 1, 2003 and closed on May 30, 2004 after 451 performances, recouping little over half of its original $8 million investment.

2008 Broadway Revival – St James Theatre 

The production went on to win the Tony Award and Drama Desk Awards for LuPone, Gaines and Benanti and continued to play until January 11, 2009.

1 thought on “ Broadway ”

I’ve always been interested in the musical Gypsy. My sister was the original baby Louise with Ethel Merman . I was there on opening night .It was so exciting. I would sit in the waiting area with my mother during rehearsals. I was so happy to see Jerome Robbins as I was an aspiring dancer studying at the school of American Ballet at the time

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Apr 28 – Jun 25, 2023 / The Goodspeed - 6 Main Street, East Haddam, CT 06423 view map

Here she is, world! Momma Rose, the ambitious stage mother determined to drive her daughters toward stardom, takes center stage in one of the most celebrated musicals of all time. And with her comes a parade of iconic tunes that conjure the joys and heartaches of show business: "Everything’s Coming Up Roses," "Let Me Entertain You," "Together, Wherever We Go," and more. The brassy masterpiece about vaudeville and burlesque lights up the Goodspeed stage for the very first time. Curtain up!

GYPSY is presented by arrangement with   Concord Theatricals   on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC.

View the Program

Arthur Laurents

Stephen Sondheim

Suggested by memoirs of

Gypsy Rose Lee

Scenic Design by

Alexander Dodge

Costume Design by

Eduardo Sicangco

Lighting Design by

Paul Miller

Sound Design by

Wig Design by

Jason Hayes

Wig Design for Ms. McLane & Ms. Suskauer by

J. Jared Janas

Orchestrations by

Dan Delange

Animal Director and Trainer

William (Bill) Berloni

Production Stage Manager

Bradley G. Spachman

Music Direction by

Choreographed by

Patricia Wilcox

Directed by

Jenn Thompson

Apr 28 – Jun 25, 2023

The Goodspeed

Approx. 2 hours and 40 min including an intermission

Highlights from GYPSY at Goodspeed Musicals

"If Mama Was Married" from Gypsy at Goodspeed Musicals

"All I Need Is the Girl" from Goodspeed's Gypsy

"Everything's Coming Up Roses" from Goodspeed's Gypsy

"Gypsy Strip Routine" from Goodspeed's Gypsy

"Together Wherever We Go" from Goodspeed's Gypsy

Click photo to read bio.

Laura Sky Herman

Dainty June

Philip Hernandez

Emily Jewel Hoder

Judy McLane

Cameron Blake Miller

Baby Louise

Talia Suskauer

Romelda Teron Benjamin

Kelly Berman

Victoria Houston-Elem

Amahri Edwards-Jones

Thomas Goldbach V

Sunny Lauren Hoder

Edward Juvier

Meadow Nguy

Bianca Belle Palana

Maddie Robert

Michael Starr

Carlos Velasquez Escamilla

Geoffrey Wade

Valerie Wright

Brianna Ascione

Anthony DaSilva

Choreographer

Music Director

Scenic Designer

Costume Designer

Lighting Designer

Wig Design for Ms. McLane & Ms. Suskauer

Sound Designer

Dan DeLange

Orchestrator

William Berloni

Naomi Anhorn

Assistant Stage Manager

Trevor Pierce

Associate Music Director

Casting Director