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The Voice of the College at Florham

"News is the first rough draft of history." - The Voice of the College at Florham

Tag Archives: spring musical

Review: ‘Gypsy’ musical makes anticipated opening

MEGAN HEINTZ
News Editor

Friday’s performance of the musical “Gypsy” showed the talent and professionalism of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Visual and Performing Arts Department.

It is said to be one of the most quintessential and beloved musicals of the 20th century and is the ultimate story of the aggressive stage mother, Mama Rose (Carole Healey), and her quest to get her daughters into show business, something she wishes she had done when she was younger.

Rose, Baby June (Zoe Considine) and Young Louise (Montana Byrne) travel throughout the United States in the 1920s when vaudeville is dying and burlesque is booming.
For this production, directors Stephen Hollis and Allen Cohen decided to bring in children from the community, as well as a professional actress to assist in the enhancement of the musical.

Mama Rose is such a major part of the show and so demanding, the two thought it would be “unfair and unrealistic to expect a student to carry off the emotional and technical skills the role requires,” according to the playbill.

Healey has acted and directed in many major regional theaters throughout the United States, including The Oregon Shakespeare Company, Missouri Repertory Company and Two Rivers Theater Company.

She has also been on television shows like “Law and Order” and “Guiding Light.”

Healey made Mama Rose a loathed character, which was the point. There were many times where I wanted to go on the stage and yell at her; this is how you know she did her job well.

Arguably, Healey is not the only actress with impressive credits to her name. Considine could be considered a professional actress as well. Most recently, she was on Nickelodeon’s Kids Promo Awards with Will Smith and Cameron Diaz and “Saturday Night Live,” where she played HPV girl with Kristen Wiig.

Byrne has sung alongside Elmo, Rosita and Baby Bear on “Sesame Street” and with talented recording artists like Kenny Rogers.
The musical went off without a hitch, initially.

Yet no more than ten minutes into the show, the adorable Baby June ran off the stage during her song. The others in the scene with her kept going, making the audience think that it was part of the show.

Yet everyone quickly learned that she fell ill.

Luckily, it was at the point of the show where Baby June was no longer a baby anymore so June (Julie Dwoskin) was able to take over the role.
Friday’s performance included some beautiful songs and great acting.

A favorite of mine was “If Mama was Married,” which showcased Louise (Megan Barrios) and June’s voices perfectly. The harmonies in that song were enough to leave me with chills.

“Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” a song that many people have probably heard before, was another hit. Healey sang the song with intense passion.

Furthermore, some of the most memorable acting came from Mama Rose’s love interest, Herbie (Reuben Natan), and quick-witted secretary, Miss Cratchitt (Ashley La Selva), whose simple walk to answer the telephone got audiences laughing every time.

Overall, the play was entertaining. If you have not yet seen “Gypsy,” there are still some performances left: April 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. and April 15 at 2:30 p.m.

‘Gypsy,’ the ‘greatest’ American musical, to come to FDU

MEGAN HEINTZ 
News Editor

On March 31, the Fairleigh Dickinson University Alumni Association is sponsoring a dinner and a special performance of the musical “Gypsy.”

Directed by Stephen Hollis and musical director Allen Cohen, along with choreographer Cindy Thole, “Gypsy” is based on a book by Arthur Laurents and is also said to be loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, a famous striptease artist.

The musical follows the dreams of Rose, Gypsy’s mother, while simultaneously raising her two daughters to perform on stage, casting a light on the hardships of the show business industry.

“Gypsy is a show about the American dream, about family and about letting go. It’s a woman’s story of courage and drive and ultimately the need to be noticed,” said Thole.

It is considered to be the last great musical comedy and the greatest American musical for its complex characters and popular songs like, “Everything’s Coming up Roses,” “Some People,” “Small World” and “Let Me Entertain You.”

Theater critic Clive Barnes wrote, “Gypsy is one of the best musicals…”

FDU’s cast has been working for months to live up to these reviews.

According to Thole, they will meet these expectations.

“There is lots of period dance in the show, Burlesque scenes and musical staging. I love that I get to spend my days doing something I am passionate about, using the language of dance to help tell a story. The students have been very dedicated and committed to making this a first rate production of ‘Gypsy.’”

Students are not the only ones involved in the production; children from the community and professional faculty also are in the show. Actress Carole Healey plays the part of Mama Rose.

Patrick Brockway, who plays Yonkers in “Gypsy,” likes that he and his castmates get to act alongside Healey.

“This theater department has wanted to do ‘Gypsy’ for a very long time and finally has the opportunity to perform this show. The lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim, probably the most known musical lyricist of our day and students are getting the opportunity to perform alongside one of their teachers on stage,” said Brockway.

Thole encourages students to come out and see it and agrees with Brockway’s view of Sondheim.

“I hope many students take advantage of seeing this great American musical. It is entertaining, emotional and gives a ring side seat to a mother-daughter struggle that is timeless. The music by Jule Styne and the lyrics by Stephen Sondheim are classics. Some of the best music ever written for the theatre. Come on over and see us!”

Anyone who would like to attend the dinner and performance may register by Tuesday, March 27.

Tickets are $40 for adults (includes dinner, cocktails and theater ticket) and $20 for anyone under 21 (includes dinner and theater ticket).

Dinner begins at 6 p.m. in Lenfell Hall and the production starts at 8 p.m. in the Dreyfuss Theater. With each ticket purchase, attendees are eligible to win several prizes.

In addition to the March 31 dinner and performance, “Gypsy” will be presented at the Dreyfuss Theater from March 28 through April 1, according to FDU’s website.