Gypsy - 2008 Original Broadway Cast | Patti LuPone

Gypsy - 2008 Original Broadway Cast | Patti LuPone | A GYPSY RECORDING FOR THE AGES.....

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Gypsy - 2008 Origi...

	Gypsy - 2008 Original Broadway Cast Patti LuPone Time Life Entertainment, 2008 average customer review:based on 47 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Here She Is, World!

Ladies and gentleman, presenting Ms. Patti LuPone in her finest hour.

Upon what feels like the umpteenth Broadway production and cast recording, is it really worth it to add this "Gypsy" to your CD collection? You can bet your bottom dollar.

Not only has this tight, supremely gifted cast immortalized its performance on this recording (seeing them perform the show live, however, cannot be equaled - this team works like gangbusters on a nightly basis; I've seen the show on 3 occasions over 3 months), but dusted off many Stephen Sondheim/Jule Styne compositions cut from the original 1959 production and given them a home on record for the first time.

Selections like "Who Needs Him?," which was intended to follow Herbie's departure, or "Smile, Girls," an upbeat, humorous, castanet-filled selection for Rose only heard during one ever performance of "Gypsy" - a 1959 tryout in Philadelphia with the inimitable Ethel Merman - are expertly delivered with equal passion and gusto as staples like "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "You'll Never Get Away From Me," making this particular cast recording a warm, scintillating time capsule.

Boyd Gaines also injects "Nice She Ain't," cut from the original production due to Jack Klugman's reluctance to sing it (on account of his pedestrian vocal abilities) with finesse and personality.

The orchestra is so precise and full of pitch-perfect timing that its performance on record is equal to that of one of the show's nightly performances scheduled to play through January 2009. The sound is tight, inspired and perfectly professional. You can't ask for better.

Without the benefit of between-numbers dialogue, the listener can still perceive Louise's transformation from awkward, underappreciated teenager to bodacious brunette bombshell Gypsy Rose Lee thanks to Laura Benanti's remarkable abilities. LuPone makes Rose as larger than life as Gaines makes Herbie sympathetic and forsaken.

Key contributions from Tony Yazbeck ("All I Need Is the Girl") and Leigh Ann Larkin ("Broadway") also shine with all the sparkle and sizzle exemplary of a top-notch production of "Gypsy."

If there's any way possible, make your way to the St. James Theater by January 4, 2009. Either way, get your hands on this disc.

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A GYPSY RECORDING FOR THE AGES.....

.....possibly the finest all around recording of this legendary work..........while not having witnessed in person the other classic Mama Roses performed by the likes of Merman, Lansbury, and Daly, I did grow up with the stupendous original cast recording and to this day whenever I hear the overture and Merman's voice, it produces goose-bumps on my arms.......now comes this masterfull interpretation and I'm transported back to my front mezzanine seat where I was lucky enough to witness the superb LuPone this past spring.....this recording preserves her fabulous interpretation and we are lucky that original cast recordings are still being made today........acting with that rich, full, expressive voice of hers while never "screaming" the role as she could have easily done......the entire cast is spot-on-perfect ....what makes this recording so special for me is the true "theatrical" feel it produces without being a "live" recording of a specific performance......a sense of theatre crackles & sizzles from the start of the overture, the various "Baby/Dainty June" vaudeville numbers, an awesome "Everything's Coming Up Roses that is a bit frightening to listen to, through the best recorded version of "Together" and reaches it's stunning climax with LuPone's brilliant & monstrous "Rose's Turn".........goose-bumps once again on my arms all the way through this wonderful & magical recording.....

Luigi ~ NYC

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A fine recording

With such a wealth of outstanding recordings of one of the finest musicals ever to grace the stage, this recording is certainly worth ordering. Patti luPone brings her brash voice and wonderful acting to the tough role of Mama Rose and leaves an indelible mark. Another reason for owning this album is Larua Benanti. Try to make it through "Little Lamb" without shedding a tear.

But I must say that no album so far has come close to touching the orchestra of the Original Cast Album. They make the jazzy score sizzle with excitement. I think the problem with subsequent orchestras for "Gypsy" is the size - the OCR sounds like a fuller orchestra, and others sounds like the tiny pit bands. Ethel Merman's performance on "Rose's Turn" cannot be matched simply because the orchestra cooks the song to perfection, in my opinion.

In short, a wonderful new chronicle in the life of "Gypsy".

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Not the definitive Gypsy

Let me begin by saying that I am a huge Gypsy fan. I own every recording there is of the show including the karaoke version. Now, I don't know if that qualitfies me as an expert, but here's my opinion. This recording is decent but not great. Here are my problems with it:
1) Though this has awesome bonus tracks, where is the beautiful reprise of "Small World?" How can it be complete without that?
2) I think Leigh Ann Larkin as June and whoever the annoying little girl is who plays her younger counterpart are terrible. Seriously. I don't know what Leigh Ann was going for, but she sounds too mature when she's supposed to be acting young. Don't get me started on Baby June. The girl sounds British half the time, which is totally inappropriate for the character.
3)I love me some Patti LuPone and Laura Benanti but... Patti is perhaps too brash on some of her numbers and not enough on others. Her "Some People" isn't as fierce as I'd like and her "Rose's Turn" seems almost comical the way she performs it. As for Laura, her "Strip" lacks sophistication. Though I appreciate both women for trying something new with the songs, as they are both extremely talented actresses, they just don't quite pull it off.
Everything else about this recording is wonderful. However, if you want the definitive recording of Gypsy, go with the 2003 revival cast recording. Kate Reinders is an excellent June and puts Leigh Ann to shame. Whoever plays Baby June sounds adorable/borderline annoying, like she should. Tammy Blanchard as Louise performs the role just as good as Laura Benanti even though it's obvious Laura is a better singer. And Bernadette Peters... My, oh my. Though she's not a belter like Patti, her renditions of Rose's songs are remarkable, ferocious yet full of vulnerability. Plus, with all the lead-in dialogue you receive and the Entr'acte, this recording is definitely a standout. Truly memorable.

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