Provided by the Springfield Community Players
Last weekend the Springfield Community Players opened their production of the much-loved classic musical “Gypsy”. It will continue at their Studio Theater 165 South Street in Springfield July 15, 16, 22, and 23 at 7:30 pm., with matinees July 17 and 24 at 2:00 pm. “Puffs” was scheduled to open the season in May, but it was unfortunately postponed until September due to a Covid outbreak among the cast, so “Gypsy” become the season opener, and what an opening it was!
The original “Gypsy”, with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Julie Styne, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, opened at the Imperial Theater on Broadway May 21, 1959, with the famed Ethel Merman in the lead, and it ran until March 25, 1961. The original cast album won a Grammy Award. Since Sondheim’s passing last year, many theaters are honoring his legacy by presenting his work. Fittingly, “Gypsy” has been referred to as “the greatest American musical” by many critics and is considered by many to be the “crowning achievement” of the mid twentieth century’s conventional musical theater art form, often referred to as the “book musical.” It has some very familiar songs like “Everything’s Comin’ up Roses”, and “Let me Entertain You”, the latter which is used as a musical theme throughout.
Director Sara Vitale says they considered many shows to do in coming out of Covid. Vitale and the group were looking for something “virtually stunning”, something that was, “fun, upbeat, familiar, and [would] make people want to come out of their houses after Covid.” She added that she wanted to give audiences something special, and she says, “I think we’ve done that.” The receptive opening night audience and I couldn’t have agreed more. Due to the small space in the Player’s Studio Theater, she says she chose to create “stunning” by emphasizing costumes rather than the set. However, she made excellent use of the limited space creating a small stage as part of the set, virtually a stage within a stage, that frames the pit band and adapts well to the action in a vaudeville and burlesque theater of its times. Ellen Pillsbury, handling the show’s 120 costumes in her first time in such a role, says she “Loves the vaudeville period,” and how the show progresses. “Then, at the end of it, they are in a burlesque house.” Her costumes certainly do dazzle. She costumed Rose, the quintessential stage mother, elegantly throughout, and the second daughter was dressed in a stunning gown as the star at the end. All of her gowns were made for this production. And there were fun and flashy burlesque “stripper” costumes certainly befitting the setting and era. The cast and crew raised money on their own to make the colorful costumes and create new props, rather than raid the theater’s extensive stores, although Vitale says fur and leopard skin coats and a matador outfit were borrowed from Dorset Playhouse. Vitale also brought in Ira Wilner, noted local lighting designer, who has added “all kinds of extra lighting” that has given the show “a boost” and a professional quality.
The musical is based loosely on the memoirs of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee and is a poignant tale of a mother’s attempt to raise two daughters to perform on stage at the same time revealing the hardships of the show business life. There are also two strong sub-plots, one the mother’s relationship with and reluctance to marry the act’s long-time manager, and the amazing emergence of her second daughter from shy member of the act to the eventual star named Gypsy Rose Lee. Vitale says it is a strong actor’s show and she “wanted to give them something they could sink their teeth into.” She is very happy about the cast she assembled. She says, “If I had 500 people show up for auditions, I couldn’t have cast it better.” She adds, “It has been amazing to see them shaping their characters.”
One must agree with Vitale. The cast really had no weak member, all being very versatile with some doing multiple roles with the smaller parts. Morganna Ekkens, as the mother Rose, has an impressive range of both singing and acting. She belts out the opening song with her larger-than-life command of the stage and leaves us on the verge of tears with her last as she refuses to accept her own line that, “When a vaudeville act plays in Burlesque, it’s all washed up.” Playing against that dynamic is Sally Regentine who has an impressive range of singing and acting as well. Regentine, as Louise, the daughter who becomes Gypsy Rose Lee, plays the nuanced transformation to perfection. She begins meek and vulnerable early in the show with her sweet rendition of “Little Lamb” and ends up a burlesque star with a spine of steel, showing she is her mother’s daughter after all. Of special note also are Dominic DiBenedetto as Rose’s agent and spurned lover, Casey Volikas and Anneka Yuengling playing different ages of the first daughter, Baby June, Andrew Flaherty as a lead member of Rose’s vaudeville act, and the three burlesque strippers Cindy Hughes, Ashlee White, and Gina Richardson, who were unforgettable as they shimmied, sparkled, and thoroughly entertained us.
Special note is also due to Carol Cronce who took over as Music Director and keyboard player just two weeks before opening. The pit band was excellent as well. And the choreography by Suzanne Stern and Kyla Beardsley White was seamless and added the appropriate pizazz.
Due to the continuing Covid situation Vitale says the cast has taken extra precautions, being masked and sitting apart at rehearsals, and all being up on their testing. The first two weekend will be masks mandatory for the audience with the last weekend optional. Anyone wishing information or tickets can access them at springfieldcommunityplayers.org or call (802)885-4098.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.