Everything’s coming up roses
Another classic in the American musical canon that I’ve yet to see until recently thanks to Bay Area Musicals. Although set in a very specific era, the story of a motherless mother trying to give her children the life she never had is all too pervasive and timeless to not be revived every so often. And with a score like Gypsy’s, why wouldn’t you? Even the romantic subplots were still relatable; when you love someone it can blind you to how wrong you may be for each other or the fact that they might love somebody else. I think we’ve all been there at some point. And love means something different for everyone. Was Rose an overbearing mother? Of course, but she only pushed her girls because she thought that it would give them a better life and maybe she silently wished that her mother would’ve done the same for her. Rose’s father was almost as unsupportive, at least in the dream chasing department, even though he stayed with them and that along with her multiple failed marriages clearly reflected her inability to prioritize romance which resulted in her pushing Herby away as well. In a lot of ways I see myself in Rose and so to this day I swear I will never have children because I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s childhood and I’m still learning to take care of my own inner child. Personal parallels aside, the company was very very talented and, I feel like I say this a lot but, the minimal yet versatile set work well enough to provide the various locales. Only thing I might’ve done differently would’ve been switching the 2 side panels to better simulate forced perspective while they are closed as they were just brick walls on the one side. That and maybe project the scene title posters in more obvious places so front row audiences could maybe see them without having to fully turn their heads. I loved how the cow was actually a bull, moo moo moo moo! Shout out to Elaine who played one of the burlesque girls and a cranky secretary in this production. I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with her in CCSF’s Mamma Mia this last spring but didn’t know she could belt until now. So if you’re in SF during the next couple of weeks, stop by the Alcazar Theater and catch Gypsy while you can.
