Gypsy comes to Scarborough

New York may have Broadway, but you won’t have to go that far to see the biggest musical of the year.

Gypsy, winner of three Tony Awards this past spring including best revival of a musical, is getting a remount starting Oct. 30 at the Scarborough Village Theatre.

An adaptation of a book bearing the same name, the original story was written by American actress and entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee, the memoir was published in 1957 as a monument to Lee’s mother.

The right to reproduce the musical came with a price tag of $6,500 to $8,500, says Ed Rancier, office manager of the Scarborough Music Theatre, the local producer.

Louise played by Natasha Negovanlis and Mama Rose played by Heidi Michelle Thomas rehearse for Gypsy, a musical based on the life of Gypsy Rose Lee (Photo courtesy of smtgypsy.com)Heidi Michelle Thomas plays the lead role as Mama Rose, a mother whose dreams for one of her two daughters becomes a reality for the other one.

“I think the message is still totally relevant in today’s society, for it’s about love, dreams and family,” Thomas says.

June, played by Emma Burke-Kleinman and Amanda Franklin, has more beauty and talent than her sister Louise, played by Candice Barkin and Natasha Negovanlis. Mama Rose makes every effort to support June in becoming a star, leaving Louise by the wayside.

June eventually realizes that being in the show business is her mother’s dream and not hers. She runs away from home and to Mama Rose’s surprise, it is Louise who rises to stardom.

The book tells the story of Lee’s life. Born as Rose Louise Hovick in 1911, her singing and dancing talents could not match up to her sister’s, but the tables soon turned and Lee was the one who found success in Hollywood as an actress and burlesque entertainer.

Lee died of lung cancer in 1970 at 59.

“I love the book and can’t wait to see it on stage,” says Adam Mena-Silvert who plans to go and see the play.

Some of the songs featured in the musical include Let Me Entertain You, You’ll Never Get Away From Me, You Gotta Get a Gimmick, Rose’s Turn.

Gypsy runs until Nov. 15. For more information, call the theatre at 416-396-4049.

About this article

By: Patrick Clarke
Posted: Oct 13 2008 8:44 am
Edition:
Filed under: Arts & Life

1 Comment on "Gypsy comes to Scarborough"

  1. Excellent show…seen it a couple times.

Comments are closed.