Gypsy (Tilles)

“…the great American musical.”
The New York Times

“…the King Lear of musicals.”
Washington Post

“…some of the most indelible
songs in Broadway history.”
Variety

Gypsy, regarded as the greatest American musical by New York Times critics Ben Brantley and Frank Rich, is loosely based on the memoirs of the famed striptease artist, Gypsy Rose Lee. Gypsy debuted on Broadway in 1959, where Ethel Merman created the role of Rose, the fearsome, obsessed mother of all stage mothers. In a one-time-only collaboration of musical giants, Jule Styne contributed the score and Stephen Sondheim the lyrics. They created some of Broadway’s most unforgettable songs, among them “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “You’ll Never Get Away from Me,” “Small World,” “Some People,” the hilarious “You Gotta Get a Gimmick” and the perennial show stopper, “Rose’s Turn.”

Gypsy went on to provide the role of a lifetime for a succession of actresses and musical stars, including Angela Lansbury (Broadway, 1974), Rosalind Russell (Hollywood film, 1962), Tyne Daly (Broadway, 1989), Bette Midler (television special, 1993), Bernadette Peters (Broadway, 2003) and, most recently, Patti LuPone (Encores!, 2007).

Tilles Center presents a Performance PLUS! event in conjunction with Gypsy. Guest speaker Lesley Alexander discusses The Legacy of Gypsy at 5:45 pm in Hillwood Recital Hall. Alexander, an entertainment journalist, has had articles published in Time Out NY, Encore Magazine, Cabaret Scenes Magazine and Resident Newspapers. Her theater and concert reviews are heard on WRTN-FM/WVOX-AM. Only concert ticket holders are eligible to purchase tickets for Performance PLUS! Tickets are $5 each; they are available for purchase at Tilles Center’s box office.