Clear your mind and step 80 years into the past. It’s the 1930s and there’s a Depression on. Imagine your family’s only source of income stems from the profits of your struggling little vaudeville act, which happens to be a form of entertainment on the verge of extinction. You have no idea where your next meal will come from, where you will sleep at night, or whether or not your porcelain family will finally crumble into powder under the stresses of everyday life.
Gypsy: A Musical Fableexplores the story of such a family, chronicling their journey from the vaudeville circuit all the way to the burlesque stage. Rose (Francine Berk) and her daughters Louise and June (Kaylin Davis and Kaylie Hackett, respectively) throw together a vaudeville act and play the United States circuit. The act isn’t very good, and Louise and June grow to hate the repetitive songs and stale dances that go along with their transparent act. Rose has a one-track mind, however, and continues to push the girls forward towards her dream of stardom. Eventually Rose meets Herbie (Robert Allen), and after some brief female persuasion, convinces him to become their manager.
From there, things go downhill. June elopes with one of the boys from the act, and Louise must pick up the slack despite her shyness and “lack of talent.” The vaudeville act crashes and burns, and as a last resort, Louise and her mother turn to burlesque, or striptease. Louise winds up becoming a huge star almost overnight, much to the chagrin of her mother, who is left at the end of the show feeling useless and seething with jealousy for her daughter’s success.
Francine Berk was frightening as Rose, employing a wide range of maniacal facial expressions to combine with the whining desperation of her character voice—very believable as the dominating stage mother. Kaylin Davis portrayed the character of Gypsy Rose Lee very accurately and put her remarkable dancing skills to use throughout the performance.
Overall, the show was a good one, in keeping with the shows the Center for the Arts offers throughout its season. I’m looking forward to the next one!
