REVIEW: Town Theatre's GYPSY by Ripley Thames

photo courtesy of Town Theatre

Mama Rose, the iconic heart of Stephen Sondheim’s second musical, has been called the King Lear of American musical theatre. Both characters appear to commit the egregious sin of making their relationship with their daughters all about themselves. It has even been argued that Rose is darker because she demands more than obsequious flattery. She expects her girls to adopt her unrealized ambition and indomitable spirit as their own. But we must remember two things. One, even selfish love is love. And two, Lear had a kingdom to leave his daughters.  Rose has nothing in an ever-shrinking world. After all, Vaudeville is dead.  She has naught to give her girls except her drive and unvanquishable spirit. This truth makes her a character of agonizing complexity that we love because we feel and share her desperation even while we might quietly despair at some of her choices. 

In Town Theatre’s Gypsy, directed by Jerry Crouch, Shannon Scruggs lays bare the swirling conflict of this character with sensitive specificity in a performance that is the central pillar of a lovely, heartfelt production. From her first line, her energy dominates the stage just as Mama Rose would demand. We see her deny her insecurities, insist upon attention, and struggle to provide her family with love, all while trying desperately to keep moving forward. Her voice is beautiful and her songs are not only moving, but they also remain connected to and driven by her character through every word, even when Rose steps out of herself and into her fantasy life in her soaring finale. The energy Scruggs brings to her performance never falters. 

Crouch has directed a tight, well-paced show and the cast is very solid even to the smallest part. The show opens on the stage of Uncle Jocko, smartly played by Chris Matney, who also plays two other character roles. Those familiar with the film version of 1996 recognize that the production has chosen to emulate the style of that film. Dell Goodrich designed colorful vibrant costumes that went very far toward helping the director accomplish that goal. Bob Bramhall and Jeremy Hansard designed and constructed a set that perfects that endeavor, with stunning builds, particularly the show business lights. 

Hayle Berry and Ashton Boland play Rose’s daughters, June and Louise, respectively. They are committed and convincing, but Boland’s performance explodes when Louise begins to undergo her transformation into Gypsy Rose Lee. Her final number is charged with emotion and humor as we celebrate her growing sense of self and laugh at the speed with which she acquires that new awareness. 

Joel Yarborough plays Herbie aptly as he evolves over the course of the story from an essential tool in Mama Rose’s ambition to someone she loves even though she cannot choose the path to make him happy. Herbie has his own expansion of self-awareness when he realizes that while he expects to be second to her daughters, he cannot bring himself to come second to Rose’s ambition. 

Michael Simmons is the Music Director and did a fine job with a talented band. The music pushed the pace of the drama and made scene changes smoother by filling gaps in action. Joy Alexander choreographed the story elegantly and fluidly. The lighting design by Jeremy Hansard seemed to flow perfectly with very nice effects, although there were a few scenes mid-stage where this reviewer had trouble seeing faces and wondered if one of the lighting instruments in those cues might have been out. Live theatre always has fresh challenges. 

The entire production team has come together to create a very well-paced show. We would like to congratulate the entire cast and crew. We would gladly celebrate each of you by name, but there are so many of you, this review would become ponderous (if we haven’t struck that mark already).

This reviewer recommends this show highly, not just because of the quality of the production or because it is Sondheim, but because this is an appropriate moment in history to see it. Our world is changing as rapidly as Mama Rose’s. Desperation is becoming so common that even if we don’t feel it ourselves, it touches our lives. The driving forces of this story and particularly the dark striving heart of the central character, resonates in our daily struggles. The immortal Nina Simone charged us with a duty when she said “the work of the artist must reflect the times in which she lives.” This play was a timely choice for this season. Well done, Town Theatre.

Gypsy

runs through November 1st

at Town Theatre - 1012 Sumter Street

in Downtown Columbia, SC

Tickets Here

REVIEW: Clayton King Reviews Town Theatre's The Secret Garden for Jasper

In The Secret Garden at Town Theatre, a team of theater artists use a wealth of talent to the task of bringing Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved 1911 children's novel to the stage. The 1991 Tony award-winning musical's script and lyrics are by Marsha Norman, with music by Lucy Simon, who packed a lot of story into the script. The show won three Tony awards, including Best Book of a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, and Best Scenic Design.

The show leaves no stone unturned in telling the story of how a 10-year-old orphan, Mary Lennox (Bailey Bostic*), wins the love of her distant, widowed guardian, her uncle Archibald Craven (Lanny Spires), even as she finds her own self-worth by communing with nature in the locked garden of the uncle's vast Yorkshire estate. A catalyst for her journey comes from the character of Collin (Ezra Lindley*), Mary’s 10-year-old cousin and the bedridden, spoiled, and sickly son of Archibald Craven. Both children handled these complicated roles with equal aplomb. Other supporting roles included Martha, a housemaid (delightfully portrayed by Ashton Boland), and her brother, Dickon (unsurprisingly well done by Nathan Jackson). As the production moves forward, the performers are charged with unveiling many story threads and themes.

Under the direction of Jane Cato, the cast has accomplished their basic mission. Performances by actors with named roles were robust, and the deceptively difficult musical score was aptly led by Musical Director Michael Simmons, with a small band that delivered an orchestral sound. It was particularly nice to see the band on stage. In full disclosure, I was part of a production of The Secret Garden almost two years ago, which gave me insight into the wealth of information presented and devices used to convey it; because of this, some moments were easier for me to understand than for some other audience members with whom I had the opportunity to chat at intermission and after the show.

The production uses a combination of flashbacks and “past into present” devices to tell the tale. The production at Town Theatre offers a credible if sometimes confusing adaptation. Included in the ensemble were the Restorers, a group of dancers that appeared throughout the production, played by Whitney Allen, Meryn Creasman, Taryn Davis, Laura-Louise Rice, Lauren Sudduth, and Bethany Truel. As a theatrical device, this was especially effective in two places: the opening scene, where the spread of Cholera in Mary’s home in India kills everyone she knows, and in “Wick,” when Dickon (ably performed by Nathan Jackson) shows Mary that nurturing a garden can bring it (and humans) back to full life. Also in the ensemble are the Dreamers – ghosts from Mary’s past who serve as a kind of Greek chorus, carrying the score’s intricate, haunting musical themes and often interacting directly in scenes. In Town’s production, the Dreamers handle the score evenly and are played by Emily Banks, Gavin Slusher, Karly Minacepelli Shorter, Sam Derrick, Ethan Wilson, Caroline Lindler, Connor Etcheson, Emily Grace McIntyre, Sadie Slusher, and Gracelynn Wall (Young Mary).

Lanny Spires shines as Archibald Craven and is known to Columbia audiences for his strong vocals, offering a beautifully poetic, tortured soul as he tackled both musical and thematic demands. It was odd, though, that as a hunchback, he appeared without a hump and was encumbered with a cane. This limited his otherwise flawless performance. Lily (Carley Campbell Siglin*) in ghost form delivered soaring vocals and set the tone of the show in the opening, as she hauntingly beckoned, “Come to my Garden.”

Archibald’s younger brother and keeper of the estate (Austin Means) was solid in his vocal performance, and Carol Beis (unsurprisingly) nailed both the accent and character as Mrs. Medlock, the estate’s housekeeper.

Ashton Boland was absolutely delightful as Martha, a housemaid who gently pushes Mary to become more independent, and Todd Gustafson as Ben Weatherstaff, the head gardener at the estate, was delightfully crotchety and caring at the same time. Ezra Lindley, as Collin Craven, was another delight, rambling with questions or telling a story as children are wont to do.

Jeremy Hansard’s set was part representative and part literal, mixing a ramshackle, declining sort of house/garden combination and providing several staging areas in an effective way. Lighting, while sometimes too dim, was quite effective in setting the mood as performers moved to various spaces that included both indoor and garden locations. I should note that Town Theatre’s fairly recent practice of having a cast member record the preshow speech delights audiences, and last night was no exception.

Heather Gonzalez's costumes were a standout, providing period-appropriate garments, and had the Dreamers, all costumed in ghostly white, making it easy to distinguish ghosts from humans.

Apart from a few “opening night” issues with microphones or costumes, The Secret Garden is a success, and everyone involved should be proud. The audience sometimes had trouble locating the show's pulse in a few areas. For example, unlike traditional musicals, The Secret Garden does not employ full-scale production numbers. While the dancers were clearly enjoying their time on stage, I found that they sometimes distracted from other poignant moments, such as “I Heard Someone Crying” and “Quartet.” Both songs are individual soliloquies, performed introspectively by the principal characters. So much movement on stage took away from the strength of what each of these characters was relating to the audience. Early on, I was momentarily confused when Mary first got dressed and donned a white dress. Then, while I was trying to make sense of this, she added a richly colored coat, which instantly answered the question. At times while using the spaces available, scenes felt separated a bit too far making them hard to follow. Audiences should be prepared for a longer-than-usual running time, but the show's pace keeps them engaged and wondering what the resolution to Mary’s situation will be.

*The show runs March 13-29, with Caitlin Thomas White alternating as Lily, Molly Adams as Mary, and Carter Ellingson as Collin.

(Editor’s Note: In the original post the name Gracelynn Wall was inadvertently omitted. We apologize for this error.)