Submitted by Evelyn C. McDonald
August 26, 2015, 7:09 a.m.
The Amelia Musical Playhouse is staging “Gypsy” and the results are just great. Based on the memoirs of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, the play describes her childhood in vaudeville – and her mother Rose. Mama Rose is the whole play, a loud, pushy stage mother who appears in virtually every scene.
Rose bullies stage managers, other actors, her hapless suitor, and her children. In fact, Louise is said to have waited until her mother died to release the memoirs for fear of being sued by her mother for defamation of character.
The key to the success of any production of “Gypsy” is Mama Rose. She has to annoy us but not to the point where we dislike her. Jill Dillingham played her to perfection. She has a good voice, great stage presence, and brings an energy to the part that makes us root for Rose even when we don’t like what she’s doing. The rest of the cast supports Rose quite well. All of the voices, adults and children, are good. Herbie, Rose’s much put-upon boyfriend played by Jeff Packer, is a good match for her. Louise, played by Paige Miklas, has a good voice and stage presence.
Most Broadway shows have a couple of characteristics in common. There are usually scene stealers, actors in smaller roles who run off with the audience. In this production, the scene stealers are the three strippers who counsel Louise about how to be a success at stripping. They gave outsized performances that captured the audience with their camp humor.
The other characteristic is that there is generally one number that unites song, dance, and acting in a way that epitomizes the show. For me, this was not the big numbers of “Gypsy” such as “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” It was “Together Wherever We Go.” The song, done by Mama Rose, Louise and Herbie, was a showpiece. More than the singing and choreography, the actors’ attitudes made the number great.
It was my first visit to the Amelia Musical Playhouse and won’t be my last. If you go, I recommend you read the AMP cast notes while you wait for the show to start. They are pretty funny. Mary Williams, introducing the play, mentioned how lucky we were to have three performing arts venues in such a small town. I second that thought.
“Gypsy” runs through September 5, 2015. For more information visit AMP’s website www.ameliamusicalplayhouse.com or call 904-277-3455.
Evelyn McDonald moved to Fernandina Beach from the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. in 2006. She is a chair of Arts & Culture Nassau, a city commission charged with support of the arts in Nassau County. She serves on FSCJ’s Curriculum Committee for the Center for Lifelong Learning. She is also the chair of the Dean’s Council for the Carpenter Library at the UNF. Ms. McDonald has MS in Technology Management from the University of Maryland’s University College and a BA in Spanish from the University of Michigan.