“I had a dream…” is the repeated chorus from Mama Rose in Gypsy. Nicely, “I had a dream” that in the future we would see this present on the Tiny Desk.
Gypsy’s go to encapsulates what followers love most about this musical. Since its debut in 1959, whether or not it’s on stage or display screen, on solid albums or at karaoke, audiences have flocked to Jule Styne‘s music and Stephen Sondheim‘s lyrics, with a ebook by Arthur Laurents. The present tells the story of a struggling showbiz household led by matriarch Rose. Six-time Tony award-winner Audra McDonald stars on this George C. Wolfe-helmed revival, chiseling a brand new visage into the rockface of Mount “Rose”-more that features Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters and Patti Lupone. For the primary time on Broadway, the fraught household on the middle is portrayed by Black girls, permitting theater followers like myself to not simply think about ourselves in these advanced characters, however to truly see it.
On Broadway, musical supervisor Andy Einhorn conducts a 26-person orchestra, however for Tiny Desk that ensemble was stripped right down to 11 musicians. Sisters Louise and June, performed by rising stars Pleasure Woods and Jordan Tyson, respectively, plead for a second of peace and independence in, “If Momma Was Married.” Main man Danny Burstein joins Woods and McDonald for the charming “Collectively, Wherever We Go.” The trio of “gorgeous strippers” portrayed by Lesli Margherita, Lili Thomas and Mylinda Hull go away a mark with the comedic crowd pleaser, “You Gotta Have a Gimmick.” McDonald’s enthralling efficiency of “Some Folks” closes out the present, making this theater nerd’s dream come true.
SET LIST
- “If Momma Was Married”Â
- “Collectively, Wherever We Go”Â
- “You Gotta Get A Gimmick”Â
- “Some Folks”
CAST
- Audra McDonald (“Rose”)
- Danny Burstein (“Herbie”)
- Pleasure Woods (“Louise”)
- Jordan Tyson (“June”)
- Lesli Margherita (“Tessie Tura”)
- Lili Thomas (“Mazeppa”)
- Mylinda Hull (“Electra”)
MUSICIANS
- Andy Einhorn: piano, music supervision, conducting
- Greg Chudzik: bass
- Alvester Garnett: drums
- Ben Kono: clarinet, alto saxophone Â
- Zac Zinger: flute, piccolo
- John Lowery: clarinet, tenor saxophone
- Ravi Finest: trumpet
- Nick Grinder: trombone
- Tomoko Akaboshi: violin
- Sita Chay: violin
- Meaghan Burke: cello
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Mitra I. Arthur
- Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
- Host/Sequence Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Body, Maia Stern, Sofia Seidel
- Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
- Manufacturing Assistants: Dora Levite, Ashley Pointer
- Tiny Desk Sequence Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Govt Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Sequence Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
