BRATTLEBORO — Brattleboro Union High School's music department presents the celebrated musical “Gypsy” on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Feb. 14, 15, and 16, in the BUHS auditorium.
Tickets range from $6 to $10.
“Gypsy” opened at New York's Broadway Theatre on May 21, 1959, and ran for 702 performances. That production was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins and starred Ethel Merman as Rose, mother of famous striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee.
The show follows arch stage mother Rose as she struggles to raise two daughters on the stage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of show business life.
Arthur Laurent's book borrows from “Gypsy: A Memoir,” and provides a gripping tale of a frightening aspect of show business.
With music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the show is instantly recognizable by such numbers as Some People, Let Me Entertain You, If Momma Was Married, Everything's Coming Up Roses, You Gotta Get a Gimmick, and Together Wherever We Go.
BUHS's show is directed by Robert Kramsky, stage director; Stephen Rice, music co-director; Anthony Speranza, music co-director; and Mitch Davis, producer.
This production marks Rice's 25th year with the BUHS musical and Speranza's 19th affiliation with BUHS. This is Kramsky and Davis' 37th year of collaboration on BUHS musicals.
The production staff also includes Mary Linney, 13 years as costumer; Kate Maisner, stage manager; Melanie Zinn, ninth year as choreographer; and Seth Richardson, 18 years handling sound.
All told, more than 160 years of combined experience is uniting to bring this production to the BUHS stage.
Students shine
Moreover, the BUHS production features several familiar student faces: Annie Caltrider as Rose; Cody Gauthier as Herbie; Aurora Phillips as Louise; Corinne Epstein as June; and newcomers Hazel Kinnersley as Baby June, and Sarah Gordon-Macey as Baby Louise.
Additional players include Amanda Rink, Zoe Perry, Victoria Jaenson, Molly Rice, Peter Green, Ian Epstein, Matt Carroll, Clark Hamm, Abby Sherlock, Kelsey Windish, Julia Waldron, Vanessa Brown, Kyra Johnston, Alexandra Brodeur, and Kiana Lewis. Also Kristina Meima, Lorianne Wolff, Jack Alberico, Rhys Glennon, Liam McNeil, Jordan Roach, Mycroft Stone, and Malcolm Toleno.
In the pit
The pit orchestra is composed of BUHS student musicians and several area musicians: Gwendolyn Harris, flute/piccolo; Ursula Casey, Rowan Hawthorne, Tom Nasiatka, and Ethan Manning, clarinet; Ben Janis and Tom Nasiatka, alto saxophone; Ethan Manning, tenor saxophone; Claire Thomas, baritone saxophone; Benson May, John Sawyer-Shaw, and Ben Gartenstein, trumpet; Fleur Barnes, horn; Spencer Olson, Tyson Pond, and Bob Thies, trombone; Sally Fletcher, bass; Peggy James, violin; Michelle Liechti, viola; Sam Gartenstein, piano; Jacob Gartenstein, drums; and Gideon May, percussion.
“Gypsy” has been revived on Broadway four times, with powerhouse actresses playing Rose: Angela Lansbury in 1974; Tyne Daily in 1989; Bernadette Peters in 2003; and Patti Lupone in 2008.
A previous BUHS production was staged in 1990.