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Gypsy by Patio Playhouse  Escondido’s Patio Playhouse has left the Patio for an
outdoor theatre in their backyard with their summer production of Gypsy
– their first show under the stars at the Kit Carson Park Amphitheatre. The
show tells the story of how Gypsy Rose Lee, the most popular burlesque star of
her time, came to her unlikely career by way of her dominating and driven
mother Rose who pushed her daughters into showbiz, and later pushed her
untalented daughter into stripping (but just as a temporary thing!). Featuring
a strong score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, the musical boasts such hits
as Let Me Entertain You, Together Wherever We Go, and Everything’s
Coming Up Roses.
Tammy Carr-Kron stars as Mother Rose – a tough-as-nails mother, director, and vaudeville writer who is determined to make her darling daughter Dainty June a star while mostly ignoring her less-talented daughter Louise who so desperately wants her mother to notice her. Tammy has the vocals for the demanding role, and finally shows some of the needed charisma in her big finale Rose’s Turn. The president of Patio Playhouse, Kevin Jones, is her genuinely kind, patient, and devoted companion Herbie who can occasionally get Rose to show her softer side, but who can’t get her to marry him or stop her from pushing the kids, especially Louise, too far. Louise is played by Briona Daugherty who shines in All I need Is The Girl with Tulsa (Frankie Moran) as she gathers the courage to dance with the boy she has silently had a crush on for years, as well as when she dutifully begins getting ready to do burlesque after her mother tells her to, and as she grows from awkward stripper to confident star in Let Me Entertain You (using the song they had used for the show since kids, but with a very different spin on it!). April Boatman is the talented Dainty June, the natural star of the family who plays the corny little girl parts her mother writes for her with great enthusiasm even unto young adulthood, but who recognizes that her mother is suffocating both her and her career. Giovanna Cabrera and Sara Brenner play their young counterparts in the beginning of the story, Giovanna as the flashy, prima donna star Baby June and Sara as the quiet, reserved, and modest Louise who never complains, just obediently doing what is asked of her (whether that means playing a little boy or, as she does a few years later, playing the front end of a moo-sical cow). The ensemble combines for especially strong scenes in You Gotta Get a Gimmick led by Susan Bell and in the Farm Sequence/Broadway number, which is Mother Rose’s latest and greatest vaudeville incarnation featuring Dainty June as a farm girl who gets a chance at Broadway but decides to stay home instead – perhaps Rose’s vain attempt at a self-fulfilling prophecy for her girls. The small, live orchestra set off to the side did a fine job with the music. The amphitheatre itself is troubled by hard seats that start several feet from the stage, occasional road noise, and a number of flying insects who make their home in the park and love the lights of the theatre at night, but you can alleviate some of that by getting there early to be near the front and bringing something to sit on so that you can be a little more comfortable while you let the cast entertain you.
Performs through September 12, 2004.
~ Cast ~
Uncle Jocko: Himself George: Sean Walker Simon the Sax Player: John Ashcroft Balloon Girl: Melissa Farlow Baby Louise: Sara Brenner Baby June: Giovanna Cabrera Rose: Tammy Carr-Kron Pop: Russ Preves Newsboys: Macon Bauer Sara Brenner Gabriella Cabrera Micho Cabrera Ben Cohen Tyler Green Edna Weber: Gretchen Pili Herbie: Kevin Jones Louise: Briona Daugherty Dainty June: April Boatman Tulsa: Frankie Moran Yonkers: Collin McConnell Angie: Nicco Cabrera L.A.: John Bonnici Kringelein: Russ Preves Mr. Goldstone: Julio C. Mas Farm Boys: Frankie Moran Collin McConnell John Bonnici Nicco Cabrerra Miss Cratchit: Deborah Zimmer Hollywood Blondes: Julia Bonnici April Boatman Katie Carlstrom Monique Fleming Tiffany Paster Christa Sherman Pastey: Stephen A. Rich Tessie Tura: Susan Bell Mazeppa: Lisa Goodman Cigar: Russ Preves Electra: Peggy Schneider Showgirls: Julia Bonnici April Boatman Katie Carlstrom Monique Fleming Tiffany Paster Christa Sherman Renee the Maid: Elizabeth M. Rich Phil: Robert Collins Bourgeron-Cochon: Julio C. Mas Caroline the Cow: Briona Daugherty Katie Carlstrom Frankie Moran Collin McConnell Director: Chris Hall Asst. Director/Stage Manager: Kat Perhach Choreography: Kat Perhach Musical Director: Emily Awkerman Scenic Design: Judy Conlon Costume Design: Jolene Henkel Sound & Light Design: Jim Lund and Rick Ashcroft |