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| Gypsy - 2008 Original Broadway Cast | 
| Artists: Laura Benanti, Boyd Gaines
Creator: Patti Lupone
Label: Time Life Entertainment
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $11.98
You Save: $7.00 (37%)
Buy New/Used from $11.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  (17 reviews)
Sales Rank: 63
Format: Cast Recording
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.8 x 0.4
UPC: 610583243123
EAN: 0610583243123
ASIN: B001CHFM12
Release Date: August 26, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Overture | | • | May We Entertain You | | • | Some People | | • | Seattle to Los Angeles | | • | Small World | | • | Baby June and Her Newsboys/Let Me Entertain You | | • | Have an Eggroll, Mr. Goldstone | | • | Little Lamb | | • | You'll Never Get Away From Me | | • | Dainty June and Her Farmboys | | • | Broadway | | • | If Momma Was Married | | • | All I Need Is the Girl | | • | Everything's Coming Up Roses | | • | Entr'acte | | • | Together Wherever We Go | | • | You Gotta Get A Gimmick | | • | The Strip | | • | Rose's Turn | | • | Act II Curtain | | • | Exit Music | | • | Tomorrow's Mother's Day | | • | Small World/Momma's Talkin' Soft | | • | Nice She Ain't | | • | Smile, Girls | | • | Who Needs Him? | | • | Three Wishes For Christmas |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
The Gypsy soundtrack includes bonus tracks.Curtain Up! The smash Broadway musical comes to life in this all new cast recording! It's the new 2008 revival of Gypsy, starring Tony and Olivier award-winner Patti Lupone as the indomitable Momma Rose. This classic American musical by Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim about a fractured family stars the larger than life, true Broadway diva Lupone heading the cast as the "stage mother of all stage mothers," determined to make a star out of at least one of her children. Four time Tony-winner Boyd Gaines is the beleaguered Herbie,a gentlemanly candy salesman and reluctant theatrical agent who loves Rose, and Tony-winner Laura Benanti is the wallflower-turned-world-famous-stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, one of Rose's two daughters.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 Patti LuPone in the role she was born to play September 6, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Firstly, I must say how disappointed I am with the Amazon reviewer writing "The Gypsy soundtrack includes bonus tracks.Curtain Up!"
This is NOT a soundtrack. If the Amazon reviewer does not know the difference between a (film) soundtrack and a (stage) cast recording they are not qualified to write reviews of these products.
That said, this is a smashing recording.
True, the role was written for Ethel Merman and her performance is a Broadway legend. The 1959 original Broadway cast recording is indispensable.
Other actresses have approached the role from a variety of angles. Rosalind Russell (dubbed, in part at least, by Lisa Kirk) gave us Rose as played by Auntie Mame. The film is watchable but the CD is barely listenable.
Next came Angela Lansbury's thoughtful performance. Lansbury doesn't quite have the vocal range the score demands but she acts the songs better.
Tyne Daly was dramatically intense on stage but poor health at the time of the recording shone a spotlight on her vocal inadequacies.
Bette Midler tried admirably to make the part her own but there is a bit too much Bette and not enough Rose in her performance.
With Bernadette Peters we come to the first real attempt to reexamine the role and make Rose over into something new and different. If it doesn't fully succeed it is mainly because the show was written for Merman's mighty belt. Had it been written for Peters it would have been a vastly different show, but Peters stepped into the existing script. She tries hard and succeeds at some points, but she is obviously wearing a gown fitted to another actress.
With Patti LuPone we have an actress who has both the vocal and dramatic muscle for this role. It's no wonder she won the Tony Award. As did her co-stars, Boyd Gains and Laura Benanti. Their performances on this CD perfectly capture the excitement a good production of GYPSY can generate.
Album producer Robert Sher wanted to make this recording stand out from the others and with the permission of Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim and the estate of Jule Styne, six songs that were written for the show but cut before the original production opened are presented here as bonus tracks.
Since the rest of the GYPSY score is well known and everyone probably already has at least one of their favourite Roses on disc, it is the bonus material that will drive the decision to add this one to your collection.
If the songs were obvious clunkers this would only be of interest to cast album mavens who must have every performance recorded. But they are not. These are outstanding songs, perhaps not perfectly suited to the final book of GYPSY but certainly on the same level as everything else in the score.
For years the story regarding the dropping of "Mamma's Talking Soft" - the counterpoint to "Small World" - have been passed around. In short one of the child actresses was afraid of heights and the only way the number worked was to show them peering down on Rose as she seduces Herbie. The simple solution was to cut their part of the number. In truth the scene probably works better in its simpler form, but bow is your chance to hear the full version. You may even program your player to includ3e this in place of the standard version.
Similarly, you can program the delightfully funny "Smile Girls" in place of "Toreadorables." True it would not really work in the show, but on CD, it's great!
"Three Wishes For Christmas" is going to get a lot of airplay on my radio show this holiday season, and the "Mothers's Day" numbers will be useful next May.
"Who Needs Him" is a dramatic soliloquy for Rose and on CD nicely fills teh gap left by the missing reprise of "Small World." The reprise is really just a few phrases sung by Rose after Herbie walks out. Dramatically effective in the theatre, it would not work as a stand-alone track on a CD. This brings up an interesting point: Cast albums can and should reflect the score as heard in the theatre, but they must also provide the home listener with a coherent musical program. Sometimes segments (dance music and reprises) that are effective in the theatre, do not translate well to recordings. Of course with CD's allowing almost 80 minutes of playing time, they can be included and a discerning listener can always program the tracks out, but Robert Sher knows the value of creating a recording where one track leads quite naturally into another and he wisely left this bit off.
The packaging is the icing on the cake here. A glossy booklet with plenty of pictures, a detailed synopsis and some fascinating essays will provide the entire context you need.
In short, this is one of the most satisfying cast albums to come along in quite some time.
 Not the definitive Gypsy September 3, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Let me begin by saying that I am a huge Gypsy fan. I own every recording there is of the show including the karaoke version. Now, I don't know if that qualitfies me as an expert, but here's my opinion. This recording is decent but not great. Here are my problems with it:
1) Though this has awesome bonus tracks, where is the beautiful reprise of "Small World?" How can it be complete without that?
2) I think Leigh Ann Larkin as June and whoever the annoying little girl is who plays her younger counterpart are terrible. Seriously. I don't know what Leigh Ann was going for, but she sounds too mature when she's supposed to be acting young. Don't get me started on Baby June. The girl sounds British half the time, which is totally inappropriate for the character.
3)I love me some Patti LuPone and Laura Benanti but... Patti is perhaps too brash on some of her numbers and not enough on others. Her "Some People" isn't as fierce as I'd like and her "Rose's Turn" seems almost comical the way she performs it. As for Laura, her "Strip" lacks sophistication. Though I appreciate both women for trying something new with the songs, as they are both extremely talented actresses, they just don't quite pull it off.
Everything else about this recording is wonderful. However, if you want the definitive recording of Gypsy, go with the 2003 revival cast recording. Kate Reinders is an excellent June and puts Leigh Ann to shame. Whoever plays Baby June sounds adorable/borderline annoying, like she should. Tammy Blanchard as Louise performs the role just as good as Laura Benanti even though it's obvious Laura is a better singer. And Bernadette Peters... My, oh my. Though she's not a belter like Patti, her renditions of Rose's songs are remarkable, ferocious yet full of vulnerability. Plus, with all the lead-in dialogue you receive and the Entr'acte, this recording is definitely a standout. Truly memorable.
Here She Is, World! September 1, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Ladies and gentleman, presenting Ms. Patti LuPone in her finest hour.
Upon what feels like the umpteenth Broadway production and cast recording, is it really worth it to add this "Gypsy" to your CD collection? You can bet your bottom dollar.
Not only has this tight, supremely gifted cast immortalized its performance on this recording (seeing them perform the show live, however, cannot be equaled - this team works like gangbusters on a nightly basis; I've seen the show on 3 occasions over 3 months), but dusted off many Stephen Sondheim/Jule Styne compositions cut from the original 1959 production and given them a home on record for the first time.
Selections like "Who Needs Him?," which was intended to follow Herbie's departure, or "Smile, Girls," an upbeat, humorous, castanet-filled selection for Rose only heard during one ever performance of "Gypsy" - a 1959 tryout in Philadelphia with the inimitable Ethel Merman - are expertly delivered with equal passion and gusto as staples like "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "You'll Never Get Away From Me," making this particular cast recording a warm, scintillating time capsule.
Boyd Gaines also injects "Nice She Ain't," cut from the original production due to Jack Klugman's reluctance to sing it (on account of his pedestrian vocal abilities) with finesse and personality.
The orchestra is so precise and full of pitch-perfect timing that its performance on record is equal to that of one of the show's nightly performances scheduled to play through January 2009. The sound is tight, inspired and perfectly professional. You can't ask for better.
Without the benefit of between-numbers dialogue, the listener can still perceive Louise's transformation from awkward, underappreciated teenager to bodacious brunette bombshell Gypsy Rose Lee thanks to Laura Benanti's remarkable abilities. LuPone makes Rose as larger than life as Gaines makes Herbie sympathetic and forsaken.
Key contributions from Tony Yazbeck ("All I Need Is the Girl") and Leigh Ann Larkin ("Broadway") also shine with all the sparkle and sizzle exemplary of a top-notch production of "Gypsy."
If there's any way possible, make your way to the St. James Theater by January 4, 2009. Either way, get your hands on this disc.
 What the heck is all the fuss about? Momma's singing loud and that's it. September 1, 2008
4 out of 15 found this review helpful
There are many fans of this production and of this recording; for some reason 99% of them are men. :) Admittedly, I am also a male and one who is not a huge fan of Ms. LuPone. I purchased the OCR out of respect for the greatness of the score. Upon listening I admit to being extremely disappointed in this recording. The liner notes and CD packaging are outstanding and deserve award consideration; kudos for the producer to assemble an almost complete recording of the used and unused score. The main flaw is the "ugliness" of Ms. LuPone's vocals and the blandness of Ms. Benanti's and Mr. Gaines's vocals. LuPone is steely, bombastic, and "inhuman" in the power of her vocals; it is only during "You'll Never Get Away from Me" where she sounds remotely like a woman; otherwise she is a one-note powerhouse. Ms. Benanti exudes the sex appeal of a Girl Scout during "The Strip" and seems too careful in her "Little Lamb": her enunciation of her consonants is flawless yet she conveys no longing, no vulnerability whatsover. Instead of caring about her, you want to tell her to put on the cow costume again. Here's to Ethel Merman, Jack Klugman, and the rest of the orginal cast from 1959!
A GYPSY RECORDING FOR THE AGES..... August 31, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
.....possibly the finest all around recording of this legendary work..........while not having witnessed in person the other classic Mama Roses performed by the likes of Merman, Lansbury, and Daly, I did grow up with the stupendous original cast recording and to this day whenever I hear the overture and Merman's voice, it produces goose-bumps on my arms.......now comes this masterfull interpretation and I'm transported back to my front mezzanine seat where I was lucky enough to witness the superb LuPone this past spring.....this recording preserves her fabulous interpretation and we are lucky that original cast recordings are still being made today........acting with that rich, full, expressive voice of hers while never "screaming" the role as she could have easily done......the entire cast is spot-on-perfect ....what makes this recording so special for me is the true "theatrical" feel it produces without being a "live" recording of a specific performance......a sense of theatre crackles & sizzles from the start of the overture, the various "Baby/Dainty June" vaudeville numbers, an awesome "Everything's Coming Up Roses that is a bit frightening to listen to, through the best recorded version of "Together" and reaches it's stunning climax with LuPone's brilliant & monstrous "Rose's Turn".........goose-bumps once again on my arms all the way through this wonderful & magical recording.....
Luigi ~ NYC
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