GYPSY: A MUSICAL FABLE

Book by Arthur Laurents

Music by Jule Styne

Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Directed by Jude Colquhoun

Queanbeyan Players production

The Q, Queanbeyan to 8 November

 

Reviewed by Len Power 30 October 2026

 

Considered one of the best musicals of all time, Gypsy opened on Broadway in 1959 and has had numerous revivals ever since.

A fiercely determined stage mother struggles to make stars of her children in vaudeville in the 1930s at a time when vaudeville was giving way to talking pictures. In real life, one daughter, June, had a long career on stage and in movies as June Havoc. The other daughter, Louise, became a star in burlesque as the stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee. The musical was suggested by her 1957 published memoirs.

The focus of the show is squarely on the mother, Mama Rose, providing one of the dream roles in musicals. To quote from the prologue of Gypsy’s memoir, “Mama had been many things, but she had never been nice. She was, in her words, a jungle mother”.

In this production, Emma White as Rose was too much the warm mother when she needed to be a formidable presence getting her way with family as well as others. Only in an argument about a whether to accept a stage contract, did the real Rose come through. A more than capable singer, White performed her songs well, but her final cathartic song, Rose’s Turn, would have been more enlightening about her character if she had been hard as nails throughout the show.

Emma White as Rose

A highlight of the show was the staging of the vaudeville numbers by Baby June and her Newsboys and the growing Dainty June and Her Farmboys. Young Matilda Hutchinson was a standout with her performance of Baby June and Paris Ellis was also delightful as the older Dainty June.  Belinda Hassall’s choreography for these songs captured the essence of vaudeville.

Matilda Hutchinson as Baby June

Emily Pogson as Louise and, later, Gypsy, was particularly effective with her singing of Little Lamb and in her transition to Gypsy, the stripper. Her performance showed a deep understanding of her role.

Emily Pogson as Gypsy Rose Lee

There were also good performances by Steven Galinec as Herbie, Ash Syme as Tulsa, Alissa Pearson as the harried Miss Cratchet and Aleisha Croxford in her very funny characterisation of the stripper, Tessie Tura.

Croxford, Pearson and Sarah Hull brought the house down with their courageous and hilarious performances as the strippers in You Gotta Get A Gimmick.

The large orchestra, conducted by Brigid Cummins had a bit of a wobbly start with the Overture but played well thereafter. The decision to have the orchestra seen through much of the show behind the performers was often distracting.

The sound design by Telia Jansen was well-balanced and Zac Harvey provided some impressive lighting effects. Suzan Cooper designed the many colourful and dazzling costumes.

While more attention needed to be given by the director to the pace and energy of the show, it was a rare and entertaining opportunity to see this famous musical.

 

Photos by Janelle McMenamin

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.