191015 – Gypsy – Savoy Theatre, London

I am generally not one to go and see musical theatre but the reviews for Gypsy and in particular Imelda Staunton playing Rose had me climbing the stairs to the Grand Circle of the Art Deco Savoy Theatre. From her first entrance Imelda takes over the stage, her portrayal the overbearing and pushy mother fighting to get her daughters to be stage stars to make up for the missed opportunity she would have relished in her youth. The whole cast from the group of young children and the nauseating Baby June, through to Lara Pulver as Louise and Peter Davidson as the downtrodden agent Herve. In the final curtain call the sheer exhaustion of the performance was clearly shown on Imelda’s face, as she really did become Rose from start to finish.