Danny Burstein admits he has trouble describing his latest role, Herbie in Gypsy on Broadway. "I was gonna say boyfriend, but I'm a little old for that. But maybe I am," says the Tony winner sheepishly—though you can do worse than playing Audra McDonald's boyfriend in a revival of Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne, and Stephen Sondheim's seminal musical. See Burstein, McDonald, and the cast of the show discuss what it means to them in the video above.
Burstein also tells Playbill that he was able to talk to Sondheim at length about Gypsy before the maestro's passing in 2021. "I had this three-hour conversation with Stephen Sondheim and he said, 'It doesn't get much better than Gypsy. It's one of the best shows ever, maybe the best Broadway show ever written."
It's high praise from Sondheim, who was notoriously critical of his own work. But he wasn't wrong, and that's why six-time Tony winner McDonald wanted her chance to take on the role of Madame Rose, in the new production directed by Tony winner George C. Wolfe.
"This is the King Lear of musical theatre roles, for females," she says, before adding, "male or female! There are some actors I'd love to see in this role. Let me get through this first and then I think they should play it!"
The revival, currently in previews, will officially open December 19 at the newly renovated Majestic Theatre.
Gypsy also stars Joy Woods as Louise, with the company also including Jordan Tyson as June, Kevin Csolak as Tulsa, Lesli Margherita as Tessie Tura, Lili Thomas as Miss Mazeppa, Mylinda Hull as Miss Electra, Jacob Ming-Trent as Uncle Jocko, Kyleigh Denae Vickers as Baby Louise, and Marley Lianne Gomes and Jade Smith as Baby June. Tryphena Wade is the standby for Rose.
READ: In Gypsy, Joy Woods Is Stepping Into Her Power
The ensemble features Jace Bently, Brandon Burks, Hunter Capellán, Tony d’Alelio, Summer Rae Daney, Kellie Jean Hoagland, Aliah James, Brittney Johnson, Zachary Daniel Jones, Ethan Joseph, Andrew Kober, Krystal Mackie, James McMenamin, Majo Rivero, Sally Shaw, Brendan Sheehan, Thomas Silcott, and Jayden Theophile. Swings Shanel Bailey, Sasha Hutchings, Cole Newburg, Joe Osheroff, Ken Robinson, Jordan Wynn, and Iain Young round out the company. Casting is by Jordan Thaler and Heidi Griffiths.
Gypsy, based on the mostly fictional memoir of famed burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee, features a book by Laurents and songs with music by Styne and lyrics by Sondheim. In addition to the Broadway productions, the work has been filmed three times: a 1962 feature film starring Rosalind Russell, a 1993 TV film starring Bette Midler, and a filmed stage performance of a 2015 London revival starring Imelda Staunton.
Wolfe's creative team includes choreographer Camille A. Brown; music director and supervisor Andy Einhorn, who's also penned additional arrangements; scenic designer Santo Loquasto; costume designer Toni-Leslie James; lighting designers Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer; sound designer Scott Lehrer; hair and wig designer Mia Neal; and makeup designer Michael Clifton. Orchestrations are by Sid Ramin and Robert Ginzler, with dance music arrangements by John Kander, and additional orchestrations and arrangements by Daryl Waters. Rick Steiger is production stage manager.
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