The Mother of all Musicals returns to Thalian Hall!
Thalian Association Community Theatre brings grit, determination – and Gypsy – to the Main Stage
WILMINGTON, NC – Women of today get inspiration from the brassy broads that came before them, and their strength, determination and perseverance. Thalian Association Community Theatre is proud to present Gypsy, often considered the greatest American musical, on the Main Stage at Thalian Hall. The all-star Wilmington theatre veteran cast includes Kat Vernon as Rose, Beth Swindell as Louise, Troy Rudeseal as Herbie and Logan Tart as June. Opening night is March 30 and the show runs Thursday through Sunday until April 9. Tickets are $30 with senior, youth and group discounts available and Thrifty Thursday performances are $20.
Gypsy is a 1959 musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. It is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with “the ultimate show business mother.” It follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of show business life. The character of Louise is based on Lee, and the character of June is based on Lee’s sister, the actress June Havoc.
The musical contains many songs that became popular standards, including “Everything’s Coming up Roses”, “Together (Wherever We Go)”, “Small World”, “You Gotta Get a Gimmick”, “Let Me Entertain You”, “All I Need Is the Girl”, and “Rose’s Turn”. It is frequently considered one of the crowning achievements of the mid-20th century’s conventional musical theatre art form, often called the “book musical”.
Gypsy has been referred to as the greatest American musical by numerous critics and writers, among them Ben Brantley who wrote “what may be the greatest of all American musicals…” , Frank Rich, who wrote that “Gypsy is nothing if not Broadway’s own brassy, unlikely answer to King Lear.”, and Clive Barnes who wrote that “Gypsy is one of the best of musicals…” and described the character of Rose as “one of the few truly complex characters in the American musical….”.
Established in 1788, Thalian Association Community Theatre is a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to enhancing the Cape Fear region through live community theatre and arts education. Thalian Association Community Theatre produces five major productions annually on the Main Stage at historic Thalian Hall, four productions at the Red Barn Studio and professionally manages the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center for the City of Wilmington. The youth theatre program offers training and performance opportunities for children age seven through high school seniors. In 2007, Thalian Association Community Theatre was designated North Carolina’s Official Community Theater by the state legislature.