FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Shari Lynn turns in an exceptional performance as the lead in Army Community Theatre's "Gypsy," playing through Sept. 20 at Richardson Theatre at Fort Shafter.
Cast shines in
a dark rendition
of ‘Gypsy’
Shari Lynn delivers her final number in "Gypsy" with such dramatic impact that she deserves a standing ovation, and yet her character has caused so much psychological damage by that time that it's difficult to separate Lynn's brilliant performance from the hideously flawed character of Mama Rose.
The song, "Rose's Turn," expresses Rose's dreams of stardom and her bitter frustration at never achieving them. Frustration drove Rose to force her daughters into show business so that she could live her dreams through them. The song is the classic over-the-top finale that Broadway stars dream of, and Lynn hits every facet perfectly, but taken in context, "Rose's Turn" is like listening to a killer rationalize a murder. It's the victim we care about.
"Gypsy," presented by Army Community Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Sept. 20 at Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter. Tickets are $8-$17. Call 438-4480.
What else can be said after watching Rose decide that her daughter, Louise, will strip onstage if the burlesque house owner gives the girl top billing? OK, so guys way older than I am say there was a time when "strippers" didn't take it all off. But Jakara Mato (Louise) looks so stunned, so terrified and so far under the age of consent that the thought of Mama Rose forcing her to remove any garments at all for the entertainment of male voyeurs is creepy and downright disgusting.
As the scene plays out and the poor girl tries to compose herself, we get the feeling that if the theater owner had wanted to have sex with Louise in exchange for top billing, Rose would have served as pimp.
Credit director Glenn Cannon with putting a very dark spin on this classic Broadway musical for Army Community Theatre.
As for Mato, she plays perfectly as a psychologically abused girl who morphs into a nationally famous stripper. Mato is clearly a star on the rise. Two other pivotal scenes prove the point.
In "All I Need Is a Girl," Louise watches as a male dancer named Tulsa shows her the routine he's working on -- the routine that will be his ticket out of the act and his shot at star status. The piece is beautifully choreographed by Grace Bell Humerickhouse, and Cole Horibe performs with precision and fluid grace as Tulsa. But the choreography is only the foundation of Mato's poignant performance, silently revealing that she could be the girl that Tulsa's seeking.
Mato also shines in a scene right after Rose and Louise arrive at the burlesque house. At first, Rose wants to bail -- vaudeville acts looked down on the performers who entertained between strip acts. But Louise points out that they need the money. Her skills as a seamstress soon give her an "in" with the strippers, and she also decides she'll sub for a nonstripping "talking woman" in other acts.
It's a pivotal scene in the relationship between Louise and Rose, and Mato makes it work.
Local theater fans expect perfection from Lynn, and she lives up to expectations with her portrayal of Rose, the ultimate stage mother, whose obsession with show business destroys her relationship with her daughters. Rose lavishes attention on her talented younger daughter, June, while relegating older and "untalented" Louise to secondary status. Both girls dutifully follow their mother's instructions, even though their act is appallingly bad even as a kiddie act. It gets worse as the girls reach puberty.
The unspoken joke in this dark tragedy is that Rose never fully comprehends how lame the act is -- or that changing the dancing newsboys to dancing farm boys and adding two people in a cow costume doesn't improve it. Humerickhouse and two sets of dancers -- kids in the first version, adults thereafter -- do a hilarious job establishing how bad the material is and how threadbare it becomes.
Lynn does the stage-mother thing perfectly, and from the first verse of "Some People (I Had a Dream)," there's no question she owns the show in all respects. Rose has five big numbers in Act 1 and another great one early in Act 2 -- Lynn makes each worth the price of admission. Whether going big and brassy or playing soft and calculating, Lynn does beautifully nuanced work. Her interpretation of Rose is tough, self-centered and ruthless.
Euphrosyne Rushforth (Tessie Tura), Cameryn Krainin (Mazeppa) and Mary Ann Changg (Electra) do an outstanding job as the strippers who make "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" bright and brassy. Unfortunately, their number was marred by microphone problems -- the only time sound was a problem on opening night.
David C. Farmer (Herbie) is pleasant as the traveling salesman Rose beguiles into becoming the act's manager/agent. Marcela Biven (Baby June) and Kate Ryan (Baby Louise) star in the first two versions of "Let Me Entertain You," and Bryna O'Neill (June) joins Mato in making "If Mama Was Married" a poignant yet gently comic high in Act 1.
In theory, "Gypsy" ends as a triumph for Louise, who becomes a world-famous stripper, and for Rose, who has a nervous breakdown but eventually comes to terms with her resentments.
Maybe that's how it played on Broadway back in 1959, but in 2003 the sight of a terrified child-woman who doesn't look a day over 14 being forced by her mother to become a stripper is so creepy that it overshadows everything else.
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