The Deal

• Gypsy the Musical
• When: select dates, January 31–February 7
• Where: Citadel Theatre
• Seating: best available
• Door time: 30 minutes before showtime
• Full offer value includes ticketing fees

Ticketing Options

• $15 for one ticket (up to $25 value)
• $25 for two tickets (up to $50 value)

Gypsy the Musical

Stage moms are nothing new. But Gypsy the Musical presents the first, and certainly most famous, depiction of the stage mom. Dubbed “one of the few truly complex characters in the American musical” by the New York Times, steely matron Rose pushes her daughters—reserved Louise and bubbly June—into show business as vaudeville performers, relentlessly honing their act and seeking out ever-greater opportunities even as the vaudeville circuit begins to die off. When June eventually elopes in defiance of her overbearing mother, Rose turns her full attention to Louise. Louise strives to make her mother proud and becomes Gypsy Rose Lee. As fame carries Louise beyond Rose’s grasp, Rose begins to question her own blind ambition.

Inspired by the memoirs of famous burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee—with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim—Gypsy the Musical boasts a musical score both entertaining and hard-hitting, refusing to shy away from the darker side of show business. When shy daughter Louise transforms into her on-stage persona of Gypsy during the striptease to “Let Me Entertain You,” the song starts off demurely but grows more and more aggressive with the entrance of cymbal crashes and woozy horns. This brassiness characterizes many of the tunes in Gypsy the Musical, particularly “You Gotta Get a Gimmick” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” where the music’s bouncy optimism counterpoints bullying lyrics such as “I had a dream about you, baby / It’s going to come true, baby.”