3.2 Gypsy!

We're starting 2022 right and continuing our discussion of the musicals of the great Stephen Sondheim! Today, we're talking about the iconic Gypsy (1959), Sondheim’s early collaboration with Jule Styne.

*We apologize for the audio quality in today's episode - we had some technical difficulties with Nathan's mic!

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We talk about:

The diva phenomenon, domineering mothers, and queer men’s mommy issues.
Cultural & religious shifts in sexual norms in the 20th century.
The agency of women, the use of women’s bodies for entertainment, and questions of morality & ethics around characters like Mama Rose and Gypsy Rose Lee.
The "death of vaudeville" as a way of thinking about any institution balancing old traditions with a changing world (can you say 21st century Christianity?)
The power of bodies and how sex work is an image of the Kingdom of God.

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You’ll hear:

The Overture and "Rose’s Turn" from the 2003 Broadway Revival Cast with Bernadette Peters.
"Some People," "Small World," "Everything’s Coming Up Roses" and "Rose’s Turn" as sung by Ethel Merman & Jack Klugman on the Original Broadway Cast Album from 1959.
Bernadette Peters, Julia McKenzie, Ruthie Henshall as well as (!) Judi Dench, David Kernan, Lea Salonga, Maria Friedman, Michael Ball & Millicent Martin singing "You Gotta Get A Gimmick" from the 1998 Concert Album, Hey Mr. Producer!

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Check out some of our all-time favorites!

Phantom of the Opera
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Jesus Christ Superstar!
Schmigadoon! (Season 1 / Season 2)
West Side Story!
Yentl!
Frozen!
Barbie!

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