NEWS RELEASE
MARIPOSA ARTS THEATRE
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“You gotta get a gimmick.” So say the colourful characters of Mariposa Arts Theatre’s (MAT) upcoming production of Gypsy: A Musical Fable coming to the Orillia Opera House this November.
This timeless musical first hit the Broadway stage in 1956 and has remained as one of the greatest American musicals of the 20th century. Based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the show follows a loose biographical story of her time growing up on the vaudeville circuit alongside her sister, and their overbearing ‘original stage mom,’ Rose. The musical features a treasure trove of musical numbers spanning genres of comedy, camp, and spectacle.
Directed by Josh Halbot, Gypsy features everything from classic vaudeville numbers, dancing farm boys, a giant American flag, big burlesque numbers, and a scene-stealing cow. It’s a near-impossible series of events to explain on the onset, but the emotional throughline centres around the unfettered determination for fame by Mother Rose, with her family caught up in her storm.
These have been exciting challenges for the creative team at MAT. Costume designer Erin Hawke has nearly lost count of the number of costumes in the show.
“There’s over 126 costumes and somewhere over 430 items in total.”
With 28 actors on stage in a variety of scenarios and roles, plus understudies, each costume tells a story. Set between the mid-1920s and 1930s, period pieces are hard to come by and most are made or repurposed.
“We were excited to borrow a few pieces from the famed Stratford Festival along with our own original pieces.”
Choreographer Sheri Nicholls has had a similar challenge of finding the niche of each style to fit the period. The vaudeville numbers are full of camp, there’s a Gene Kelly-esque dream sequence, there’s tap, ballet, Spanish dance, and the burlesque dances go from big comedy to teasing and sultry. When asked about her favourite dance sequence in the show, it’s a challenge to pick.
“There’s so many, but You Gotta Get a Gimmick is so fun,” says Nicholls. “The dancers get to have fun and show off their personalities.”
Cheers and laughter can be heard in rehearsals with every wink and nod as the actors ham up their performances.
Gimmick is also the name of the game for set design. Set designer Brian Halbot has rigged surprises into the set pieces that will wow the crowd, paired with the artistic skills of set painter Linda Gidora, set dresser Stephanie Lamb, and their teams.
The music of Gypsy harkens back to the golden era of musical theatre — big, brassy and full of sweeping melodies. This required the skills of a 20-piece band, teaming up musical director Sami Jo Whalen with 4th Street Jazz Project band leader Robin Watson.
“The band is made up of former Orillia high school students who just wanted to play a variety of jazz styles,” says Watson.
When asked to play for Gypsy, the band took on the challenge with enthusiasm, adding a series of new instruments to their repertoire to create that big band sound from the golden age of musicals.
Producer Stevie Baker couldn’t be prouder of the spectacle being created for this show.
“Watching Gypsy come together is a thrilling experience. MAT is consistently pushing the boundaries of what community theatre can be. We have such an incredibly talented cast and crew and their work shines through creating theatre that is professional quality — not only beautiful to look at, but with layered, rich storytelling,” says Baker. “We are so lucky, in Orillia, to be able to see productions at the Gypsy calibre right in our own town, with our own artists on and off the stage. We are thrilled to have several cast and crew who are working with MAT for the very first time on this absolutely gorgeous production.”
Treat yourself by grabbing a ticket and enjoying a fabulous night out right here, close to home.
Gypsy: A Musical Fable runs Thursdays to Sundays from Nov. 7 to 17 at the Orillia Opera House. Evening performances start at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Be sure to cheer on the show’s understudies for a special scheduled performance on Nov. 14 as they step into their lead roles and take to the spotlight.
Tickets are $35 and for more information visit www.mariposaartstheatre.com/gypsy or call the Orillia Opera House box office at 705-326-8011. Group rates are available where you can save $5 on each ticket for 10 or more tickets.
Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Suggested by the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee
Original production by David Merrick and Leland Hayward
Entire production originally directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins
Gypsy: A Musical Fable is presented by arrangement with Tams-Witmark, a Concord Theatricals Company (www.tamswitmark.com)
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