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Gypsy

Gypsy is a 2017 American musical theatre play by Thalian Association that revolves around

Rose, a bold and strong-willed mother together with her family. Rose has two daughters June

and Louise. June is a singer and a dancer and the beautiful one of the two with a strong

personality. On the other hand, Louise also known as Gypsy Rose Lee is the less refined one and

shy. Apart from Rose, much of the play has directed its attention towards Louise who her mother

is trying to mold into a confident and successful actor. She later becomes a stripper instead. The

play also features Herbie, a candy salesman as well as Rose’s manager and companion,

Mazeppa, a trumpet stripper, Electra, a lightbulb stripper, Tessie Tura, a ballet stripper, Tulsa,

Rose’s vaudeville act performer and dancer, Baby June and Baby Louise the young versions of

June and Louise respectively.

Description of Production Elements

Lighting

Stage lighting is an important feature when it comes to performing arts. Modern stage

lighting as used in Gypsy does more than just the basic lighting. It incorporates special effects

such as fog machines and lasers. It is essential for lighting technicians to be aware of the

intensity, color, and direction of the light in order to achieve the desired effects and moods. One

of the dominant features in lighting that has been used in the play is dimming. It has been used as

a means of transition to the next scene. The lights dim leaving the stage totally black and when
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they are back the stage is set and ready for the next scene. Lighting has also been used to

reinforce the attention on a given character. In instances where the main character usually Rosa

and Louise are conversing, the light is focused on them dimming all the other parts of the stage

this feature being most notable during soliloquies. Lighting has also been used to notify the

audience of the given time when the action is taking place. Although much of the play is done in

dark backgrounds, the magnitude and color of the light combined with the scenery communicate

to the audience informing them of the time the action is taking place whether night or morning.

During late nights and out of the house or buildings, the lighting is blue and brighter as if to

signify the presence of the moon while during instances when the characters are indoors in the

house, it’s yellowish to reinforce the notion that the characters are indoors and sometimes darker

signify that the characters are sleeping. The play has also used lighting accompanied by

movement prevalently on many scenes to reinforce the fact that the character is walking or in a

moving vehicle.

Scenery and Costumes

The play has incorporated multiple background scenes in the entire plot. Some of the

notable background scenes include the works station owned by Rose that is built with red bricks,

the workstation of Mr. Grandson, Rose’s house, the outside world vegetation with trees and the

morning sun, vehicles moving, theatres, amongst others.

To support the various background environments adopted, the play has also featured

various costumes for the actors. Most notable are the costumes worn by dancers more often than

not having a similar design but different colors and the ones used by the actors in their personal

lives in the play. The early scenes of the play start with Rose who is wearing a long purple coat,
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Herbie in a greyish suit and June in dresses with colors and designs that resemble the Christmas

mood colors.

Costumes have a lot to tell in storytelling. Just like any other component in a play, they

are used to reinforce the character’s moods as well as their personality. For Rose, having a purple

coat automatically attracts the audience’s attention complemented with her hills to amplify her

boldness, confidence and strong will. On the other hand, Herbie wears a brownish grey suit to

attract the least attention as possible in line with his role as a soft-spoken man who barely makes

tough decisions that impact the course of the storyline. For June, her refined dresses during her

performances amplify her role as a girl who can still do well on her own away from her mother’s

care and protection. In contrast to June, Louise wears less refined clothes to bring out the

timidness in her. However, during the last scenes, Louise’s dressing changes to feature long

shinny dresses usually with a long sidecut to magnify her new found confidence. At one point,

Louise tells her mother that she is not just a stripper but the highest paid stripper. Her dresses

look expensive and exquisite reflecting this fact.

Music and Instruments

Music is one of the main dominant features in the play form the start to the end.

Characters in the play especially Rose sing to inform the audience of their feelings. The

instruments and music played have also been matched with the characters’ movements and

physical expressions to enhance the mood of a particular scene. Music and the accompanying

instruments have also been vital in scene transitions, playing in the background as the screen

goes black. Some of the notable songs by Rose include the “Never get away” and “I have a

dream” (Thalian Association Community Theatre, 2019). She serenades the former to Herbie to

express her affectionate feelings towards him while she sings the latter to Louise to express her
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expectations towards her daughter. June and Louise also sing “Mama get married” to express the

feelings that they would love it if their mother is in a formal relationship with Herbie.
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Work Cited

Thalian Association Community Theatre (2019). GYPSY- 2017. [image] Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQpGLIUOsEc&feature=youtu.be [Accessed 7 Mar.

2019].