| the different Roses Turns... did they do it | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 01:16 pm EST 01/23/25 | |
| In reply to: re: Gypsy today - Give credit where credit is due: Lansbury/Laurents - IvyLeagueDropout 05:58 am EST 01/23/25 | |
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| First of all, it *should* be very clear in any production that Rose is bowing to an empty house because in no other part of the show do the actors bow after they sing a book song. The only bows are from June/Louise/Newsboys when performing. So when Rose bows multiple times after Rose's Turn, even if she doesn't extend it past when the audience stops applauding, it should still be clear and effective. Though I do think that extending it is a brilliant effect. It's so curious to me how many times Laurents has directed this show, but he hasn't directed the Rose's Turn bows to have the extension every time. Which does make me think it was Angela's idea (did either of them talk or write about this anywhere that comments on how it happened?). Or maybe it's always a collaboration with what the actor feels it should be, though I don't know why any actor wouldn't want that extension to play, it's so memorable. In the Bernadette/Mendes production (which I loved), Bernadette is very clear in her acting that her bows after Rose's Turn are AS Rose and not as Bernadette (I won't mention how much I just checked), and it's made even more clear and quite effective by her bowing being *interrupted* by Gypsy walking in on her, so in mid-bow Rose sees Gypsy and immediately stops her bow and addresses her. Also brilliant. This is how it's usually done I think. In the Patti/Laurents production, Patti did the extending bowing, but the way she did it the effect wasn't chilling or sad in the way you'd imagine it ought to be (after the bigger bowing was done, she'd be like blowing kisses to the audience and making cute/sexy faces at them, which i think was confusing and unclear that this was Rose in her fantasy and not Patti being Patti, as many in the audience just kept responding to each kiss). You also really have to commit to Gypsy not coming in until after like a full 2 bows fully after the audience has faded out, which can be a long time. But in this production whatever Rose was doing to the audience was interrupted by Gypsy entering clapping, unlike in the Tyne... In the Tyne production, also directed by Laurents (jesus christ, why wouldn't they let anyone ever do this show except him... the only revival not done by Laurents was Bernadette's)... Tyne has finished bowing while the audience is still applauding, she took one last long indulgent bow, comes up and is looking out at the theater and is taking in the applause when Gypsy walkings in clapping, cueing the audience to stop applauding and rest of the scene. So while it's implied she's been watching Rose bow, there isn't the same self conscious "caught" moment for Rose as Bernadette/Mendes did. In the Betty Buckley Papermill production, she did the bowing to silence but not for very long, barely a full bow after the audience stops clapping and before Gypsy starts, but it's there a bit. (whatever one thinks of the tone of this production or of her performance over all as Rose, in terms of how serious or dour or whatever, she has to be the best Rose vocally... her voice sounded incredible. Vocally I think Betty, Angela, and Ethel are the tops, but i haven't heard Audra yet). In the Imelda/Kent revival, at least when it was filmed, Rose does her final "for me!" and then looks almost surprised that there's applause, and almost afraid or at least trepidatious to receive it ... she takes a grand bow while the black curtain comes down over the "rose" marquee lights, she is arms stretched out overwhelmed at the applause, takes another slow but meek bow, and that's the last bow, only two, and she again stands, arms out receiving the applause, almost as if entranced now, that goes on for a bit (arms still frozen outstretched), and she moves her feet into the position where she'd take another curtsey bow (which is how she bowed the first two times), but doesn't bow or go down further into it, she's either frozen or stuck or moving extremely slowly, and in this position Gypsy comes, starts clapping, and Rose immediately breaks from the barely mid-bow-frozen-receiving-applause stance, mortally embarrassed. In the original Roz movie, for some reason even though we can visually see she's performing to an empty theater, they don't let her bow at all and Gypsy applauds while Rose's arms are still up from her last "for me!" In the Bette movie, of course we see she's performing to an empty theater, and she does several grand bows to silence before Gypsy walks in. Despite that it's there, I always found this a bit weird and less effective than it ought to be, because A) there's no applause in the first place, it would've been much more effective if she finished the number we knew/saw she was doing in an empty theater, close shot on her, and the second it's over the room is filled with the sound of an audience applauding and jumping to its feet, then we cut around and see it's still empty but the sound of the applause continue as she bows, then it goes away and she's still bowing. That's just how I'd do it and see if it worked. But B) it was weird because Bette's first bow is big and slow, like she just did a lovely aria or some ballet, not a ferocious number, so it feels a little incongruous with what I would imagine a performer like the Rose we just saw would get from the audience and how she'd respond, especially having never gotten applause before in her life -- which was something Angela, Bernadette and Imelda portayed effectively and brilliantly ... i don't think it's the only way to go, sheer triumph and release is another, the notion of her as an entertainment professional at heart and how she'd take applause/bow as a pro are often a big part of how this is done (Tyne and Lavin both did it a bit differently though there was a tinge of that, more in Lavin's I think). |
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