By Bill Hirschman, FloridaTheaterOnStage.com, for SouthFloridaReporter.com, Nov. 30, 2015 – I was near tears at the end of Broward Stage Door’s production ofGypsy at the Wednesday matinee for three reasons occurring simultaneously.
First, the powerhouse performance of Ann Marie Olson in the title role as she nailed “Rose’s Turn;” second, an unrelieved ache to hear one of the finest theatrical scores played by a live band instead of the tracks being used, and three, one of the rudest, thoughtless, self-centered and worst-behaving audiences I’ve seen this season. You couldn’t hear any cellphones going off because of the talking.
Okay, back to the review.
Any production that spotlights Ms. Olson’s golden voice (gold is a good word – warm, strong, low, vibrant, bright) in one of the greatest roles in the canon can be forgiven damn near anything. Ditto for any company that gives us Matthew Korinko’s fine turn as the mensch Herbie and a hilarious trio of over-the-hill strippers in Ellie Pattison, Stephanie Genovese and Christina Groom.
