OFC's Broadway in Brighton Series Presents
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
Performances January 30-February 16, 2025 at the OFC Creations Theatre Center Main Stage;
Run time approximately 2 hours 30 minutes plus intermission; Appropriate for ages 16 & up
Starring Jodi Benson as Mama Rose!
Jodi Benson* is best known for providing the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, the character Barbie in Toy Story, the title role in Thumbelina, as well as for her Tony Award nomination for Polly Baker in Crazy For You on Broadway
Delaney Benson*, Jodi's daughter, will star alongside her as Rose's daughter, Louise.
Regarded by many theatre professionals as the finest musical ever created, Gypsy is the ultimate tale of the ambitious stage mother, Rose, fighting for her daughters’ success – while secretly yearning for her own. All while June and Louise wish their mother would settle down and get married, Rose continues to pursue dreams of stardom for her girls and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Set across America throughout the 1920s and 30s, when vaudeville was dying and burlesque was born, this landmark show explores the world of two-bit show business with brass, humor, heart, and sophistication.
The celebrated score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim boasts one glorious hit after another, including ‘Everything's Coming Up Roses,’ ‘Let Me Entertain You,’ ‘Some People,’ ‘You'll Never Get Away from Me,’ ‘If Momma Was Married,’ ‘All I Need Is the Girl,’ ‘You Gotta Get A Gimmick,’ ‘Small World’ and ‘Together Wherever We Go.’
Production photos courtesy of the Gulf Coast Symphony c2023 Bruce Jaeger photography
Starring Jodi Benson as Rose!
Jodi Benson* is best known for providing the voice of Ariel in Disney's 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, as well as many other Disney works. Benson also filled in for Paige O'Hara as the voice of Belle in House of Mouse and voiced the character Barbie in the second and third films of the Toy Story franchise (1999-2010), and in the Toy Story Toons short Hawaiian Vacation (2011). For her contributions to Disney, Benson was named a Disney Legend in 2011.
Benson gave voice to the spirited "Weebo" in Disney's live action Flubber, starring Robin Williams. For Warner Bros., she did the voice of the title character in Thumbelina in 1994, a Don Bluth animated feature film with songs by Barry Manilow. Her other projects include Secret of the Wings, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, Balto: Wolf Quest, and Balto III: Wings of Change. She appeared as Patrick Dempsey's assistant Sam in Disney's live-action feature film Enchanted. While being a Disney Legend, she also voiced Jane Doe and Patsy Smiles in Cartoon Network's Camp Lazlo. She also voiced the character Tula in Hanna-Barbera's animated series The Pirates of Dark Water.
In 1992, Benson received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Polly Baker in Crazy For You. She played the narrator in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1998.
On the concert stage, Benson has performed as a concert soloist with symphonies all over the world, including The Boston Pops, The Philly Pops (conductor: Peter Nero), The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (conductor: John Mauceri), The National Symphony (conductor: Marvin Hamlisch), Cleveland, Dallas, Tokyo, and the San Francisco and Chicago Symphonies. She starred in the Kennedy Center Honors for Ginger Rogers, and in Disney's Premiere in Central Park with Pocahontas, The Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary Spectacular and Disney's 100 Years of Magic. Benson is the resident guest soloist for the Walt Disney Company/Disney Cruise Line and ambassador for feature animation.
THE CAST OF GYPSY
Rose – Jodi Benson*
Louise – Delaney Benson*
June – Claire Kennard
Herbie – Ken Harrington
Tulsa – Mitchell Canfield
Baby June – Tessa Gilardoni
Baby Louise - Eden Finlayson
Ensemble – Kaitlyn Baldwin, David Eve, Tripp Hanson, Ben Reiner, Immanuel Rodriguez, Courtney Schutt, Ray Trim
Youth Ensemble - Gus Brodhead, Jack Hartman, Quinn Kenyon, Cameron Korzinski, Rosemary Laprime, Deonne Major
*The actor is a member of Actors' Equity Association, appearing under a special agreement with Actors' Equity Association
Under the direction of Eric Vaughn Johnson, this mother of all musicals, Gypsy, features a cast of professional performers from across the country. GYPSY is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.com
Check out the Broadway in Brighton Series Add On "Together Wherever We Go: Gypsy Rose Lee - An Evening with Her Son, Erik Lee Preminger." Mr. Preminger visits OFC for one performance only sharing exclusive stories and memories of growing up with his world famous mother. Subscribers receive 10% off tickets by calling the box office. Details HERE
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Thursday, January 30 at 7:30PM
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Friday, January 31 at 7:30PM
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Saturday, February 1 at 2PM
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Saturday, February 1 at 7:30PM
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Sunday, February 2 at 2PM
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Wednesday, February 5 at 7:30PM
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Thursday, February 6 at 7:30PM
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Friday, February 7 at 7:30PM
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Saturday, February 8 at 2PM
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Saturday, February 8 at 7:30PM
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Sunday, February 9 at 2PM
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Wednesday, February 12 at 7:30PM
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Thursday, February 13 at 7:30PM
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Friday, February 14 at 7:30PM
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Saturday, February 15 at 2PM
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Saturday, February 15 at 7:30PM
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Sunday, February 16 at 2PM
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