In summer theatre 1971, I was in a production of Gypsy. I have no idea how good it was, but I had a grreat deal of fun. The first production I saw was the Tyne Daly production, which I liked very much. I thought her acting was superb but her singing pitchy and erratic. The next production I saw was the Bette Midler, which had much I liked, but when I watched it several months ago, I thought her singing was sloppy as she slid on and off notes. I wish I'd seen Merman because she's the voice I hear in those songs.
DR Jose and I saw the Patti Lupone production at City Center, before it moved to Broadway. I liked much of it, and Laura Benanti was a wonderful Louise. Patti, like Merman, is a force of nature, and I think she can do no wrong. After crashing and burning as Annie Oakley, I had no desire to see Bernadette Peters tackle Mama Rose, and - much as the cult raves about Audra - I don't. Her singing on the TV ads is enough to keep me away.
