By SHARON EBERSON
Mama Rose in Gypsy is right up there with Sweeney Todd and the artist known as George as the most single-minded sociopaths in the arsenal of dark musical theater roles. The mother of all stage mothers also is among the most sought-after roles for “some people”: Those people in possession of powerhouse voices, along with the ability to steamroll everyone in their path without diminishing the character’s humanity.
Enter Becki Toth, who has just those particular set of skills, and who considers Rose her dream role. Her dream come true is a gift to us all.
(Image: Pittsburgh Performance Photography)
As Rose in Stage 62’s Gypsy, Toth’s Broadway belt is creating seismic waves at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie.
Toth has graced stages throughout the region and is a particular favorite at Front Porch Theatricals — Friday’s performance was underwritten by the Zionts Family, in memory of the late Leon Zionts, a Front Porch producer who performed frequently with Stage 62. In Rose, Toth’s vocal power is put to the test and earns an A++.
The brilliant Jules Styne score, with Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics and a book by Arthur Laurents, takes the real-life story of the famous strip-tease artist Gypsy Rose Lee (born Rose Louise Hovick), and puts the spotlight squarely on her overbearing mother, whose two daughters are burdened with her insatiable showbiz ambitions. When her first choice for stardom, June, escapes the bonds of her mother’s ambition, Rose turns her sights on Louise, and pushes her into what would become a starmaking career in burlesque.
Songs from Gypsy: A Musical Fable (the full title is another way of saying “based on”) include “Some People,” “Small World,” “If Momma Was Married,” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” and “Rose’s Turn.”
Stage 62 has surrounds Toth with an adept cast, including Carl Hunt’s sweet, subservient Herbie, and Laura Barletta, whose transformation from awkward Louise to star attraction Gypsy Rose Lee is a highlight. Ivy Ferris has fiery flare as the adult June, and Nicolas Sperandeo shines in his solo dance number as Tulsa, one of the men who Rose lassos into doing her bidding, as she aspires to Ziegfeld heights, but finds her loyal little company booked into the backroads of vaudeville.
The trio of Jenna Kantor, Lisa Cavlovich and Ashley Harmon amp up the comedy as they give naive Louise a taste of what’s to come with “You Gotta Get a Gimmick.”
A memorable moment includes the instant transformation of Baby June and Louise and their backup boys to young women and men, in the show directed by Rob James and choreographed by Alex Manalo, with music director Steve Baldanzi leading a 13-piece band.
Regional and touring productions of Gypsy are not easy to come by, with the role of Rose a big reason. The 2024–2025 Broadway revival featuring Broadway’s brightest star, soprano Audra McDonald, did not launch a national tour. The 2015 Pittsburgh CLO version cast Guiding Light star Kim Zimmer.
From Ethel Merman to Angela Lansbury to Patti LuPone, from Bernadette Peters to Bette Midler to McDonald, Gypsy’s Mama Rose has attracted musical theater’s biggest marquee names. And in Pittsburgh, it’s Becki Toth’s turn to hit the heights.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Stage 62’s Gypsy is at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie through November 15, 2026. Tickets: https://www.stage62.org.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Reviews
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