WOLFEBORO — It’s been a busy week of work for the cast and crew of Gypsy at the Village Players Theater in Wolfeboro. The cast has been going over dialogue, songs and dance with director Carol Bense, musical director Keith Belanger and choreographer Kaylin Dean. The crew has been busy finishing up the set under the watchful eyes of Jay Sydow and Russ Ellis and prepping for the behind- the-scenes action with stage manager Megan Rohrbacher. All told, there’s been a flurry of activity and it will all come to a head on Friday, Nov. 9, when the curtain rises on opening night of Gypsy. Gypsy is based on the memoirs of famous striptease artist Gyspy Rose Lee and focuses on her mother, Rose. Mama Rose is the ultimate
show business mother, pushing her kids towards stardom. Mama Rose is played by Alton’s Priscilla Adams,who will be stepping into a lead role for the first time on the Village Players stage. Adams has been part of numerous productions at the Wolfeboro theater over the past few years, including a significant role in Little Shop of Horrors last year. But after an audition process with numerous other talented actresses vying for the lead, Bense settled on Adams for the role. The mother of two college-age students, Adams has spent countless hours rehearsing her lines, learning her songs and memorizing dance moves in preparation for the part. Rose’s two daughters, June and Louise (who is based on Gypsy Rose Lee) are played as grown-ups by Randi Talbot and Dean (who is serving in two different roles for this production), respectively. The children are also portrayed in their younger days by Maggie Mae Shaw and Olivia Gubitose, respectively. The show follows the family around the county as Mama Rose leads her kids (and others) on a quest to find tardom for her two daughters. Gypsy features music by Jule Styne and lyrics by
Stephen Sondheim and features many popular standards, including “Small World,” Everything’s Coming up Roses,” “Some People” and “Let Me Entertain You.”
Numerous critics and writers have referred to Gypsy as the greatest American
musical and the cast and crew of the Village Players Theater are putting the finishing
touches on their version of this all-time classic. In addition to the cast members listed above, those familiar with the Village Players will see many familiar faces in the cast, including Wayne Gehman as Herbie, the former agent who becomes
the manager for June and Louise, Dan Charlton as Pop, Mama Rose’s father and Victoria Neal as Electra and Phoebe VanScoy-Giessler as Electra and Tessie Tura, respectively, burlesque dancers at a club where Louise ends up performing. Other Village Player veterans in the production include Rick Tessari, Mandy Ferriman, Don Hargy, John Findlay and Ellis. Tickets for any of the shows are available at Black’s Paper and Gifts in downtown Wolfeboro or online at
www.village-players. com and will be available at the door while supplies last. The show opens on Friday, Nov. 9 and runs for two consecutive weekends. Shows are Nov. 9, 10, 16 and 17 at 8
p.m. and Nov. 11 and 18 at 2 p.m.