Sunday night was the final performance of the Racine Theater Guild’s production of “Gypsy” and by every conceivable measure this was a tremendous high point. It was a superb cast who worked beautifully together in a production which I think really showcased the special chemistry which was up on that stage. There were some very familiar faces in the group but also a fair number of newcomers to the theater guild who really made themselves at home in the best sense of the phrase.
Most of the performances through the run were either sold out or very nearly sold out- but Sunday night was an added performance and actually wasn’t as full as the others- but the audience seemed especially excited to be there. I think a fair number of them were friends or relatives of cast members as that of course brings a special sort of electricity into the auditorium. I sort of roamed through the audience a bit, wanting to see the action from various vantage points- and I also took a couple of photographs. (Shhhhhhhhhhh!) Actually I don’t think anyone would have known except that for one shot I somehow neglected to turn off the flash- – – and Kathy, even offstage as stage manager, saw the flash of light and immediately thought to herself “That was my husband.” Eric, the sound technician, noticed it – and actually leaned over to his assistant and whispered to her “Section Two . . . Row H . . . Seat 4 or 5. . . “ as though triangulating on a getaway suspect. And when the lights came up three minutes later for intermission, Eric could hardly contain his shock when he saw that the perpetrator of the dastardly deed was the music director of the show. “GREG BERG,” he exclaimed, “I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! ! !” I felt like evangelist Jimmy Swaggert the moment he was caught at the motel. (You can see one of the photos I took on the Pretty Good Pix page.)
Anyway, it was a glorious end to a glorious run. . . and after it was all over, the RTG had managed to make some money, entertain all kinds of people, and given a really rich and stimulating experience to everyone in the cast and crew. It’s always fun after those final performances to pop down into the green room and see all of the goodbyes in progress. . . some accompanied by laughter- others with tears- and probably most of them with both.
In a superb cast, I have to say a special word of praise for the Mama and Louise. . . Teri and Rachel created something tremendously powerful on that stage, and in their capable hands we were treated to an endlessly fascinating view of mother and daughter. Teri painted a rich and complex picture of Mama Rose and her tireless ambition, making her someone obnoxious and irritating yet lovable and sympathetic – and in the end, heartbreaking. Rachel gave us the breathtaking transformation of awkward Louise into the radiant Gypsy Rose Lee, and infusing young Louise with a gentle heart of gold which just melts our collective hearts. What they accomplished was due in part to sheer talent – and due also to Doug Instenes’ assured direction – but I think as much as anything it was the coming together of two really wonderful human beings who genuinely liked each other, admired each other, and developed a freedom and ease with each other that made all kinds of great things possible when it was time to act on that stage.
I just happened to be hovering with a camera when they first hugged after this last performance – and it was so inspiring to see them wrap their arms around each other, crying tears which I’m sure were tears of joy, sadness, relief, exhilaration, and utter weariness. . . but mostly sweet tears of love. As great as it is to enjoy spirited applause and standing ovations, it cannot compare to the delight of finding a dear new friend in the course of performing a masterpiece for the musical theater stage. Now that is what I called a Blessed Life.