Gypsy | Savoy Theatre

I was lucky enough to have a double show day booked in on Wednesday, so after seeing the matinee of Les Miserables (I reviewed it here) I was super excited to be seeing Gypsy starring Imelda Staunton. The show has been so hyped up that it was extended to the 28th November which luckily meant I was able to see it. The Savoy Theatre is decorated in a beautiful Art Deco style but unfortunately I forgot to take any photos as I was so excited it completely slipped my mind. We had originally bought tickets for row F in the Grand Circle which was pretty high up but when we arrived we were asked if we'd like to move forward as there were plenty of spare seats, so we ended up on row B (and then row A after the interval as no one was sitting in front of us) giving us a much better view.


I knew a couple of songs from the show- including the famous Everything's Coming Up Roses- and I had a vague idea about the story but I didn't fully know what to expect. Without giving it away, the story is based around Mama Rose's ambition to make her children 'stars' of the stage. Of course, Staunton plays Mama Rose, along with Peter Davison as Herbie, her fiance and agent and Lara Pulver as her daughter, Louise.

People had been absolutely raving about the show so I went in with very high expectations and actually by the interval was a little disappointed. Yes, I was enjoying the show but at that point I didn't feel like raving about it. However during Act 2 I was suddenly blown away. There was such character development from the three principals and Staunton showed us why she is such a popular actress. During Rose's Turn and the finale she had the audience captivated- while previously people had been giggling throughout, the theatre suddenly became completely silent with everyone focused completely on Staunton as the emotion rose to a peak. She was completely worthy of the standing ovation she got when she entered the stage to take her bow, with the applause just going on and on.

Lara Pulver also surprised me as Louise, who really came into her own in the Act 2. Having previously been a fairly quiet, timid character, she really blossomed and the character really came alive and the development as she grew up throughout the show felt very believable.

I don't want to spoil the show for anyone who hasn't yet seen it, but I really liked the way the stage was used to show domestic scenes that moved the plot along as well as, at times, the audience feeling like they are actually watching the show that the characters are putting on. It was clever and enjoyable to get the audience involved. I loved the set too- pieces of set dressed as rooms slid onto that stage that were decorated in such detail, they look very realistic to the time period.

As I said earlier, the show is running until the 28th November and I would really recommend it, even if only to see Imelda Staunton sing Everything's Coming Up Roses. She owned the stage and brought the show to a stunning conclusion.