Cover Story: Let them entertain you

Michael Ross sits in a theater surrounded by the focused confusion of rehearsals for “Gypsy.” Groups of actors huddle here and there, the lighting director is high on a ladder and the two-person cow costume needs a quick fix. When an actress wonders about costume accessories for the second act, Ross calmly pulls a G-string from a paper bag. “You think you sign on just to direct a show,” he says.

Growing up, Ross realized “theatre was my sport.” He was drawn to the teamwork of it, the discipline and camaraderie. “You watch out for each other,” he says, eyes on the stage. Weeks after rehearsals began and days before opening night, it’s all starting to come together.

“It’s beautiful thing to watch,” he said. “It’s family up there.”

To start the rehearsal, the actors are asked to sing a snippet from the first musical they appeared in. In football, you’d stretch your hammy. Here, you sing an obscure tune and the adults nod knowingly; for the kids, and there are many, the go-to might be Disney tune.

“At this point all the humans have disappeared,” Ross says. “All I see are characters.”

Ross knows the importance of keeping cool amid the chaos. He’s directed shows for Spreckels, Sixth Street and Lucky Penny theater companies, and returns to Andrews Hall after last years’ Sonoma Arts Live production “Bad Dates.” This is his time at the helm of “Gypsy,” though he’s been involved with three prior productions of the show.

There’s nothing like a dame, especially in a Broadway musical. And there’s no musical quite like “Gypsy,” where Dani Innocenti Beem belts the roof off the joint as Mama Rose.

Consider that the songs, by Jules Styne and Stephen Sondheim circa 1959, and including “Let Me Entertain You,” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” and “Together Wherever We Go,” among many more, were written for Ethel Merman. There’s singing, there’s Broadway singing, and there’s a dame like Ethel Merman.

“It’s the iconic role for a Broadway diva,” Ross says. “A big voice and a commanding presence. Take the stage and take no prisoners.” Beem, he says, makes it look effortless.

The show is based in the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, whose mother, Mama Rose, was the stage mother supreme. It’s set in the 1920s, when vaudeville was dying out and burlesque was the next big thing. Rose – chiding, cajoling bullying all the while — steers her daughter into that risqué new world.

“This show explores the world of two-bit show business with brass, humor, heart, and sophistication”, says Jaime Love, the company’s Executive Artistic Director.

Daughter Gypsy eventually becomes a star as an elegantly chaste stripper, but it’s Beem’s Mama Rose to whom all eyes are turned. She is a force. A fine comic actress, she breezes and blusters through the script’s surprisingly funny one-liners in steady stream-of-consciousness.

And the blockbuster voice – the headset microphone seems redundant – is often layered with nuance and emotion. Still, she could sing a candle out at 50 paces.

There’s also a bit of uneasy obsession. Mama Rose may have missed her shot at the big time, but like Norma Desmond, she’s still ready for her close-up.

The rest of the cast is strong. Tim Setzer plays Herbie, adding a light touch to the role of Rose’s longtime, and long suffering, beau.

Amanda Pedersen is an effervescent Dainty June, and Danielle DeBow plays Louise, the daughter who finally blossoms, after the required of penance of being the second-favorite daughter, on the burlesque stage.

Notable is Jaime Love, and not just because she plays a stripper. Her Tessa — more of a broad than a dame – is a wise-cracking delight. Her number, with Julia Holsworth Karen Pinomaki is a comic highlight.

“Gypsy” features musical direction by John Partridge, and choreography by Michella Snider.

The show runs July 20-23 and July 27-30 with evening performances at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Rotary Stage in Andrews Hall, Sonoma Community Center, 276 East Napa Street in Sonoma. For tickets go to sonomaartslive.org or call 866-710-8942 Monday – Friday, or at the box office one hour before each performance. Tickets are also available at the Sonoma Community Center.