I just watched a post-mortem of the Tony's on a local cable news channel. One of the interesting points the panelists made was that some people thought it was a mistake for the producers of Gypsy to select "Rose's Turn" as the number that was done on the telecast. Apparently some people thought the number was too grim, that it might scare away potential ticket buyers, and that it would have been better to choose a more upbeat number that would also have let the TV audience see some of the other cast members, in addition to Bernadette Peters. But the panelists on the cable show thought that "Rose's Turn" was a good choice, because it was the producers' way of giving a vote of confidence to Bernadette Peters, and a way for her to dispel all the rumors about her health being still too shaky to handle the role.
Of course, the decision could have backfired if she hadn't nailed the number during the telecast, but she did. The TV panelists concluded that, even though Gypsy didn't win any Tony's, the telecast will probably help it at the box office, because anyone who had been hesitating about buying tickets, out of fear that Bernadette would cancel or would have an off night, will now feel like they can safely buy tickets.
Bravo, Mac. Do you need a companion? Do you have an extra ticket?
I sure hope you'll get to see the original cast. You'll have to give us a complete review when you return.
