The Theater: New Musical on Broadway, Jun. 1, 1959

Gypsy (book by Arthur Laurents; music by Jule Styne; direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins) opened to breathless rave reviews. Burbled the Herald Tribune's Walter Kerr: "Best damn musical I've seen in years." Said Brooks Atkinson of the Times: "Most satisfactory musical of the season." The critical fan-farenade for what is, at best, a so-so show would be a puzzler if the answer was not blazoned on the marquee. The answer: Ethel Merman. They all love Ethel, but the love is sorely tested in her latest role as the most monstrous stage mother...

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