Gypsy, a musical by Jule Styne. St. James Theatre. This production of Gypsy originated at the Encores! last summer. We reviewed that production and raved about it. But now it is at the St. James and happily it is actually improved. As good as the stellar cast was last summer, they've all settled into their roles so that they now inhabit them. What was sketchy in the summer is now fully fleshed out. No one though has made more of a metamorphosis than Patti LuPone. Where she was all brass and belter in the summer, she's toned it down, reached for the character of this complicated woman called Rose (who is emphatically NOT a monster) and found her core. LuPone builds her performance so that instead of one socked out number after the other, it is a slowly formed tidal wave that crests with an astonishingly powerful "Rose's Turn." This is a monumental performance - one for the ages. Laura Benanti had already found the core of Louise last summer, but she now adds real authority to what was already the best Louise seen on stage. The always superb Boyd Gaines is the most faithfully frumpy Herbie imaginable. These three make up the best balanced cast "Gypsy" has ever had. It is their incandescence that carry what is otherwise a routine and cheap looking production that brings nothing new to the work. Shockingly, the orchestra does not play well (the first famous trumpet note was sour), the choreography by Robbins has gone stale (no doubt because the master's hand is not available), and the stage direction seems frozen in amber from 1959. But as long as this incomparable trio prowls the stage of the St. James, this "Gypsy" is a can't miss. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Grade. A

Sunday in the Park With George, a musical by Stephen Sondheim. Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54. This chamber musical (in our mind an opera) is a brilliant meditation on the solitary and brave act of creating a work of art. The first act is a clever musical picture of Seurat's painting of "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." The painting comes to life before our eyes and sings for us. But as witty as this is, it is the second act that is the key to the work for we see the perhaps silly, perhaps visionary attempt at a light show by the great grandson of Seurat and experience all his doubt just as his ancestor might have done. This production which originated in England uses video to wonderful effect. Two performances are outstanding - Daniel Evans as George (he should give Paulo Szot a run for his money in the Tonys) and Jenna Russell as Dot. It's Russell who has the most moving song: "Children and Art" and she sings it with tremendous feeling and quietude.
Any revival of a major Sondheim work is an important event. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade: B+

Macbeth by William Shakespeare at the Lyceum Theatre. Starring Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood. Productions of Macbeth are not very common and although we had seen Macbeth at the Shakespeare Globe in London, that production was so poor that we felt this was the first time we've seen "The Scottish Play." For though the production is a high concept one, it is a production which enhances the play's qualities without adding any distortion. The action takes place in a spooky hospital basement with plenty of video effects. Though the time period is quasi Soviet, the production owes a great deal to Japanese horror films, particularly "The Ring." In this concept, the witches are three scary nurses, played so well that I would venture they are the most successfully realized part of the production. Patrick Stewart is a towering Macbeth, his soliloquies are masterfully presented, "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" in particular. Kate Fleetwood is a fierce, ruthless and very sexy Lady Macbeth. Her sleepwalking scene is devastating. When the two leads and the witches are onstage, the production is outstanding. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast is not as good, which makes the second act seem very long when the action switches to England, a tedious and almost interminable scene. At the same time, the modernistic horror effects start to wear thin. Fortunately the climax is chillingly rendered and the bloody head of Macbeth sends the audience away thoroughly shaken. We enjoyed seeing this masterwork in the lovely jewel box Lyceum. When first rate Shakespeare is offered, it is a must and this production certainly qualifies. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade: B