After a successful year, including 11 Cappies nominations for the fall musical “Side Show,” the Whitman drama department is looking to the future with the announcement of next year’s fall musical and winter play.
Director Christopher Gerken announced June 2 that the drama department will perform the musical “Gypsy“ and the play “Frankenstein” for the 2011-2012 school year.
A major factor in choosing the musical was the large number of talented female actresses who will be involved in the drama department next year, Gerken said.
“We wanted a musical with a lot of marquee power and also something that can have a lot of people for a big cast,” Gerken said.
“Gypsy,” which Gerken has previous experience directing, is based on the true story of burlesque stripper Gypsy Rose Lee. The main character, Rose, is a demanding stage mother with two daughters, Louise and June. After failing to pressure daughter June into a stage career, Rose forces her daughter Louise to become a burlesque stripper. Louise then takes on the name Gypsy Rose Lee, the title role.
For “Frankenstein,” Gerken said he is excited for the technical aspects of the show, including electricity and fire effects, but he has not yet decided on a specific script. However, Gerken knows that his interpretation will not include the stereotypical image of Frankenstein’s monster but, instead, will feature a more human-looking monster.
Auditions for “Gypsy” are Sept. 6 and 7, and the performance dates for the musical are Nov. 17 to 19.
Ex-Wootton Student • Aug 31, 2011 at 9:12 am
1) whitman theatre is amazing and i love it and you should have won everything at the cappies. i voted, but i guess it wasnt enough :/
2) i LOVE gypsy and its an amazing show and im jealous that youre doing it haha
3) if youre a freshman girl and wanna get in the show, i suggest you shhhhhh 🙂
Rising Sophomore • Jul 23, 2011 at 5:41 pm
Having unfortunately missed the auditions for Side Show last year, I’m kind of unfamiliar with the dance audition process myself (NEVER having done one before, and having no experience in tap, athletic jazz or ballet). The info sheet says that we will all be required to participate in a dance audition…so do we need to learn a routine in any of the given dance styles and than present it at the audition, or is there a different method used? Can anyone help? Thank you!
Freshman To-be • Jun 29, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Although I also understand the lack of interest, I’m glad we aren’t doing Fame (just because I’m not a fan, no offense to anyone who is) and also Chicago, because although I love it, I know RM is already doing it and that other high schools tend to. I like having a variety.
And yes, I am one of those people who has been preparing for a while now. I know I’m only a freshmen, but I am really excited just to be there auditioning, I’ve been looking forward to Whitman theater for such a long time! So please, don’t complain about the musical, the drama department is just fantastic.
Staff Member • Jun 27, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Gypsy is from the Golden Age of musical theater and is no way similar to Side Show (music or content). It has the best overture written for musical theater and the book could be a stand alone play. The directors go out of their way to choose diverse pieces from year to year. It’s dance requirements are minimal in comparison to many other possible choices. Every musical has dance auditions that are required.
Frankenstein has a large cast requirement for a non-musial. Most plays have 6-8 characters maximum. 7-16 is considered a large cast.
Whitman does have a great amount of talent and competition for both the musicals and the plays. The students that are selected are often well versed in theatre and spend many weeks/months preparing for their audition or taking classes to improve areas that they feel are lacking.
Freshman Girl • Jun 15, 2011 at 4:07 pm
I say boring not so much the plot as the fact that I think both are similar in a way that it’s too soon to be doing this sort of musical–two similar musicals makes the second one less compelling. Both are set in the same time period, both focused on performing, both are about becoming noticed/individuality, desires…decisions…
No matter the dance content in the musical, dance auditions are required. (Yes, I know dance is an important factor in real life; in fact many theatre companies simply choose the dancers first and then from them the singers)
John • Jun 14, 2011 at 11:30 pm
I don’t understand the point about the similarities between Side Show and Gypsy. Side Show is mostly through-sung and primarily about overcoming adversity. Gypsy is a traditionally structured show focused on desires and exploring complex characters and the decisions they make. They both involve performers. But beyond that, they have distinctly different characters.
And honestly there isn’t THAT much dance. Ethel Merman, Jack Klugman, and Sandra Church were not at all dancers, and the ensemble numbers are more moving than dancing. All I Need is the Girl is a dance showcase, but the remaining dance should not be overwhelming.
And the plot of Gypsy is not boring. And moreover, the characters are among the most compelling in musical theatre.
This is coming from a boy who LOVES musicals.
Freshman Girl • Jun 14, 2011 at 9:23 am
I’m kind of really disappointed with these choices. ‘Gypsy’ is not only an EXTREMELY dance-oriented show, but I feel it’s waayyyy too close to ‘Side-Show’. Can’t we have a little more variety? And, good job for remembering the large cast aspect, but again, this musical relies so much on dance that a lot of people will probably be discouraged.
Also, why such a small cast for the play? We’ve got 1000+ students at this school, and there’s only going to be 7-16 people?
…I was excited for the musical until I learned what is was. ‘Gypsy’ is a musical I have maybe 1% of interest in right now…it’s going to be boring because the plot is almost exactly like Side-Show, the dance thing means I have a smidgen to no chance of getting in…did I mention boring?
This is coming from a girl who LOVES musicals.
Oh yeah, I talked to some of the junior girls, and they said that yes, they did vote, but Gypsy wasn’t that popular (though someone did say that it was tied with Fame and Chicago, both of which I also wouldn’t want to do), and that is was mostly Mr. Gerken’s idea.