Betty Buckley - "Rose's Turn" - 1998 Papermill Playhouse

[clairetm63]

I think Betty and Bernadette play the role with true emotion, while most others use it as an excuse to belt fortissimo.

[WigManPhil]

I just dont get her appeal... She has a great voice yes, but I just cant get past her actng,theres something phony about it somehow...

[BWAY62]

All of my Roses are wonderful in there own ways. But Betty has the the best Tits and Ass for the character. I love Youtube.

[MNgal252]

@BWAY62 Have you not seen bernadette peters?

[karrezza]

@BWAY62 LOLOL, ok that was a funny comment, but probably true.. she has hourglass shape!

[HollywoodHillsCookie]

Her voice has an amazing clarity.

[sebastianpellegrene]

I took a class with her as well around 1993-94.

She is a great performer. I did not dig the meditation

and she knew it. She let me take a pass on the meditation.

[bidubarreto]

what a voice! great singing, but she could have been dramatic in the monolog. rose's desperate and out of her mind when she starts rose's turn. but it was pretty to be seen and way better than rosalyn russel (or however its written)

[VeraDrag]

This made me drop my jaw...laugh...cry...and absolutely feel sorry for mama--no hate mama. Just how it was written and meant to be sung.

[Queen1Diva]

Guess that's what makes horse racing. I've been involved with theatre for sooo many years and "Gypsy" has always been my favorite for book and score. Buckley, Midler, Peters, Lansbury, Daly - all greats. I watched all of their performances here and all were as I expected them to be. Only one truly moved me....Patti LuPone's. Love Rosalind Russell but not her Rose in the movie. And sang it about 2 octaves lower. How can you compare a live stage performance with a movie performance, anyway?

[depeau44]

nice i saw this performance with debbie gibson.. but betty was sick and jana robbins the undersudy went on,... she was amazing!!!

[Huddie400]

I don't ...no one can do it like Rosalind Russell.

[omnigeek13]

@Huddie400 wasnt rosalind dubbed?

[thebackgroundartiste]

@omnigeek13 I loved the movie from Childhood and did not know until I was an adult that Miss Russell did not sing for herself. She gave such a great performance and her annunciation when she "sang" was surely a help to the lady who sang for her. They also has the sense for once to use a singer that sounded like Miss Russell's speaking voice. She is still my favorite.

[ATMatonic]

ACTORS' PERFORMANCES SHOULD NOT BE COMPARED.

[championschica]

@ATMatonic If so said, why do we have the Tony's?

[Dirkdebruyne]

in the end the role was written as a cartoon and an archetype and has always been played like that..the REAL Rose wouldn't have been palatable for a popular musical, she was more than horrible, asJune havoc's memoirs made abundantly clear, Gypsy Rose Lee''s memoir was a fantasy to begin with..she had no interest in reality...so don't fo looking for too much realism in this, Buckley can createpauses as much as she wants she isn't anywhere nearer the real character than merman, Lansbury, lupone .

[Queen1Diva]

@Dirkdebruyne

Speaking of fantasy isn't the whole ending of the show fantasy? The real ending would be ending it after "Rose's Turn" (I was once directed to be losing my mind during "Rose's Turn." I liked that much better than other productions I did with the "happy ending.") According to what I've read, after Louise became Gypsy Rose Lee the star she wouldn't have anything to do with Rose who ended up in a mental institution.

[bullmichigan]

Ouch - that bow right after "this time boys I'm taking the bows" kills the momentum of the song - I think Betty does a pretty great job with this but that just comes at absolutely the wrong moment.

I think it's fascinating you all can't comment on the different Roses without getting bitchy and childish. They've all got talent - they've all got moments that they do better than the others. There is no one way to play this number. And they all play it better than any one commenting here could.

[ThtrMaven]

I agree with Jman383. All the Patti bashing is fascinating. She cuts to the gory heart of whatever she is doing.

[pudgeuncle]

The greatest part in musical theater has allowed many talented women to strut their stuff. Lansbury was bigger than life [I saw her many times] , Daly and LuPone by far the best acting, Gray a stunning performer, Buckley the BEST singer by far. Peters stunk to high heaven and Merman ..well she was no actress and she sang every song the exact same way....effective but appropriate to the role? Merman was Merman.

[pudgeuncle]

THE best sung Rose of all time, no exceptions. FABULOUS but she has a few missteps towards the end. NO one tops Delores Gray. Her Rose's Turn was uttterly ferocious. She would mess up her hair and look like a madwoman by the end so when Louise entered, she had to compose herself physically and mentally. It was volcanic and touching at the same time.

[omnigeek13]

i LOVE how her feet dont really stop when she repats mamma.

[cmractor4]

Patti's Rose sucked... I preferred Better Midler over Patti ... and that's pretty sad. The night I saw Patti on Broadway she screamed her songs and was an annoying bitch diva saying "hey look. I'm Patti LuPone trying to sing and act onstage when really I couldn't hit these notes. Look at them love me." I was not impressed.

[2agray]

Dialoge a bit choppy. It's a plea and a revolt not a melodrama. Vocals are good and strong. Good growl. Good sex too. This is Rose's way of showing the world she's just as sexy as Gypsy. It's a very hard song especially after the gruel of carrying the show and keep your energy and voice. Good mental breakdown. Well done.

[richroland]

completely sung but not acted.

[snarkyanon]

Her "Rose's Turn" is in my top 3 (along with Ethel and Bernadette, of course). She's wonderful.

[ChrisRandomSinger]

This is just amazing! I've seen Betty's full performance as Rose and while she does feel cold and creepy in this moment, I thought she was very charming throughout the rest of the show. She's so terrifying here and in Everything's Coming Up Roses. She's just perfect. I wonder why Arthur Laurents hated her so much in this role. I think she's better than LuPone. She gave a great interpretation.

[DivaBehavior]

@ChrisRandomSinger

I love her take on the role as well. Laurents didn't like her probably because he didn't get to direct this production.

[ChrisRandomSinger]

@DivaBehavior

So glad to see I'm not alone here! She's up there with the best, IMO! It's such a shame Laurents didn't like it. I can't imagine what he thought was so terrible about it. I think production itself was actually really nice, too.

[DivaBehavior]

@ChrisRandomSinger

Well, Laurents was a big supporter of Merman. He also really loved Patti in the role. Betty's subtle and realistic acting is a huge contrast against Merman's and Lupone's theatrics.

[ChrisRandomSinger]

@DivaBehavior

I think Betty should have been in the TV movie version instead of Bette. I feel as if the only other Roses that felt like real people were Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, and Tyne Daly. Most of the others just feel loud and obnoxious most of the time. I feel as if I actually know people like the characters those women portrayed. Also, is it just me or is Betty the sexiest Rose? She just really knows how to work it more than the others.

[DivaBehavior]

@ChrisRandomSinger

Betty's acting is wonderful, and you can tell that she brings her film acting techniques to the stage -- I love it. Like watching a real person spill her soul onstage, instead of a cartoon of a person that Midler created.

[ChrisRandomSinger]

@DivaBehavior

100% agree! Thanks so much for posting this for the whole world to see. Betty's recognition for this role is long overdue.

[DivaBehavior]

@ChrisRandomSinger

No problem! It's comforting to know that there are still people like you out there with good taste.

[ChrisRandomSinger]

@DivaBehavior

Aw, shucks! Thanks.

[yougottagetagimmick]

@DivaBehavior Or worse, the cartoon LuPone created.

[DivaBehavior]

@yougottagetagimmick

Lupone is a talented performer -- But she is just that, a performer; not an actress. Her acting belongs in opera, not in modern realistic shows like "Gypsy."

Buckley is an actress: Her thoughts onstage are her character's thoughts, not "How can I play this to get a laugh?"

[Jman383]

@DivaBehavior um, Patti's acting degree is from Julliard. Her Rose was incredible. Her acting was real every single night. It was genuine and honest. It came from somewhere. She wasn't playing at being Rose. She was Rose. Buckley, while amazing, has some of the most obnoxious, over indulgent, dishonest pauses in the dialogue at the beginning of this song. You can't even compare the two IMO. But to each his own.

[DivaBehavior]

@Jman383

I don't like the acting technique that Juilliard teaches, personally. From what I've seen, it teaches very formalistic acting.

I just did not really like Patti's Rose. I can see what you are saying, partially -- how it "came from somewhere."

I really like Betty's, and I don't find her pauses to be false. As you said, to each his own.

[RussellStephens6132]

@DivaBehavior I must disagree. LuPone was trained as an ACTRESS. It is as an actress that she is most successful, and her acting skills are the reason she's had such an exceptional career. The fact that she CAN perform is a testament to how powerful her acting is.

[AOG93]

@DivaBehavior An opera requires great acting as well, don't be ignorant. I take it you are not familiar with it...

[DivaBehavior]

@AOG93

I never said that operatic acting wasn't "great." It requires a different technique from realistic musical theater.

[100fulallmusic]

@DivaBehavior Just saw this.... you'd be correct many years ago, maybe a couple of decades. :) Nowadays, with DVDs, Bluerays and HD Live transmissions, opera acting must be as realistic as musical theater.

[boynamedalexxx]

@ChrisRandomSinger Bernadette Peters is the sexiest Rose...I mean, you can't even really argue that. When she refers to her 'eggrolls'....I mean, it's like, DAMN she's really got some. She really sells the strip tease & the strut; how she would lift up her dress a bit to show off her thigh after "Momma's gonna show it to ya." She's pure sizzle, gorgeous and sexy.

Also, not to be TOO superficial, but Betty has aged horribly...Bernadette still looks the same as she did 20 years ago: AMAZING.

[ChrisRandomSinger]

@boynamedalexxx

Bernadette is the sexiest! She really is, but here, Betty's pretty sexy, too. I think these two played this woman with genuine heart and drive. She seemed like an actual human. Bette and Patti didn't do that...at all! All the others did, to varying degrees, but Bernadette and Betty might be my two favorites. I do have a fondness for Ros Russell, too!

Bernadette is the only one who actually nearly made me cry in this song though. That takes some talent!

[boynamedalexxx]

@ChrisRandomSinger Oh yes, Bernadette's Rose was painfully human. Her performance struck a real chord with me. I loved Patti in the role, but she never affected me the way Peters did. Peters just takes it to a whole new level to the point where she's practically untouchable.

And I liked Ros Russell's performance a lot, however, I disliked both film adaptations of "GYPSY." The Russell adaption took wayyy too many liberties, and Midler's was just messy. There needs to be a new film of "Gypsy"!

[ChrisRandomSinger]

@boynamedalexxx

I wasn't a big fan of either film version myself, but if I had to pick one, it would be the '62 version, only due to the cast. Both of the films are pretty horrible, I agree. There really should be a new film in the new few years. I'd like for them to actually take their time with it and not just cast any ol' big name star in the lead role.

And yes, Peters really did break the mold.

[boynamedalexxx]

@ChrisRandomSinger The '62 version is superior, cast-wise, & cinematically, but it strayed too far from the script, which needed practically no changes since it's so excellent. Midler's was closer, but her performance sucked and it wasn't cinematic.

A new film would be great. I'd love to see Peters play Rose, even though it's a bit far-fetched, but there are a lot of name actresses out there who can sing who'd be great.

And I'm already certain that John C. Reilly would be the perfect Herbie!

[ChrisRandomSinger]

@boynamedalexxx

John C. Reilly is a GREAT choice for Herbie! He'd be fantastic! I think Bernadette could still play it. In fact, her performance would probably be much better regarded on the more intimate format of film. Her performance was so wonderfully subtle that it would most certainly work best on film. She can still pass for being in her 30's.

Midler was a HUGE mistake. She was atrocious.

[boynamedalexxx]

@ChrisRandomSinger Definitely, Bernadette handled the role on stage like a film actress to an extent. If done right, I smell an Oscar for her!

I agree with Arthur Laurents's comments about Midler. I believe she COULD have been good as Rose at some point, but probably on stage, not film. The whole movie was badly acted, filmed, directed, etc. It wound up extremely hammy. & recording songs live on set is only occasionally successful & hurt the film I believe.

I'd really love to see a new movie.

[ChrisRandomSinger]

@boynamedalexxx

She could totally score an Oscar. She SHOULD have won the Tony!

When I first heard of Midler playing the role, I have to admit that it did sound like a great idea. I remember listening to the commentary and the producers said that there were alternate, more subtle takes for just about every one of Midler's scenes, but they figured that Rose was a larger than life character. Larger than life, yes, but she's still a human, not a cartoon. hehe.

[luvsjenholliday]

Hands down...HANDS DOWN. THE BEST live performance of this song I've ever seen.  INCREDIBLE. Betty Buckley....Three words... YOU BETTER WORK!!! :O)

[nicoandsuch]

this rose's turn is amazing

[nycblueyes10024]

Probably the BEST performance of this role ever...

Beyond magnificent.

[DivaBehavior]

@nycblueyes10024

What do you think of Ros Russell?

[nycblueyes10024]

@DivaBehavior

Of course, LOVE Ros Rusell in the film... in anything she did.

Still, this performance by BB is, for me, just about the best acting/singing realization of the role that I've seen... But truly, how can we compare? Ethel, Angela, Tyne, Bernadette, Patti... They're all absolutely amazing-- and they all OWN the role in their own unique ways. Thank God for actors!

[patrickdmcmullen]

This is crazy good. Every moment felt real to me. There is something in all the other Rose's that are great, but this to me was authentic. I never liked Betty before, i've been converted!!

[DivaBehavior]

@patrickdmcmullen

I know! I love that she doesn't "push" for theatricality. She makes every moment so real and visceral.

[JaymoLACa]

Awesome, and as always, Betty is brilliant

Thx for posting!

[skippyd89]

Ethel wasn't miked when she did GYPSY nor when I saw her do DOLLY. It always amazes me that unmiked Martin and Pinza filled the Majestic, the same theatre where PHANTOM is miked.

[lcowles]

Betty sings this song fantastically. I've got her version on her Carnegie Hall CD. Unfortunately, every single move of this piece was choregraphed with too much "business"...constant moving, jostling around, connecting steps. I felt if they could have choreographed her eye blinks they would have. Unfortunately, this left her little room to be spontaneous and act the piece...which is what this really is...an acting piece. She's fantastic. All the "moves" detracted.

[dellor123]

I was at the Carnegie Hall concert. She was incredible. I particularly like her "Every Day A Little Death" and the Kurt Weill songs ("September Song" and "My Ship"). I also have the London Concert CD which was done at the same time she was doing SUNSET BLVD. in London. So many great songs on that one, especially "Pirate Jenny" (she's done that role onstage and must have been wonderful!). And her CD "Children Will Listen" is legendary. That's where she debuted her new-age-jazz-cabaret style.

[noteDhero]

Meh, I don't see much of the choreography that's different from any other Rose. The problem is that she probably just didn't know how to make it her own. She let her voice do all the work, and didn't really connect that to a physical presence onstage. It's especially noticeable when she's "taking a bow" and when she walks downstage at the end. Rather than being in-character, she just looks like she's congratulating herself. She's not frantic or desperate. That's what's missing: intention.

[DivaBehavior]

I don't think it's that she wasn't in-character, she just had a different take on Rose.

Betty's Rose was the Rose who COULD and SHOULD have been famous. Look at her "Rose's Turn" -- The dancing is Rose saying "Yes, people, I CAN dance! I AM talented!", instead of dancing because she's a diva having a mental breakdown.

With Betty, it's less of Rose going insane, and more of her releasing all the star quality and theatrical energy in her. It's not about her daughters: It's about her.

[noteDhero]

But that just goes totally against a lot of what she's singing. Even if it is about that release, she's still having a breakdown because she never got the shot her children did, and she's all alone.

[artofpoetry]

Love the speed of 'Mama's talkin' loud...'. Insane and incredible. For a long time after first hearing Buckley sing 'Rose's Turn' (on her Carnegie Hall concert ablum), I found other versions of 'Rose's Turn' too slow. The impact of seeing Buckley perform this on stage must have been overwhelming.

[dellor123]

I find Betty Buckley to be a little too introspective in her interpretation of these big belty diva roles. But this confirms that she was the best sung Mama Rose since Ethel Merman. She was the best sung Norma Desmond, too (along with Elaine Paige). I wish I had seen her in CARRIE. Her neurotic "I'm about to fall apart" stage presence must have been used to great effect in that show (as it was in CATS). She would've made a great Blanche DuBois in a musical version of STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE!

[DivaBehavior]

I so agree with you about the STREETCAR thing!

And the best sung Rose since Merman? Ethel couldn't sing for shit. Her voice sounded like a fire alarm.

[dellor123]

Yes, Ethel Merman sounded like a fire alarm, but the role kinda calls for that, no? It was written for her, after all. And Merman came of age during a time when there were no mikes so she had to blast her voice in order to be heard. Of course, I never heard Ethel Merman live, but I did see Betty, Patti and Bernadette do Mama Rose. Mikes allow for more subtle singing. Merman was great for what she did at the time she did it. As for a more recent Mama Rose, I think Betty sung it the best.

[DivaBehavior]

Well I think that many performers could handle the role non-mic'ed as well and still do a better job than Merman. I just thought she was really a mediocre actress who relied on hamming around onstage.

[dellor123]

I'm not sure that many performers could sing the role without a mike. I heard Patti sing once without a mike and she didn't really fill the theatre. I doubt she could sing over that orchestra for an entire show. Actually, I know someone who took Betty Buckley's acting class and she apparently has quite a big voice. She might be able to fill a theatre unmiked. I doubt Elaine or Bernadette could fill a theatre. They tend to "coo." But I agree with you about Ethel being a ham! She's a steamroller!

[20poundsbyjune]

@dellor123 Anyone is capable fill a theatre without a mic, it just takes training and experience that most people don't bother to get anymore. Before the 1960's, musical theatre wasn't miced at all.

[dellor123]

@20poundsbyjune See my post below about Ethel Merman. But I'm not sure anyone with training can fill a theatre without a mike. Size of voice and size of theatre are important components. You are right that Broadway wasn't miked before the 1960's, but it was also apparently difficult to hear the actors in the upper reaches of the balcony. Barbra Streisand was one of the first singers to be miked on Broadway. If you really want to hear un-miked voices today, check out the opera! Opera rocks!

[DivaBehavior]

As an actor, I really hate doing shows un-miked. It is so difficult to sustain the reality of the play, and live truthfully as your character onstage, when you have to worry about the back of the house hearing you.

It becomes a game of "How loud and formalistic can I be?" instead of "How realistic can I be?"

[karrezza]

If you listen to the broadway snuck video versions of Both Elaine and Betty in Sunset Blvd, not cd versions Betty has a much stronger voice... and this vulnerable yet strong woman.. Elaine's seems too pathetic and weak

[dellor123]

I actually saw both Elaine and Betty do Norma and I thought Elaine gave the stronger performance (much more like Glenn Close's performance). But Betty still has an incredible voice and sung the role better than anyone. Glenn Close was, of course, chilling as Norma but she's not really a singer. Her performance was more about strength of character than vocal prowess (much like Tyne Daly's Mama Rose in GYPSY). I felt that Elaine's Norma was an ideal combination of strong acting and vocal prowess.

[karrezza]

I guess we all have what we prefer, but Elaine Page seems too crybaby like almost.. too dramatic, I guess in a way she acted like women acted in the 30's and 40's, it was about drama.. Betty Buckley has this classy reserve, yet sweetness that appeals to me as a stronger woman character.

We all have an interpretation we connect to the best... I think Bernadette Peters sings this song here the best so far, in terms of well making me wanna cry!

[dellor123]

@karrezza I love it! Everyone's got an opinion and is sticking with it! Who knew Betty could inspire such passion? Hehehehe... ;-)

[karrezza]

LOL damned right!! I get to see her in April, I cannot wait!! She is too cool, when not overslammed she even answers Tweets personally.. pretty classy.. when I am sure she gets lots of tweets.

[dellor123]

@karrezza I might be seeing her at Feinstein's next week! I am particularly a fan of her cabaret work (with Kenny Werner). She has really found her own unique style that is quite different from standard musical theatre performance. Transcendent. I love her!

[MPL029]

@dellor123 Youre very right about her being very introspective. I took an acting class with her teaching and she is VERY into meditating and finding the source etc inwardly.

[mike309]

Arthur Laurents is outliving his usefulness.

Time for him to move on--to another plain.

[mmdillons]

I love that she left her usual nasal, goaty vibrato at home for her performance in this show.... And she nearly put one of my eyes out with that voluptuous figure.... Holy smokes!!! And boy, she moved her beautifully bridled goods around that stage like nobody's business.... Damn! That ALONE gave the ticket buyer his money's worth!!!

[DivaBehavior]

I don't think her vibrato is "nasal" or "goaty" at all! I think it's incredible.

And yeah, she can move!

[karrezza]

Name a performance where she was ever nasaly! The women in Chicago are always nasal, like Bebe Newerth, but Buckley? Never heard it..

[DivaBehavior]

I agree. Can't stand "Chicago," I think it's a horribly gimmicky show and doesn't deserve the CLASSIC status that it has earned.

Betty is incredible. In her golden days, I think she had the best voice on Broadway.

[karrezza]

Mind you, I love Chicago, with Catherine Zeta Jones, but she too does NOT have the nasal voice.. and could do broadway version. I saw Broadway tour of Chicago, in Seattle. THough enteraining, the singing was just that, all NASAL and the two leads sounded the same. Unlike Chicago movie that really had opposites.

I just scored Front row tickets to Betty's Broadway by Request in April in Bend, Oregon too! I cannot wait!

[karrezza]

missed T in that Entertaining word, i need to proof read

[nojikim]

I feel so lucky to have seen this production! And was devastated that they didn't go to Broadway or at least have a proper recording. IMHO, her Everything's Coming Up Roses was the most truly amazing lesson of acting/singing/emotion EVER.

[DivaBehavior]

I know!

Her last note from "Coming Up Roses" must have caused an earth quake -- It was freaking amazing.

[nojikim]

I was a sobbing mess in my seat!! And in the front row!! LOL

[apsara81cloud]

Wonderful to finally see Betty in action with this song!

Thanks SO MUCH Diva!!!!

Remarkable how her voice remains strong and consistent and "singer-ly" throughout. She never needed to resort to shouting or talk-singing. Just wonderful.

[DivaBehavior]

Your welcome :)

Betty played Rose SO differently from everyone else. Her Rose wanted to sing onstage -- That's why her "Rose's Turn" feels more like a concert recital than a mental breakdown. Because it's Rose's turn to finally give one HELL of a vocal performance. (As well as some crazy dancing, some of which is unneeded. Like "Batting a thousand.") It's a shame Laurents under-rated her so much in this role, and did everything he could to make sure the production didn't go to B'way.

[themonaghans]

@DivaBehavior I saw her at Papermill and thought she was amazing. The best Rose I'd ever seen. I always wondered why it didn't go to Broadway. I think Patti LuPone had trouble getting Laurents to approve her for Broadway also.

[DivaBehavior]

Laurents was actually the director of Patti's "Gypsy." I didn't like it, from the clips I've seen.

It was Bernadette (2003 revival) who had trouble getting Laurents to approve.

[boynamedalexxx]

Laurents loved Bernadette, but hated what Sam Mendes did with the 2003 revival...

Laurents may be brilliant, but he often comes across as VERY cranky and arrogant.

[BwayJnky]

Great video. I LOVE her!

[DivaBehavior]

Me too -- She's SO talented.