ARTHUR LAURENTS on Directing, Gypsy & SAM MENDES

Director/Librettist ARTHUR LAURENTS discusses his take on Director SAM MENDES 2003 revival of GYPSY on Broadway. This interview premieres on THEATER TALK, Friday, April 3 on PBS/Thirteen.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Arthur
• Laurents
• Gypsy!
• Sam
• Mendes
• Theater
• Talk
• Michael
• Riedel
• Broadway
• Susan
• Haskins
• theatre
• West
• Side
• Story

[evans54]

Mendes version was 2005 ,no?

[theatertalk]

No, 2003. My lovely mother-in-law died the month it opened, so I remember distinctly.

[inmyprime]

Yeah, I enjoyed the Mendes version, too. The attitude of these three seems uneccessarily hateful, but, alas, that is the norm with them.

[CeeBeesTube]

Bitter party of three! LOL!

Saw Mendes' "Gypsy" in NY & thank God for his "concept" which was new, fresh, and sorry Mr. Laurents, exciting! Mendes indeed had it "in his bones". In his production and direction Rose (Peters), Louise (Blanchard), Herbie(Dossett) were real human beings & what occured on stage was real, dark, humerous, honest and powerful. An amazing night of musical theatre I will never forget. Peter's brought the house down!

[fountainchain126]

@TONYFROMWESTSIDE You just totally wrote down what Patti said in her innerviews interview. You idiot

[TONYFROMWESTSIDE]

I never saw it - but they do have a point, and it's not hateful - it's just constructive criticism.... British directors just expose all the flaws, and musicals have HEAPS of flaws... the style of the Americans is their ability to disguise a flaw... and make it entertaining... (in life and in their theatre!!!) British directors should stick to Shakespeare and Restoration... leave musicals to the yanks!

[Countrygirltori24]

I loved both the 2003 and 2008 versions. I think the 2008 version was better, but I don't agree with Laurents by saying that the 2003 version was a bomb. I thought it was fabulous! I love Bernadette more than Lupone, but I do think that Lupone was better in this part. As for the box office receipts and everything: I believe that it was only supposed to be on stage for about a year and then they extended it due to appeal. It's box office surged after they raked in it at the Tonys.

[mrspatrickcampbell]

She is 92 now - is she still putting her legs in the air?

[boynamedalexxx]

@boynamedalexxx I adore "Gypsy" & I loved the 2008 revival as well, but Laurents is just plain old cranky & stubborn. In his newest book, he spends the entire 1st chapter trashing Mendes, saying he doesn't have the musical in his bones. Frankly, Mendes does, & it's ignorant of Laurents to just blatantly say he doesn't. Laurents is a great director & playwright, however, when it comes to anything involving his shows, it's his way or the high-way. There's no room for other interpretations to him.

[boynamedalexxx]

@Pywacket2 Laurents could have directed it the '03 revival, but he chose not to, because he claimed he wanted to see what another Director would do with the material. Then, during development, he constantly tried to tell Mendes what to do. Yes, Laurents wrote "Gypsy" which has the greatest book ever written for a musical, but he wasn't directing this production. It wasn't his place. Then, he went & told the world how much he hated it & how Mendes screwed it up. It just came across as immature.

[traod8]

Ugh. It's people like Laurents who continually flip-flop my views on the performing industry. Acting is something I am very interested in and would like to attempt pursuing, but then I remember how the theatre produces people like this and I dread the thought of constantly being around such egocentrism. Granted, I know not everyone on Broadway is a pompous bore, but creativity and bitchiness often go hand in hand!

[Pywacket2]

Arthur Laurents has every right to criticize directors who mutilate or misinterpret his books for the theater. If he felt Mendes damaged his play, he can state that. Right of ownership. And anyone who crosses swords with Laurents is going to lose. He's the greatest.

[MovieDudeProductions]

He's an idiot it says in his stage directions of Gypsy that a man walks across the stage and puts the cards in the slot. I hat that he blames it on Sam Mendes

[gowaneil]

Oh my God. I've read about his opinion towards Sam but to actually listen to him talking about it really pissed me off.

I've done the show myself in a regional theatre and I was the character who walked on stage with the card.

And I loved doing it every single night!

I love Bernadette and I respect Sam. To me, it was the best production of Gypsy.

Thanks for posting. I now know for sure that he is such a hypocritic self-centered jerk.