MFS's 'Gypsy' Showcases Very Best of Student Actors

Among the canon of high school musicals, Gypsy stands out.

Though it’s considered a Broadway classic, “at this level, it’s fairly uncommon,” said Mark Gornto, director and Upper School drama teacher at Moorestown Friends School, where the show will premiere this weekend.

The cast and the crew of the show have been working diligently the past month and a half—particularly after losing several days of rehearsal to Hurricane Sandy—to get ready for the show, which Gornto said is especially dance-heavy compared with past shows. But that hasn’t stopped the students from giving it their all.

“Student actors are very adaptable,” he said. “They understand that what we do here, in educational theater, is very much about the process and about learning as we go, and trial and error.”

Gypsy—with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim—tells the story of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose. It follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of show business life. 

Several of the actors in the 32-member cast commented that Gypsy was one of the harder, if not the hardest, shows they’ve ever performed in.

“Rose is absolutely the hardest character I’ve ever had to play,” said senior Emiko Borne. “She is extremely complex.”

Senior Larissa Morgan, who plays Rose’s daughter, Louise (aka Gypsy Rose Lee), also said the show was “probably the hardest musical I’ve ever been in,” describing how she has to undergo four costume changes in 90 seconds at the end of the play, while staying in character, as just one example of the unique challenges presented by the show.

Nonetheless, all of the actors expressed a deep appreciation for both the entertaining aspects of the musical, as well as its deeper themes dealing with relationships and family dynamics.

“There is no limit to how over the top you can be with this character,” Emiko said of Rose. “And that’s what I’ve had to realize. I cannot control myself, and I cannot think, ‘Oh, am I going too overboard?’ ‘Cause I’m not.”

Senior Brett Eiffes, who plays Rose’s other daughter, June—and who forms the triumvirate of lead roles with Larissa and Emiko—was experiencing an equal mix of butterflies and excitement during Wednesday’s rehearsal.

“I’m a little bit nervous, just ‘cause everything’s coming together now,” she said. “I like it; I feed off of it … Every show for me is a new learning experience.”

Senior Austin Harris, who plays Tulsa, said Gypsy has all the ingredients of a great show: "Everything that makes a good musical, this show definitely has: good music, a lot of dancing, and at the same time, it has a more serious tone … The characters are really interesting, and the people who play them do a very good job."

The final dress rehearsal for the show—at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday)—is open to the public. Gornto explained that the production lost its Saturday matinee due to a scheduling conflict with one of the musicians, so they opened the dress rehearsal to the community to give the students three opportunities to perform in front of an audience.

“It’s important for the integrity of the process to give them a three-show run,” Gornto said. “All plays need three performances to really hit a stride.”

Admission to the dress rehearsal is free.

The show officially premieres at 7:30 p.m. Friday, with the final performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and children.