Gypsy: Tiny Desk Concert

Mitra I. Arthur | April 22, 2025
"I had a dream…" is the repeated refrain from Mama Rose in Gypsy. Well, "I had a dream" that one day we’d see this show at the Tiny Desk.

Gypsy’s visit encapsulates what fans love most about this musical. Since its debut in 1959, whether it be on stage or screen, on cast albums or at karaoke, audiences have flocked to Jule Styne’s music and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, with a book by Arthur Laurents. The show tells the story of a struggling showbiz family led by matriarch Rose. Six-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald stars in this George C. Wolfe-helmed revival, chiseling a new visage into the rock face of Mount "Rose"-more that includes Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone. For the first time on Broadway, the fraught family at the center is portrayed by Black women, allowing theater fans like myself to not just imagine ourselves in these complex characters, but to actually see it.

On Broadway, musical supervisor Andy Einhorn conducts a 26-person orchestra, but for Tiny Desk, that ensemble was stripped down to 11 musicians. Sisters Louise and June, played by rising stars Joy Woods and Jordan Tyson, respectively, plead for a moment of peace and independence in "If Momma Was Married." Leading man Danny Burstein joins Woods and McDonald for the charming "Together, Wherever We Go." The trio of "stunning strippers" portrayed by Lesli Margherita, Lili Thomas and Mylinda Hull leave a mark with the comedic crowd pleaser "You Gotta Get a Gimmick." McDonald’s enthralling performance of "Some People" closes out the show, making this theater nerd’s dream come true.

SET LIST
"If Momma Was Married"
"Together, Wherever We Go"
"You Gotta Get A Gimmick"
"Some People"

CAST
Audra McDonald ("Rose")
Danny Burstein ("Herbie")
Joy Woods ("Louise")
Jordan Tyson ("June")
Lesli Margherita ("Tessie Tura")
Lili Thomas ("Mazeppa")
Mylinda Hull ("Electra")

MUSICIANS
Andy Einhorn: piano, music supervision, conducting
Greg Chudzik: bass
Alvester Garnett: drums
Ben Kono: clarinet, alto saxophone
Zac Zinger: flute, piccolo
John Lowery: clarinet, tenor saxophone
Ravi Best: trumpet
Nick Grinder: trombone
Tomoko Akaboshi: violin
Sita Chay: violin
Meaghan Burke: cello

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Mitra I. Arthur
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Sofia Seidel
Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
Production Assistants: Dora Levite, Ashley Pointer
Tiny Desk Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

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