Theater: “Gypsy”’starring Audra McDonald

“Let it unfold.” “Take it easy.” Such expressions would be anathema to Mama Rose (Audra Macdonald), America’s most famous stage mother, as well as the protagonist of (arguably) America’s greatest Broadway musical “Gypsy,” currently in previews at the Majestic.

By way of explanation, the 1958 musical was based on the life of Gypsy Rose Lee, Mama Rose’s mousy elder daughter who later became famous as a stripper who classed up the profession. (FWIW: Lee also hosted a television talk show l used to watch as a kid.)

Unlike Ethel Merman or Tyne Daly, Audra portrays Rose not as a monster, but as a tower of strength who would crawl over broken glass to make her two daughters, June (Jordan Tyson) and Louise (Joy Woods), the “greatest little legends of vaudeville.”

Rose is a role that showcases Audra’s breadth of talent: dramatically, she can play characters from Billie Holiday to Brooklyn matron (see her role in last season’s “The Gilded Age”). Musically, she can crush anything from blues to Broadway. And in “Gypsy,” besides playing tough, she can also play tender, as her duet with Herbie (Danny Burstein) on “You’ll Never Get Away from Me” demonstrates.

It’s fortunate that Audra is such a strong performer because candidly she has to carry this production of “Gypsy” on her back. None of the main characters are her equal dramatically. There are however a few supporting performers that warrant kudos.

Tulsa (Kevin Csolak), one of Mama Rose’s unpaid dancers, demonstrates, in his solo “All About the Girl” number that he may be a reincarnation of Gene Kelly. In recent years, we’ve seen Kevin in “The Outsiders” on Broadway and in Steven Spielberg’s version of “West Side Story.” This latest performance shows why he continues to be busy.

The three strippers in Act II—Miss Mazeppa ( Lili Thomas), Tessi Tura (Leslie Margherita), and Electra (Mylinda Hull) add energy to the proceedings with “You Gotta Get A Gimmick.”’ Hull is also hilarious in a second role as Miss Cratchitt, the prune-faced New York City receptionist from Hell.

And if you still need another reason to see this “Gypsy,” there’s always the score by Jule Styne with lyrics by the great Stephen Sondheim who died three years ago this November.

Speaking of Sondheim, not everything came up roses between him and his mother: Etta once told him that giving birth to him was the worst day of her life. Just for spite, he wrote lyrics for Mama Rose that revealed her monstrosity.

Supposedly Sondheim then invited his mother to the show’s opening night performance. Afterwards, the clueless Etta exclaimed, “Stephen! It was wonderful. But that Mama Rose character was absolutely horrible!” People, you can’t make this up.

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