Today is Saturday, July 12, 2025. It’s late here, owing to Elliot and I watching a film on Tubi, a 1986 crime thriller directed by John Frankenheimer called 52 Pick-up starring Roy Scheider in a more mature, sleazier role than his character in Jaws and Ann-Margret. The film is based on a book by crime novelist Elmore Leonard who adapted his book for the screen. Scheider plays Harry Mitchell, a wealthy businessman whose life is upended when he he’s blackmailed after being caught in an affair with a much younger woman. Margret portrays his wife who is running for city council and is initially not aware of her husband’s adulterous affair. Scheider decides to play along with his blackmailers but doesn’t intend to pay, which sets up a cycle of escalating violence and threats. The core of the film revolves around the blackmail scheme and Harry’s attempts to outsmart the criminals. We both enjoyed the film but did not enjoy the numerous commercial breaks delivered on Tubi from which we watched the movie.

Earlier, I found myself at the Majestic Theatre feasting my eyes on a blockbuster by the name of Gypsy starring the incomparable Audra McDonald in the title role of Mama Rose. I was able to see this overly satisfying version of a Broadway staple that has had numerous revivals over the years courtesy of Elliot’s former neighbor and friend, “Mary.” She called us two days ago to inform us that she had a ticket to Saturday’s performance and that she was unable to attend this showing. Elliot called yesterday to confirm the giveaway and she said that whoever was going just had to go to the box office and ask for her ticket. Which is what I did! I had no trouble at all. I sat in the orchestra, Row Q, and it was quite a good seat in terms of how close it was to the stage. I took a pair of binoculars, but I really didn’t need them.

How could anyone not appreciate this enduring play with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by powerhouse Stephen Sondheim, who was very young in 1959 when it first came out. There are so many memorable songs in the score like “Let Me Entertain You,” “Some People,” “Have an Egg Roll, Mr. Goldstein,” “If Momma Was Married,” “Everything Is Coming Up Roses,” “Together, Wherever We Go,” “Small World,” and the powerful finale sung by McDonald in rare form, “Rose’s Turn.” She literally brings down the house in her rendition of a backstage mother who only longed for stardom for her two talented children, but sacrificed everything for their success. At this point, both her daughters have left her to pursue their own dreams of success; her youngest, June, would go on to become the actress June Havoc, and the eldest would evolve into burlesque star and stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, who also wrote books and had numerous roles in films decades ago. On the screen, she was portrayed by a young Natalie Wood. Here she is portrayed by Joy Woods who matures into her own woman who desires to escape from the clutches of her overbearing mother. Danny Burstein plays long-suffering agent Herbie who falls in love with Rose and pleads for her hand in marriage numerous times throughout the production.

For this production, critics have noted that McDonald’s classically trained voice might not always perfectly match the demands of the Gypsy score, which often calls for a more belting style. Think of the late Ethel Merman who has essayed the role of Rose on Broadway decades ago. She always belted out a song. I have to admit when I first heard McDonald sing as in her solo, “Some People,” where she’s first living with her grandfather in a hovel in Seattle, I had some reservations about her more operatic voice succeeding here, but within time, I must have warmed to her vocal style as Rose as time wore on. Her acting was titanic in this iconic role, I thought. She was certainly very memorable. I also have to say that I haven’t seen any other actor in the role on Broadway; I’ve seen the film which starred Rosalind Russell who was actually not much of a singer. Looking up the film with her in it, I did discover that she did some of the singing herself in the film, but her singing was partially dubbed by Lisa Kirk. She was more known for her acting chops.

Anyway, this is what I’ve done today. Elliot was fine staying with Atticus and then going out to a Japanese restaurant on Austin Street.

Tomorrow I’m seeing another but different kind of production, this one being an off-Broadway effort starring Lea DeLaria in something called Brunch Is Gay at 54 Below. My friend “Seth” asked me to see this with him, and I said yes. I have no idea what this show encompasses. And it does include brunch. All I know is that DeLaria is gay and a comedian who also sings. She was in the popular series Orange Is the New Black as Big Boo. Unfortunately, I never saw the series.

Have a good Sunday.

And so it went!

Here is my playbill from today’s show.

Here is Audra McDonald turning her body on stage at the end of the play.

Here’s a better picture of Audra McDonald taking her bows.