Variety
‘Gypsy’ Movie Revived by ‘Mrs. Maisel’ Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino
By DAVE MCNARY
FEBRUARY 6, 2019
Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator and showrunner of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” is in talks to direct a remake of “Gypsy.”
New Regency is on board to finance with Joel Silver producing. STX Entertainment had agreed in 2016 to finance Barbra Streisand’s proposed remake of “Gypsy,” but backed out a few months later.
“Gypsy” tells the story of the burlesque legend Gypsy Rose Lee, based on her 1957 memoir about her career and hard-as-nails stage mother. That book served as the inspiration for the highly successful 1959 musical, starring Ethel Merman, with popular songs including “Everything’s Coming up Roses,” “Small World,” “Let Me Entertain You” and “All I Need Is the Girl.”
The 1962 movie, starring Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood, was a financial success with $11 million in box office revenue and nabbed three Academy Award nominations, plus a Golden Globe for Russell. Bette Midler starred in a 1993 TV adaptation directed by Emile Ardolino. The musical has been revived several times on Broadway, most recently the 2008 production starring Patti LuPone as Mama Rose.
Sherman-Palladino has won four Emmy Awards for Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” starring Rachel Brosnahan as a housewife who becomes a successful New York standup comedian in 1958. The show has been renewed for third season.
The news about Sherman-Palladino and New Regency was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.
I was a pit musician for the 100 shows in His Majesty’s Theatre in Johannesburg in 1976 and was also in the orchestra that did the recording. The recording did not match the dynamics of the shows and probably would have been better if it had been recorded after the run began, when everyone became more comfortable with the score. I’ve never forgiven myself for ruining one of Libby’s shows when I missed the cue to back her (on clarinet) during her dramatic monolog when breaking up with “Herbie.” The show was supposed to run for several more months in Durbin and Cape Town, but the introduction of television by the SABC at that time effectively killed all Broadway productions in South Africa. Regarding Libby Morris: She gave her all (which was a lot!) every show.