Gypsy

Based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Gypsy is considered by many to be the greatest of the Broadway musicals.

Featuring classics such as Let Me Entertain You, Rose’s Turn and Everything’s Coming Up Roses, Gypsy is both moving and spectacularly entertaining.

Chichester’s 2014 production starring Imelda Staunton was a huge hit. It debuted on the newly refurbished main stage at Chichester before transferring to the West End for a sell-out run.

The setting, at the death of vaudeville in the late 20s, was exaggerated with simple flats and extreme angles in the set. As a counterpoint to this, we went for the look of silent movies from a similar period, creating the family’s car journey down the west coast of America and the bright lights of Gypsy’s rise to fame. All the footage was created from a mixture of photo montage and illustrations, coloured and treated to look like film.

“[The design], evoking the vanished world of vaudeville, add to the gorgeous pleasure of an evening that both celebrates showbiz and at the same time exposes the psychotic nature of addiction to stardom.” – The Guardian

Client:
Chichester Festival Theatre

Location:
Festival Theatre, Chichester, 2014
Savoy Theatre, London, 2015

Services:
Video & Projection Design
Content Creation

Team:
Video Designer: Ian William Galloway
Associate Designer: Leo Flint
Programmer: Ingi Bekk
Illustrator: Josie Rae Turnbull

Production Credits:
Director: Jonathan Kent
Set and Costume Designer: Anthony Ward
Lighting Designer: Mark Henderson
Sound Designer: Paul Groothuis
Choreographer: Stephen Mear

Photos:
© Mesmer