‘Gypsy’ a rouser of a revival

Yes, “Gypsy” gives top billing to a burlesque bombshell, and not to her spectacularly pushy parent. But Mama Rose knows what it’s really all about.

And so will you, after witnessing Linda Libby sing her face off (and act her guts out) as Rose in Cygnet Theatre’s superb new revival of the 1959 musical.

The late Arthur Laurents, who wrote the show’s book, described Tyne Daly’s 1989 Broadway portrayal of Rose (in his memoir “Mainly on Directing”) as “savage, sexy, funny, common as dirt and absolutely wonderful.”

Libby’s turn as the domineering mom who presides over her two daughters’ stage careers is all of that in full, plus completely human (and heartbreaking) besides.

But it’s one part of a production that (to borrow from Laurents again) has the feel of this musical “in its bones.”

As directed by Cygnet artistic chief Sean Murray and performed by a sprawling and capable cast — the Old Town company’s biggest-ever — this “Gypsy” is deeply steeped in the dime-store glamor of its Depression-era vaudeville setting, and bursts with the wit and grit of the do-or-die showbiz types who populate it.

Conductor-keyboardist Terry O’Donnell’s (unseen) six-piece band brings crisp textures and a rich sense of character to Jule Styne’s now-classic music, paired with probing lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

And the way Libby inhabits the almost maniacally single-minded Rose (a role she also played at San Diego’s Ion Theatre in 2013) gives about every reason you’d need for a revival of “Gypsy,” particularly in an era when the pursuit of fame for fame’s sake is on the order of a national credo.

View the Video Gypsy at Cygnet Theatre trailer

Laurents based the story very loosely on the memoirs of the real-life Gypsy Rose Lee, known in childhood as Louise. In the musical, Louise (played with startling range by the gifted Allison Spratt Pearce) starts out as an afterthought in mother Rose’s touring kids’ show, which stars younger sister June.

But as the girls grow into young women, the talented but frustrated June (in a vivid turn by the versatile Katie Whalley Banville) resolves to pursue her own dreams, fracturing the act.

In Libby’s hands, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” the Act 1 closer in which Rose confronts June’s defection, is a marvel of raw emotion and layered acting — and in fact one of the great pleasures of “Gypsy” (and this production) is the way the book scenes stand on their own as stirring theater, rather than simply as sequences between songs.

When the family act stumbles into a burlesque house in Act 2, it sets in motion Louise’s shedding of her second-class status (and her costumes), as she becomes perhaps history’s most famous stripper and heads toward a final, stunning showdown with Rose.

Allison Spratt Pearce (left) and Linda Libby in “Gypsy” at Cygnet Theatre Ken Jacques

(Ken Jacques)

It’s difficult to do justice to all performers in a show as big and impressively staged as this, but kudos to the committed kids’ ensemble, led on opening night by the unstoppable Gabriella Dimmick as Baby Rose. (Two separate kids’ casts alternate performances.)

Manny Fernandes brings warmth and heart to the piece as Herbie, Rose’s long-suffering squeeze; and David Kirk Grant is absolutely everywhere (and in top form) as characters from the comically cynical impresario Uncle Jocko to (actually just seconds later) Rose’s father.

Marci Anne Wuebben, Kendra Truett and a particularly hilarious Marlene Montes nail the number “You Gotta Get a Gimmick” as three brassy strippers showing Gypsy the ropes. Among other ensemble standouts are Danny Hansen, Max Cadillac and Lauren King Thompson, all in multiple roles.

David Brannen’s sharp but understated choreography, Sean Fanning’s wonderfully lived-in set, Chris Rynne’s rich lighting, Dylan Nielsen’s well-balanced sound and Jeanne Reith’s meticulously conceived costumes make the staging a sensual feast.

And Libby’s performance on the signature number “Rose’s Turn” is the perfectly curdled dessert.

“I could’ve been better than any of you!,” her Rose exclaims, before bowing to phantom applause.

Don’t argue with Rose. Or this show.