The actress playing Rose in Gypsy has to make a choice: how much does she want the audience to like her?  Is Rose a ruthless stage mother—a “monster,” in the words of Frank Rich—pushing her children (and the children of others) into vaudeville, manipulating the affections of her agent, and ignoring the signs of a dying industry?  Or is she a “survivor”—in the words of Patti LuPone—arming her daughters for a hostile world with the only knowledge she has?

Audra McDonald, in the current revival at the Majestic, takes the second path.  Her Rose is brassy, bulldozing through the feelings of those who love her, but we see the wounded animal beneath the puffed-up exterior.  She pairs well with a sweet-natured Danny Burstein, the agent whose work causes him ulcers—and who sticks around for too long, waiting for a marriage that will never materialize.

The set design by Santo Loquasto is terrific.  He fills the Majestic stage with neon lights, period advertisements, and maximalist vaudeville backdrops, like the giant EXTRA EXTRA that frames Baby June (Marley Lianne Gomes and Jade Smith) during “Baby June and Her Newsboys.”

At two hours forty minutes, Gypsy does run just a little too long, and there are a few scenes that could have been cut to maintain its momentum.

Still, this is a quibble, and this revival is worth it alone for McDonald’s voice.  At the performance I attended, it was greeted with gasps (mine included).

Gypsy runs through October 5th at the Majestic Theatre.  245 West 44th Street  New York, NY.  2 hours 40 minutes. One intermission. Photograph by Julieta Cervantes.