Print edition: 
Move over, Ethel Merman and Patti LuPone. Karen Robu stakes her claim to the meaty role of the ultimate stage mom, Mama Rose, in the classic "Gypsy," and strikes pure gold.
The locally based Robu, like both of those Broadway divas, has a voice that can blast out the back wall with the explosive power of "Everything's Coming Up Roses." But she also has the control and the sweetness to wend her way around a tender lyric like "You'll Never Get Away From Me."
"Gypsy" kicked off Music Theatre of Wichita's 39th summer season Wednesday night.
Robu stalks, rather than merely walks, the stage, commanding attention and demanding love as she tries to live out her vaudeville dreams vicariously by pushing her two daughters into the spotlight in the 1920s and 1930s. Robu is an actress who sings, rather than a singer who acts, and she carves out surprising nuance and depth in a complex character you love to hate.
Directed by MTW producing artistic director Wayne Bryan, "Gypsy" is a musical fable of how a gawky kid from Seattle evolved from second banana to her talented sister, Baby June (who grew up to be the actress June Havoc), into the legendary striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee.
The show contains an inside joke for Wichita audiences because it declares that the young Gypsy performed her first strip in "Wichita's one and only burlesque house'' — which isn't provable but is probably true, based on Lee's memoirs.
It's an old-fashioned musical complete with overture, which a full orchestra under music director Thomas W. Douglas brings to brassy, sassy life. By Arthur Laurents (book), Jule Styne (music) and a young Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), the 1959 show is full of instantly recognizable — and hummable — musical standards.
Lisa Rohinsky, an MTW alumnus fresh from the Broadway revival of "Gypsy" with Patti LuPone, plays young Louise-cum-Gypsy with charm and innocent sexuality. Her voice is clear and lovely in the showcase "Little Lamb" as she dreams of a hopeful but uncertain future. Her strip montage, however, as she morphs from novice to assured "ecdysiast," isn't as sexy as you might expect. It's graceful but too bland to show why Gypsy became such a legend.
Tim Robu, Karen's real-life husband, plays Rose's love interest, Herbie, and the chemistry between them is easy and comfortable. Their early, flirty duets are genuinely sweet, and their later, angry fights are surprisingly shocking and heart- breaking.
Eloise Kropp as June crafts a delicious, malicious perkiness as a young woman forced to disguise herself as a child. Her cutesy singing voice for "Let Me Entertain You" is wonderful fun. And Johnny Stellard packs a dancing punch as Tulsa, one of the chorus boys behind June who breaks free with "All I Need Is the Girl."
But stealing the show are Gina Austin, Patty Reeder and Cynthia Atchison as the jaded Wichita strippers who show young Gypsy the ropes in the show-stopping "Gotta Have a Gimmick." They are outrageously silly but also surprisingly sexy as they strut their stuff — particularly Reeder showing how to "bump it with a trumpet."
If you go
'gypsy'
What: Classic musical to kick off the 39th summer season for Music Theatre of Wichita
Where: Century II Concert Hall
When: 8 p.m. today, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday
How much: Tickets $20-$55 evenings; $18-$47 matinees. Call 316-265-3107 or go online to www.mtwichita.org.
