Joy Woods, recently the star of Broadway's The Notebook, is already back on the Main Stem as Louise in the much-anticipated revival of Gypsy, led by six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald as Rose. Hear Woods discuss her work playing the burlesque star in the video above, from a recent visit to Good Morning America.
Woods says her team orchestrated a surprise reveal when she was cast in Gypsy. "My agents brought me into their office and told me in person," she said. "They played a trick on me, they brought me in and...said, 'So, we're not going to hear for a while.' They gave me my resume to look at, and just look over, and at the top of it was Gypsy. I was like, 'Oh, that's cute, because we're manifesting.' And they had a phone in the back recording the whole thing, so they got my reaction. I was gagged, and I laughed."
The production began previews at the Majestic Theatre November 21 and is due to open December 19.
With McDonald as Rose, Woods as Louise, and her The Notebook co-star Jordan Tyson as June, three Black women now lead the company of one of Broadway's most lauded Golden Age musicals. Six previous Gypsy revivals have been mounted between Broadway and the West End over the years, and the current production marks the first time a known Black woman has played any of the three roles on Broadway. "[Gypsy] is about just the most human experiences, and how we reckon with truth, and what happens when our dreams are deferred, or when they come true, and just moving through life in a way that anybody can experience," Woods said. "So that we're able to tell it through this lens, now, is really special, and I'm just happy to be a part of it."
When asked what she would tell younger generations who want to follow in her footsteps, Woods said to just go for their dreams. "I think most of my life I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to just go ahead and run towards the direction that I was feeling was right for me, but I think that we can all do that in certain aspects of our lives," she emphasized. "Whether it's just practicing, or just singing to yourself on the school bus in the mornings even if the kids tell you to shut up, like they told me. I would've never learned how to do riffs and runs had I not annoyed everyone on the school buses. Find little ways that make you happy, and the things that make you happy, and water yourself. It's going to send you in the direction you're supposed to be in."
READ: How to Get $39 Tickets to Broadway's Gypsy, Starring Audra McDonald
Along with McDonald and Woods, the cast is led by Tony winner Danny Burstein as Herbie, with Tyson as June, Kevin Csolak as Tulsa, Lesli Margherita as Tessie Tura, Lili Thomas as Miss Mazeppa, Mylinda Hull as Miss Electra, Jacob Ming-Trent as Uncle Jocko, Kyleigh Denae Vickers as Baby Louise, and Marley Lianne Gomes and Jade Smith as Baby June. Tryphena Wade is the standby for Rose.
The ensemble features Jace Bently, Brandon Burks, Hunter Capellán, Tony d’Alelio, Summer Rae Daney, Kellie Jean Hoagland, Aliah James, Brittney Johnson, Zachary Daniel Jones, Ethan Joseph, Andrew Kober, Krystal Mackie, James McMenamin, Majo Rivero, Sally Shaw, Brendan Sheehan, Thomas Silcott, and Jayden Theophile. Swings Shanel Bailey, Sasha Hutchings, Cole Newburg, Joe Osheroff, Ken Robinson, Jordan Wynn, and Iain Young round out the company. Casting is by Jordan Thaler and Heidi Griffiths.
WATCH: Listen to Audra McDonald Sing in New Trailer for Broadway Gypsy Revival
Gypsy, based on the mostly fictional memoir of famed burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee, features a book by Arthur Laurents and songs with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The show is one of Broadway's favorites to revive. Since premiering in 1959, the show has returned to Broadway in 1974, starring Angela Lansbury; 1989, starring Tyne Daly; 2003, starring Bernadette Peters; and 2008, starring Patti LuPone. The work has been filmed three times: a 1962 feature film starring Rosalind Russell, a 1993 TV film starring Bette Midler, and a filmed stage performance of a 2015 London revival starring Imelda Staunton.
George C. Wolfe is directing the production. The creative team also includes choreographer Camille A. Brown; music director and supervisor Andy Einhorn, who's also penned additional arrangements; scenic designer Santo Loquasto; costume designer Toni-Leslie James; lighting designers Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer; sound designer Scott Lehrer; hair and wig designer Mia Neal; and makeup designer Michael Clifton. Orchestrations are by Sid Ramin and Robert Ginzler, with dance music arrangements by John Kander, and additional orchestrations and arrangements by Daryl Waters. Rick Steiger is production stage manager.
Tom Kirdahy, Mara Isaacs, Kevin Ryan, and Diane Scott Carter are leading the producing team.
Visit GypsyBway.com.
