'Sing Out, Louise!' UNC Pauper Players to put on 'Gypsy' this week

The UNC Pauper Players, a student-run musical theater organization, is putting on the musical “Gypsy” this fall at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro. 

The musical “Gypsy” is loosely based on the 1957 memoir of Gypsy Rose Lee, who was a burlesque dancer during the 1920s. “Gypsy” takes you on the journey of Lee's life growing up and shows how she gets pushed into performing when she doesn’t necessarily want to, said Andrew Linden, director of the UNC Pauper Player’s rendition of “Gypsy.” 

“One thing I always loved about ‘Gypsy’ is that it feels a lot like a play,” Linden said. “It’s very much about the interactions of the characters and the relationships that evolve.”

When directing, Linden said he focuses on the perspectives of the characters and how they grow throughout the story. 

“The music honestly comes secondary,” Linden said. “That being said, the music is gorgeous.”

Moreover, “Gypsy” is regarded as one of the best musical theater shows of all time, said Campbell Kargo, who will play Rose in the production.

“Anybody that is a musical theater guru will know what ‘Gypsy’ is,” Kargo said.

Linden said that this rendition of “Gypsy” is unique because the cast has been scaled down to just 15 people, while most productions would use upward of 50 people. 

“We scaled it down to preserve the themes that make it as great as it is,” Linden said. 

In addition to using a small number of cast members, this production of "Gypsy" is unique because it is produced solely by college students, said Leah Brooks , who will play Louise in the UNC Pauper Players production of “Gypsy."

The show is not usually done on college campuses due to the age range of the characters, Kargo said. 

“I was honestly nervous about it at first because there are little kids in it,” Kargo said. “We have students playing these roles, so it will be cool to see how we make it convincing that we are these characters.”

A large theme of the production is womanhood, said Brooks. 

“It is a female-dominated show, and I think that is something that you don’t always see with musical theater,” Brooks said.

Kargo said she thinks people should come out to the show because it challenges the audience to question their true motivation for the things that they do. 

“People can come out to think about what would happen if their lives turned out differently, or if their lives turned out the way they wanted or the way they didn’t want,” Linden said.

“Gypsy” will make the audience question if they are living their lives the way they truly want to, Kargo said. 

“I think that's a really profound message to send especially when it comes to what you want to do in life,” Kargo said. 

“Gypsy” will be performed from Oct. 10-12 at 7:30 p.m. each day, with an additional matinee on Oct. 12 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are being sold in The Pit from Oct. 7-11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 for students, $10 for non-students and all tickets at the door are $10.

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