I saw the revival of Gypsy last night starring Bernadette Peters. I got my ticket for 50 bucks through the current Season of Savings promotion, which Broadway uses to lure people to the theaters during this, the slow time of the year.

Ever the theatrical optimist, I enjoyed the show. For one thing, Gypsy is one of the greatest American musicals. Bernadette Peters’s voice doesn’t quite fill the role of Mama Rose, but she acts the hell out of the part; you can feel her anguish at having failed to become the person she’s dreamed of being. She’s sexy, too. She looks great in her purple dress and 1920s haircut. The entire production looks great, actually. The minimal sets make for a sleek, colorful production. Most of the other actors play their parts well, although I preferred Jonathan Hadary’s Herbie and Crista Moore’s Louise back in 1989 over the current performances by John Dossett and Tammy Blanchard. For one thing, I wanted Tammy Blanchard to have a little more oomph in her final strip scene.

I was pleasantly surprised to recognize the actor who plays Tulsa, the character who sings, “All I Need is the Girl.” He’s David Burtka, and he’s totally cute, and I’ve seen him twice before. The first time I saw him was a couple of summers ago in Edward Albee’s The Play About the Baby, and he was stark naked part of the time. The second time I saw him was a couple of weeks later, when I realized I was standing next to him at Starlight, a gay bar in the East Village.

I wanted to say something like, “Hi! I’ve seen you naked,” but instead I didn’t speak to him.

Oh well.