Shaw Festival ~ Gypsy ~ Festival Theatre

Come to The Shaw Festival this Summer!

Join us at The Shaw and experience fantastic and unique theatrical encounters, plus musical concerts and inspiring performances outdoors this summer. World-class theatre — in blissful Niagara wine country. 14 plays plus Outdoors @ The Shaw, Spiegeltent – a new outdoor venue … Ready? We certainly are!

An Interview with Julie Lumsden

That’s showbiz!

“You are a star! And I made you one!” – Gypsy

Mother-daughter relationships always make for inspirational stories. One of the most famous, and fraught is certainly the one between Gypsy Rose Lee and her Mama. Julie Lumsden takes on the role of the famous American burlesque entertainer and Kate Hennig plays the ambitious and domineering stage mother. Last season Julie portrayed the tormented wife in Gaslight and this season she gets to shed her constraints … and her clothes. Julie chatted with us about her season at The Shaw and how one gets ready to play such a famous character.

How did your interest in acting come about?

I have always loved performing and expressing myself (loudly) through song. I started in church plays and choirs. I was always in the front row, as I was such an expressive (loud) singer, they wanted to make sure I was seen (they wanted to make sure I didn’t cause permanent hearing loss to any of my peers by standing behind them). Playing pretend was always a favourite around my house, too. My older brother James would write plays for myself and my two sisters to star in. His most critically (Grandma and Grandpa Lumsden) acclaimed piece starred he and I in: Batman & Robina. A tale of two superheroes, taking down the bad guys. James was really the first one to see my potential, and for that I will always be eternally grateful to him.

“… a gorgeously acted, fun but deeply felt production” – The Globe and Mail

Can you tell our readers a bit about Gypsy Rose Lee and how you are preparing for the role?

What I love most about this musical is that it is based around the true lives of these human, beautiful, flawed and intelligent women. There’s so much to say about Gypsy Rose Lee, our Louise. She was a revolutionary. She completely reinvented and reinvigorated the art of burlesque. She had a fierce sense of humour, wit and smarts that launched her as one of the biggest stars of Minksy’s Burlesque. In addition to that, she was an author, a mother, a playwright and an actress. To learn more about our star of stars, I’ve been reading. A lot. The source material for the musical is Gypsy: A Memoir, an autobiography by Lee, so this has been my main insight. Of course, Gypsy’s own recounting of her life is somewhat of a dramatization, so I am balancing that out with Karen Abbott’s biography called American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare and the biography written by her son My G-String Mother: At Home and Backstage with Gypsy Rose Lee. 

Momma Rose is the ultimate “Stage Mother”. How have your parents supported your dreams of a career in the arts?

Lucky for me, my parents are the complete opposite of our lovely Momma Rose. My parents raised all of us to find what we are passionate about and seek it in our daily lives. My parents and my extended family have always had a love of music and art, so when I wanted to pursue a degree in Classical Voice Performance at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Music, they were pleased, albeit a bit surprised! It’s been a joy of mine to see how my parents have learned and grown alongside me, most notably, learning when to clap in a classical music concert. Their love and support of the arts has grown even beyond my career! I am so proud of them; they have even opened our home and billeted Winnipeg Fringe Fest performers. I could not be where I am without their unwavering support, love and big laughs from the audiences! Love you J & T!

What else can we see you in this season at The Shaw?

Although I haven’t seen Cory Sincennes costume design yet, I’m sure you’ll be seeing a whole lot of me in Gypsy: A Musical Fable! But if you’re looking for more – head over to the Royal George and look for me in Craig Hall’s take on On the Razzle, a Tom Stoppard farce! It’s sure to be a hoot!

“Resplendent … two superb performances from [Kate] Hennig and Julie Lumsden.” – Toronto Star

Gypsy runs until October 7. Directed by Jay Turvey and with choreography by Genny Sermonia, this is going to be an unforgettable theatre experience. 

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Video at https://youtu.be/WU_juRVPi2I