reel-to-reel tape box
photo by Styrous®
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I
started the Vinyl LP series because I have a collection of over 20,000 vinyl record albums; each blog entry is about an album from my collection. The 101 Reel-to-Reel Tapes series is an extension of that collection. .
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The musical Gypsy which opened on Broadway on May 21, 1959, was a project of producer David Merrick and actress Ethel Merman. Merrick had read a chapter of Lee's memoirs in Harper's Magazine and approached Lee to obtain the rights. Jerome Robbins was interested and wanted Leland Hayward as co-producer; Merman also wanted Hayward to produce her next show. Merrick and Hayward approached Arthur Laurents
to write the book. As he relates, Laurents initially was not interested
until he saw that the story was one of parents living their children's
lives. Composers Irving Berlin and Cole Porter declined the project. Finally, Robbins asked Stephen Sondheim, who agreed to do it. Sondheim had worked with Robbins and Laurents on the musical West Side Story. However, Merman did not want an unknown composer and wanted Jule Styne to write the music. Sondheim initially refused to write only the lyrics but was persuaded by Oscar Hammerstein to accept the job.
Gypsy,
one of the greatest American musical, has had five major
Broadway revivals since its 1959 debut, headlined by legendary
performers such as Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, and Patti LuPone. Known
for its demanding role of Mama Rose, the show is a staple of musical
theatre, with a 2024 revival starring Audra McDonald and notable West
End productions featuring Imelda Staunton.
reel-to-reel tape box interior
photo by Styrous®
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Styrous® ~ Thursday, May 21, 2026
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