Since making her Broadway debut in “Six: The Musical” three years ago, Joy Woods has established herself as one of the New York theater scene’s most versatile and reliable young stars.
As many of her young fans can attest, the Chicago-born actor and singer was a standout in “The Notebook” last year. Her appearances in the off-Broadway productions of “Little Shop of Horrors” and “I Can Get It for You Wholesale” have also won acclaim.
Currently, she can be seen opposite six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald in the smash Broadway revival of “Gypsy,” an experience she describes as both a personal and professional game-changer.
“It means a lot to us to be representing ourselves, our people, our art in this show that is such a monumental mark on Broadway history,” she told HuffPost. “So I’m kind of starting from scratch, in terms of what is possible for me and what my dreams can look like. If I can do this, then it opens up a door of things I might be capable of.”
Woods’ sentiments likely won’t come as a surprise to theatergoers, given that “Gypsy” is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicals in the American canon. Featuring songs by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, the show follows the life of Rose “Louise” Hovick (Woods), who — after years of being driven to perform in vaudeville as a child beside her sister, June (Jordan Tyson), by their ruthlessly ambitious mother, Momma Rose (McDonald) —becomes the legendary stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee.
“Gypsy” has been staged on Broadway five times since its 1959 premiere, with Momma Rose being brought to life by powerhouse performers Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone. The current production, which opened at New York’s Majestic Theatre in December, is directed by George C. Wolfe and marks the first time the show has been reimagined with three Black actors as the Hovick women ― a casting choice that lends the 66-year-old musical new depth.
Woods is especially heartbreaking in “Little Lamb,” a wistful ballad sung by a teenage Louise early in the show’s first act. She also captures her character’s rags-to-riches transformation into Gypsy Rose Lee with aplomb in “The Strip,” an Act II showstopper. “I’m glad that I have a contract with a little bit of paid cardio,” she quipped, alluding to the onstage quick changes the Josephine Baker-inspired number entails.
But simply landing the audition was a revelation, Woods says. Her first experience with the show was the 1993 television movie, starring Bette Midler as Momma Rose. “In theater school, they spent a lot of time loving on ‘Gypsy’ and making us see how beautiful of a piece it was. But I also never saw myself in those clips we would watch or in scripts that we would read,” she explained. “So I didn’t think much of it as something I’d ever be a part of.”
Tyson and Woods joined “Gypsy” after having co-starred in “The Notebook,” playing the central character of Allie Calhoun at different ages. Though the musical adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ 1996 novel received mixed reviews, it nonetheless gave Woods a breakout moment when her Act II solo, “My Days,” became a viral smash on TikTok.
Interestingly, Woods admits she “was gunning for Jordan [to be cast] more than myself” for much of the “Gypsy” audition process, noting, “Around the fourth audition, I was like, OK, if they want to do a complete press gag, then they’ll take both of us.” Still, she wasn’t prepared for the “exhausting” transition out of one Broadway show and into another: “I’ll process ‘The Notebook’ being over maybe at the Tonys this year. There’s been no time to stop and breathe.”
By all accounts, “Gypsy” is one of Broadway’s biggest hits this season, having won near-universal praise from critics. Former Vice President Kamala Harris caught a performance of the show while in New York last weekend, and both McDonald and Woods look poised to be contenders at the Tony Awards this spring.
One person helping Woods stay grounded both on- and offstage is McDonald herself.
“There are times I still very much feel out of my depth, just like there are big shoes to fill,” she explained. “One day in rehearsal, while we were still in the beginning stages, I went up to Audra and in the absolute fog of being in my head, said, ‘I’m so sorry. Today was not a good day for me.’ And she’s like, ‘Girl, I have no idea what I’m doing, either.’”
“It was very validating and affirming,” she added. “She’s been the most wonderful person to work with. It’s not giving diva at all.”
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