South Orange County School of the Arts: Gypsy

South Orange County School of the Arts (SOCSA) at Dana Hills High School presents a musical adaptation of mid-20th-century American burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee?s colorful life from April 20th to April 24th. Lee (1911-1970) not only became famous for her striptease act as the star of the long-running 1940?s musical revue ?Star and Garter,? she went on to become an actress, playwright and author, who penned her autobiography in 1957. ?Gypsy? is loosely based on her memoir. Featuring music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents, ?Gypsy? debuted on Broadway in May 1959. ?Gypsy? follows the story of Louise Hovick, who is used by her mother Rose as a means into the competitive and dazzling world of vaudeville, always playing second fiddle to her more talented sister June. When a dream validates Rose?s desire to escape her mundane small-town life, daughters Louise and June are taken on the road across America in search of employment in a series of vaudeville houses. After June runs away, her shy sister Louise eventually finds work as a stripper and transforms herself into the glamorous burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee.