Joy Woods Brings ‘Gypsy’ Back to Broadway
Musical actress Joy Woods stars in 'Gypsy' with Audra McDonald directed by George C. Wolfe.
Everything’s coming up roses for Joy Woods.
After opening “The Notebook” on Broadway last spring, the actress is back onstage starring in the much-anticipated revival of “Gypsy,” which opened in late December.
“This is my second time opening a Broadway show — and the first time we did it right before the award season started,” says Woods, adding that she’s enjoyed “being able to start this early and get months of a run in before all that craziness starts. And not having to worry about the extra stuff until months from now.”
Those “months from now” are growing ever closer. The show is officially open, and buzz for the new production of the musical, directed by George C. Wolfe, continues to build.
You May Also LikeRelated Articles“Getting to have the audience there [in the theater] and feeling their excitement about what I consider one of the greatest musicals of all time — feeling validated in my opinion on that, and seeing that people were enjoying it the same way that I do — was really wonderful,” says Woods.
Joy Woods and Audra McDonald in “Gypsy.” Photo: Julieta CervantesAudra McDonald leads the cast as overbearing showmom Mama Rose, who enthusiastically dedicates herself to managing the vaudeville careers of her daughters, June and Louise. Woods stars as Louise, who transforms from timid wallflower into the famed burlesque dancer known as Gypsy Rose Lee.
Woods was still in “The Notebook” when she began rehearsals for “Gypsy” in October, and the 25-year-old actress welcomed the challenge of transitioning between the two shows. She had good company: her “Notebook” costar Jordan Tyson stars as her sister June in “Gypsy.”
“I had been rehearsing for ‘Gypsy’ for nine hours out of the day, and then having 30 minutes before needing to be at ‘Notebook’ at night,” says Woods, who starred in the romantic musical as “middle Allie,” a shared lead role. “That gives you a lot of time to be busy, and not a lot of time to really feel an ending of a chapter and the beginning of another. So it was just sort of go, go, go, trying to shed Allie while learning this whole new person.”
Danny Burstein, Joy Woods, and Audra McDonald onstage in “Gypsy.” Courtesy of Julieta CervantesThe Stephen Sondheim musical, based on a real story, is considered one of theater’s greatest works and has racked up Tony nominations (and a few wins) with each iteration on Broadway.
“It’s not something that I ever thought I would be involved in, because the versions that I’d seen didn’t really include myself or people that looked like me,” says Woods, who first encountered the musical as a kid through the 1993 made-for-TV “Gypsy” with Bette Midler. Wolfe’s version of “Gypsy” is the first major production to feature Black actresses in the lead roles. “Really getting to know this material was a solo project — what does this look like on me, to me, for me,” adds Woods. “Rather than referring to other iterations.”
Woods, who’s from the Chicago area, grew up going to church. “So music and theatrics and dance was always something that we were never too far from,” she says, adding that TV musicals like “High School Musical” and “Camp Rock” were an influential part of her childhood. But she didn’t actually start doing theater until her last two years of high school, after her best friend on the dance team brought her to see their school’s musical production of “The Addams Family.” The combination of theatrics, dance, and singing resonated with Woods.
“They welcomed me with open arms, as theater clubs do, and that seemed to be the end of the story,” she says.
Or rather the beginning: Woods went on to major in musical theater at AMDA in New York, graduating in 2019. Afterward, she starred in “Little Shop of Horrors” off-Broadway, and made her Broadway debut in “Six” in 2022. She joined “The Notebook” for its world premiere in Chicago, followed by its transfer to Broadway.
“I learned a lot moving on to ‘Gypsy,’” says Woods, who attended the closing night of “The Notebook” with Tyson in December. “I was bawling my eyes out the whole time watching it [‘The Notebook’]. I had a little bit of FOMO, but more so just this overwhelming sense of pride and happiness to be able to watch this thing that we built, and watch the people that I built it with.”
Joy Woods onstage in “Gypsy.” Photo: Julieta CervantesAfter that moment of nostalgia, it was back to the present moment: “Gypsy” had its opening night three days later. Reviews and critical discourse have been positive, but Woods is prioritizing her internal process of continuously honing her Gypsy Rose Lee — and having fun.
“My intention for 2025 is being able to block that [discourse] out and really take my time with getting to know the show and know who Louise and Gypsy are,” says Woods. “Because I’m also growing up, and the more I learn about them, the more I learn about myself.
“It’s really been an educational experience on figuring out how to remain present and give yourself grace,” she adds. “If you’re not in the moment, you can’t celebrate the people around you as much. So I think I’ve found much more joy in celebrating what’s around me.”
Audra McDonald and Joy Woods in “Gypsy.” Photo: Julieta Cervantes
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