The Naked Genius June 14, 2010

Mint Theater Company has unearthed the original, unadulterated script of 'The Naked Genius,' written by Gypsy Rose Lee, and will bring it to life for one fun-filled performance only. The evening also reunites Tony Award winner Laura Benanti with her co-star of 'In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), Michael Cerveris. Written nearly 15 years before Gypsy Rose Lee published 'Gypsy: Memoirs of America's Most Celebrated Stripper,' 'The Naked Genius' tells the story of a burlesque performer named Gypsy Rose Lee - author of a recently published memoir entitled 'I'll Bare All.' The cast of characters includes her manager, her mother, her publisher, four Chihuahuas and Ramona the Baby Chimp. It's a sweet farce about the struggle Gypsy faces between her desire for respectability and her burlesque roots. Thanks to the 1959 musical based on her memoirs, Gypsy's transformation from ugly duckling to burlesque queen is showbiz legend. With its focus on Mama Rose, however, 'Gypsy' only hints at Lee's life beyond the daily bump and grind. Lee collected paintings, championed animal rights and, in the 1940s, began a writing career.