Looking Ahead to Who Will Be the Next Mama Rose
by Chris Peterson
News broke this week that the Broadway revival of Gypsy, starring the incomparable Audra McDonald, will play its final performance next month. Directed by George C. Wolfe, the production was a raw, stripped-down take on the classic, and McDonald’s performance was nothing short of revelatory. Fierce, vulnerable, and fully alive, her Mama Rose joined the legendary ranks of all of those who came before her.
But if there’s one thing Broadway has proven time and again, it’s this: Gypsy never stays gone for long.
With the show’s 75th anniversary on the horizon in 2034, it’s likely that this may be when we next see the iconic musical return to 42nd St. So, it’s not a question of if the next revival will happen; it’s who will dare to take the stage as Rose.
So let’s have some fun and present seven powerhouse performers who could step into on the most revered and challenging roles in musical theatre canon.
Lindsay Mendez
Lindsay has that rare blend of vocal power and emotional truth that makes a role like Rose feel inevitable. She’s not afraid to show the cracks. A Tony winner for Carousel, Lindsay brings warmth, strength, and soul to everything she touches.
Her Rose would be bruising in the best way. Funny and terrifying. Heartbreaking and magnetic. You’d feel her love and her desperation in equal measure. She’s not trying to make you like Rose. She’s just trying to survive her. And that’s the key.
Stephanie J. Block
Stephanie already feels like a Mama Rose in waiting. She has the belt, the bite, and the kind of stage command that makes everyone else disappear. But it’s the emotional control that makes her dangerous. She knows when to go quiet. She knows how to build.
Her Rose wouldn’t be about fireworks. It would be a slow burn, simmering with regret, pride, and years of choices she can’t undo. You’d lean in. And by the end of “Rose’s Turn,” you’d be wrecked.
Sutton Foster
This one would be a pivot. And a brilliant one. Sutton’s career has been built on charm and agility, but when she leans into vulnerability, it’s riveting.
Her Rose would be unexpected. A woman who wears the mask of showbiz so well that she almost fools herself. Until she doesn’t. There’s something thrilling about the idea of Sutton finding the danger inside her. Finding the mess. The obsession. And letting it unravel in front of us. If she goes there, it could be unforgettable.
Caissie Levy
Caissie has a voice that hits you in the chest. But what really sets her apart is her ability to balance intensity with heartbreak. She makes you feel like she’s singing directly to you.
Her Rose would be a woman who’s used to holding it all together until suddenly she can’t. She’d be both scary and sympathetic. Proud and panicked. The kind of Rose who still sees the little girl in her daughters and hates herself for it. Especially after what we saw her do in Next to Normal, Caissie would make it hurt beautifully.
Emma Stone
Do not underestimate Emma Stone. She may be a Hollywood star, but she is a theatre kid at heart. Her turn in Cabaret was sly and devastating. She knows how to walk that line between charm and collapse.
Her Rose would be a slow-motion breakdown wrapped in red lipstick and false eyelashes. She’d bring a glamour to the role that might throw people off at first. But then she’d peel it back. Bit by bit. Until we’re staring into something real and raw and impossible to ignore.
Jessie Mueller
Jessie leads with soul. Her voice is rich, warm, and lived-in. And her acting? Quietly devastating. She doesn’t shout. She doesn’t showboat. She just tells the truth.
Her Rose would be maternal in a way we haven’t seen before. A woman who really believes she’s doing what’s best. Until she realizes she’s not. Jessie would make the heartbreak land early, and from there, she’d only deepen it. You’d root for her even as she burns it all down. That’s the kind of Rose we don’t see enough.
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett has Broadway cred and serious dramatic chops. Her Tony-winning performance in A View from the Bridge was all tension and control. Give her a director who pushes her and a musical director who trusts her instincts, and you could have something special.
Her Rose would be cool on the surface, but boiling underneath. Calculating, elegant, and dangerously close to unraveling. Scarlett has the capacity to hold back just enough that when she finally breaks, it lands like a gut punch. That’s the Rose I want to see.
Gypsy marks time. Each revival reflects the moment it was made in. The Ethel Merman original. The gritty Tyne Daly version. The velvet-gloved menace of Patti LuPone. The aching precision of Audra McDonald. Every time we return to Rose, we learn something new. In 2034, the show will be 75. And it will be time. Whether traditional or wildly reimagined, this revival will matter. Because the story still matters.