The Musical Traveller

★★★★★ I'm being completely honest when I say that before I went to see Gypsy on Thursday, at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, I knew nothing about the show. Usually I like to go into a musical knowing the plot and at least a few of the songs but I went to see this completely blind. And it was incredible!  The show is set in the round, meaning the audience is facing inwards, circling the performance space, whilst the performance takes place in the centre. This style of staging made the performance much more intimate and allowed you to get to know the characters in a much closer proximity. In the round is something I've never experienced in a performance before and it opened my eyes to a whole new style of theatre. For those who don't know the plot of Gypsy, I'll give a quick summary. The show begins with an ambitious mother trying to convince a theatre owner that her daughters' Vaudeville act is the best and should be used in his show. This is a long