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Gypsy is a theatrical musical that is loosely based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, a famous burlesque dancer who grew up with a demanding mother and starlet sister.

Gypsy Rose Lee was born in 1911 as Rose Louise Hovick. She went by her middle name, Louise, throughout her childhood. Louise’s mother wanted to break into show-business and believed Louisa was her ticket to fame. Unfortunately, Louise’s talent was limited and she was quickly outshined by her younger sister. Her mother switched her focus to Louise’s sister for the next few years. Louisa was forced to play bit part to ensure she didn’t upstage her sister.

In the 1920′s Louisa’s sister eloped, leaving her mother and Louisa behind. With the focus back on Louisa, she was forced to perform her first burlesque show in Kansas City, Missouri, due to money issues. The star burlesque dancer couldn’t go on stage. Louisa went on in her place. Being only fifteen years old, she did not perform as a typical burlesque dancer. Instead, her skin was mostly covered and danced more teasingly than provocatively. The audience loved the change and Gypsy Rose Lee was born.

Gypsy became her stage name. Throughout her childhood, Louisa loved to read tea leaves and was nicknamed Gypsy by those who knew her. She combined Gypsy with her real first name, Rose. The last name, Lee, held no meaning to anything from her past and was just a name she picked. Gypsy quickly moved from small burlesque houses to high society in New York City. Both men and women attended her show because of comical approach to burlesque dancing.

While things between her and mother soured over the years, her mother tried to extort money from her at every turn. After her mother died, Gypsy felt free to share her life story without repercussions. Her memoirs became a bestseller in 1957 then a musical in 1959 that still runs today.