Show Synopsis:
Rose desperately wants both of her daughters, June and Louise, to be star vaudeville performers, but clearly favors the more talented and extroverted June. She coerces a man named Herbie into being their agent, and the girls grow up performing the same kiddie act over and over. The girls begin to realize how much control their mother has on their life, and after June elopes with a dancer named Tulsa, Rose focuses on making Louise the star of the family. The new act struggles to find venues, and Rose despairs when the only performance they get is at a burlesque club. She agrees to marry Herbie and break up the act so that they can lead more normal lives, but when she pushes Louise into burlesque striptease, Herbie leaves her. Through this stroke of luck, Louise becomes a major burlesque stripstease star and tells Rose she does not need her anymore. Without anyone else to push around in her dreams, Rose realizes that she wanted stardom for herself all along.	

Character:
Louise, a teenage girl who travels and performs in her mother's vaudeville act and is always pushed to the side so that her sister can shine; softspoken and led to believe she is not worth as much as her sister, but remains strong and optimistic.

Song Context:
Louise celebrates her birthday with her new pet, a baby lamb, by feeding it a bottle and showing it her other toys. Her mother pretends that she is 10 years old on every birthday, since she does not want to believe anyone in their vaudeville act is over the age of twelve, so Louise is not sure how old she is supposed to act, though she is well into her teenage years.	

Fun Facts:
1. The character of Louise is based on the memoirs of the burlesque striptease star Gypsy Rose Lee. 
2. This song occurs right after a huge celebratory dinner where Rose highlights the success of the vaudeville act, and this song was meant to highlight Louise's loneliness on her birthday, since it seems no one really wants to celebrate her. 
3. Sandra Church originated the role of Louise on Broadway, and Gypsy was the only Broadway musical she was ever in. She received a Tony Award nomination for her performance.