"West Side Story" cast announced for Broadway revival

[+ beethoven]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/theater/west-side-story-broadway-cast.html

 

This revival will be directed by Ivo van Hove, which means IT WILL BE DIFRFERENT! I think this is one of the greatest musicals ever, and I'm a bit fearful of what van Hove might do to it. I enjoyed his recent revivals of the Arthur Miller plays, especially "A View From the Bridge," but this sounds like it will be changed a lot. Even Jerome Robbins' dances will be choreographed differently. But they can't tinker with Leonard Bernstein's music --or can they?

I haven't looked to see how much they're asking for decent seats -- I'm afraid to look!

Any opinions?

[RyanDean]

Yep. It will be different. Fun Fact: a number of the members of the ensemble will have just finished shooting the Spielberg movie as they enter production on the VanHove. Also, Tony is played by a biracial actor (Isaac Cole Powell).

 

As for prices, it's in the Broadway, which has 1800 seats, so there are lotsa seats to sell. My impression is that good seats are running a bit high, but that there are definitely "cheap seats." I just checked and TodayTix is selling center FrontMezz seats for $179 and side RearMezz for $39.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Different fine.

 

Don't ruin it with political correctness. It's a brilliant show as is.

 

And don't fuck with good choreography. I cannot imagine WSS without the Robbins ballet-like movement.

[rogerG]

I'm a bit fearful of what van Hove might do to it.

I'm fearful too, but what a great opportunity to show off some brilliance.

[scrtlovr]

Since it's Ivo van Hove, he'll probably have cameramen following the cast and project humongous closeups all over the place - he does that in everything he touches - Network, The Damned, All about Eve (except view from the bridge!). Super gimmicky and not subtle but can be fun . . .

[edjames]

A rather "tepid" opening night review by Ben Brantley in the NYTimes.

I'm seeing it in about 3 weeks, so we'll see.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/theater/west-side-story-review-sharks-vs-jets-vs-video.html

[edjames]

LA Times says "kinetic, bloody and modern to the core." and "this intrepid reworking of “West Side Story” marks more than a return to form for Van Hove. The production, which set its official opening for Thursday at the Broadway Theatre, restores the vitality to a musical that can seem ersatz and lumbering when treated like a museum piece."

 

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-02-20/ivo-van-hove-west-side-story-broadway-review

[edjames]

MSN says:

“West Side Story,” one of the most beloved and enduring Broadway musicals of all time, has often been seen on the Great White Way since it premiered more than sixty years ago, but never quite like this. The revolutionary musical has been reimagined in equally revolutionary fashion this season."

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/emmys/e2-80-98west-side-story-e2-80-99-reviews-radically-reimagined-production-e2-80-98mortally-divided-e2-80-99-but-e2-80-98bold-e2-80-99/ar-BB10fhkN

[edjames]

Here is a recap of major media reviews:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/reviews/West-Side-Story

[scrtlovr]

Different fine.

 

Don't ruin it with political correctness. It's a brilliant show as is.

 

And don't fuck with good choreography. I cannot imagine WSS without the Robbins ballet-like movement.

 

You should definitely stay away then. There is nothing subtle about this production, so many gimmicks and nauseating videos that take away from talented performers and the brilliant score. His shtick worked for Network since it was about tv but definitely not here - just my opinion.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

You should definitely stay away then. There is nothing subtle about this production, so many gimmicks and nauseating videos that take away from talented performers and the brilliant score. His shtick worked for Network since it was about tv but definitely not here - just my opinion.

 

He cut 'I Feel Pretty.' He clearly toned down all female presence in this production.

 

He turned this show into 1990s CK men's underwear commercial... Just with more rain.

 

There's not one true triple-threat in this show. The dancing is good. The singing is meh. The acting is terrible.

 

Vast, bare stage. Lots of video. Much like watching a game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the crowd spends more time watching the screen than the live action in front of them. It's the antithesis of why people see theatre in the first place.

 

The whole revival bums me out a little because I enjoyed his Network so much.

[scrtlovr]

He cut 'I Feel Pretty.' He clearly toned down all female presence in this production.

 

He turned this show into 1990s CK men's underwear commercial... Just with more rain.

 

There's not one true triple-threat in this show. The dancing is good. The singing is meh. The acting is terrible.

 

Vast, bare stage. Lots of video. Much like watching a game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the crowd spends more time watching the screen than the live action in front of them. It's the antithesis of why people see theatre in the first place.

 

The whole revival bums me out a little because I enjoyed his Network so much.

 

I enjoyed his Network too but if you think about it, he did the same there, making the "Faye Dunanaway" character (and the others) far less interesting than in the movie and made it all about Bryan Cranston (who of course was brilliant)...

[rogerG]

So many mixed comments on Ben Brantley's review. Many think the new rendition is pure genius, others walked out and hated the video aspect. Some say that Brantley didn't "get it." Which suggest he's old and old-fashioned.

 

Maybe all the elder hate directed at it will feed ticket sales among the youth. It's not easy to make a 1949 musical hip and modern.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

I enjoyed his Network too but if you think about it, he did the same there, making the "Faye Dunanaway" character (and the others) far less interesting than in the movie and made it all about Bryan Cranston (who of course was brilliant)...

 

Cranston's full breakdown near the end of the show was riveting.

 

I saw him do it three times and every time it was equally as real, raw and startling.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Maybe all the elder hate directed at it will feed ticket sales among the youth. It's not easy to make a 1949 musical hip and modern.

 

With Broadway prices what they are ($250+), it's not the 22 year olds they're really aiming at.

 

Then again, maybe. I hope you're right. I hate seeing anything close.

[+ beethoven]

Terry Teachout in the Wall Street Journal called it "Worst Side Story." Obviously, this is for millennials, with the video screen and all the souped up technology. I loved Van Howe's A View From the Bridge, and I liked his Crucible, but I know I won't like this one and intend to stay away.

[rogerG]

With Broadway prices what they are ($250+), it's not the 22 year olds they're really aiming at.

Don't tell that to the creators of "Hamilton." It seemed to me, no one my age was interested in seeing a rap musical. I had several friends in their 70's who walked out because they couldn't understand a word of it.

 

I have no clue where the youth get their money from. When it comes to selling stuff, marketers still love that 18-35 space. How do young adults manage to own iphones? I don't get it.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

I have no clue where the youth get their money from. When it comes to selling stuff, marketers still love that 18-35 space. How do young adults manage to own iphones? I don't get it.

 

A lot of it isn't real money, it's just credit.

 

The real money part comes when it's time to pay that bill.... And then the fun begins.

[rogerG]

A lot of it isn't real money, it's just credit.

Maybe. But I suspect a lot of parents are footing the bill. Way too many spoiled kids who have no idea what work is.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Maybe. But I suspect a lot of parents are footing the bill. Way too many spoiled kids who have no idea what work is.

 

You make a convincing point

[edjames]

Well, they did get everyone's attention and there's been a lot of buzz about this production.

Not unlike last year's production of Oklahoma.

 

Today's NYTimes talks about the "new" choreography:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/theater/revivals-broadway.html

[foxy]

Mostly I go see a show in the hopes that it will be a wonderful theatrical experience. But sometimes I go out of morbid curiosity to see what all the not so good reviews are about. Today I picked up a discount ticket at the TKTS booth for $87 row K in the orchestra. So a good seat. I wasn’t bored because the whole show is so misguided I was actually fascinated in a weird way. A little like driving passed an auto accident on a highway. You can’t help but look. I do like the idea of taking a fresh approach and putting a new spin on things. Unfortunately not much worked in this updated version. It was hard not to laugh when a supposedly tough street kid says “daddy o“ and later takes out his cell phone to video a cop. What year are we in anyway? Then there was all that rain and I kept thinking one of these dancers is going to be seriously injured. And do they warm the water and where does it go? I had visions of a drenched orchestra down below. The orchestra by the way is great. The cast is attractive and the dancing was exciting at times. The blind casting did make it confusing and often I couldn‘t tell the Sharks from the Jets. Since it’s a show largely about race relations that seemed an odd choice. The video does overwhelm the live action sadly. I’m not sorry I saw it which isn’t exactly a recommendation.

[bostonman]

The blind casting did make it confusing and often I couldn‘t tell the Sharks from the Jets. Since it’s a show largely about race relations that seemed an odd choice.

 

Trinity Rep (Providence) did a production in 2004, directed by Amanda Dehnert, where the ensemble was entirely protean - all of them could be Jets or Sharks or both depending on the moment. BUT IT WORKED! Dehnert's staging made things very clear in that regard. I had a friend in the band who dragged me to see the production, kicking and screaming (as a rule, "concept productions" are something I tend to want to avoid, lol) - but I really bought into the production and was grateful that I saw it. (In fact, I remember only one moment in the show that struck me as "false," right at the very end when a design concept rather upstaged the story. Otherwise I thought it was a very solid production.) Tony Yazbek (Gabey in the recent revival of On The Town on Broadway) played Tony, and he was terrific.

 

My sense is that Dehnert knew exactly how to share her vision with the audience, whereas Van Hove is just more interested in causing a stir.

[Cooper]

I also attended the modern version of West Side Story. Like others have said, the casting is the big difference. Had I not seen the original production several times and loved it, it might have been easier to appreciate the casts' diversity. In the performance I saw, Tony looked more like Maria's brother and Maria's very angry brother, Bernardo, was played by a Middle Eastern looking actor.

 

Yes, it was difficult to distinguish between the Jets and the Sharks, especially during the fighting and dancing numbers. This also became an issue during the final scene when the two groups come together following Tony's death. Had I not seen the original production, I doubt I would have figured it out.

 

Because the director wanted this production to be 1hr and 45 min with no intermission, the story moved very quickly without really developing the characters. I read that 2 songs were left out and there was no finger snapping during the "Jet Song" (not sure why).

 

The highlights for me would be the amazing choreography, fabulous songs, and exceptional orchestra. The fighting dance scene between the Jets and the Sharks, during a non-ending rain storm, is excellently done. The duet between Maria and Anita singing, "A Boy Like That" and "I have a Love", is show stopping. Maria's voice, by far, is the best in the cast. Finally, the hidden orchestra is very powerful and great to listen/reminisce to.

 

As for the huge screen that replaces the need for any scenery, it also shows the cast live and up close. IMO, it works and doesn't work. At times the only way to see the actors is by looking at the screen, it also makes the cast look very small on stage. The actor running around with the camera, at times, is a distraction.

 

The modern version of WSS is not a happy one. One song, "Gee, Officer Krupke", which in the original is fun, lively, and animated, is now sung as a political statement showing video clips of police brutality. Another video, shows the WALL that divides the US and Mexico. Obviously, not in the original production.

 

I'd be interested in talking with young people who are not familiar with the original production to hear their thoughts and see what message, if any, they took away from this modern day production.

 

I'm glad I saw it for if someone tried to explain this to me I might have a hard time understanding how the new production impacts on the original. So, sit back, enjoy, and try hard not to compare.