Profile for Usnavi

A great interview with the talented Josie De Guzman who talks about her role in the 1980 revival of "West Side Story" It's in Spanish, though.

"It's bad interviewing skills to ask an actress how much of her performance is Rita Moreno and Chita Rivera and her relatives. It's also rude." PalJoey, he didn't ask her how much of her performance is Rita Moreno and Chita Rivera and her relatives. The question asked was: What is different in the way you play Anita than others who have played it before - Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno, for example? I fail to see what is rude about that question. It's a valid question asked of someone playing a...

< i love u. i'll miss u. can't wait 4 the movie!

I finally went to see the show last night. This is the first professional production of WSS I've ever seen. It's my all time favorite musical and the film version is one of my favorite films, easily in the top 5 films of all time. When this revival was first announced I was extremely excited. After like what it seemed like the 10,000th revival of GYPSY had been produced WSS was finally being given it's long over due Broadway bound revival. I was intrigued with the possibilities of Laurents re...

Oh, I see where you are coming from PalJoey. In re-reading your original post I have to agree with your assessment. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

"They could be the neighborhood cops on the old Abbott and Costello show. But they bear no relation to police today. And Doc and his candy store don't exist anymore." Of course not. But since when is WSS supposed to be contemporary? The show was written in the late 1950s and it's supposed to reflect that time period, not today's.

WEST SIDE STORY is my ALL TIME favorite musical so when Laurents decided to take it upon himself and revive it with the changes he had in mind I guess I expected a lot more than what eventually was done with the piece. So far I find the overall "look" of the show very unappealing. It doesn't strike me as a show about gang warfare in the urban ghettos of New York City. I don't think that bright orange is a color a real New York City gang would choose to wear and with that the realism goes out ...

mr. laurents certainly failed to deliver on a "grittier", "darker", "edgier" WSS. the costumes are all in pastels! bright blues, teal, purple, lavender?!! more appropriate for a revival of BYE BYE BIRDIE if you ask me. the gang members do not look menacing at all. according to laurents they are supposed to be killers. they look like the would convene at the local bally's and do each other in the shower stalls.

with all the talk of remakes lately i've been thinking about some shows that probably would benefit from one. i am in no way knocking the 1979 film version but everyone here knows that the original show was totally re-imagined for the screen. should HAiR be remade as a feature film that is more faithful/representative of the vision of it's original creators Ragni, Rado & MacDermor or should the new revival be eventually filmed at some point?

Interesting thoughts on race and culture by Miss De Guzman: I think there has been a basic confusion about what it means to be Hispanic. Hispanic is a cultural and linguistic distinction, not a racial one. There are Asian Hispanics, Black Hispanics, Caucasian Hispanics, and Indian Hispanics, as well as combinations of all four. In the performing arts, this confusion has been most apparent in the area of casting, especially non-traditional casting. I am Puerto Rican; I am very proud of my cult...

^ oh how come mierda of you

maybe punk should seek out the long out of print motion picture soundtrack?

wow! what treasures! wss is my ALL TIME favorite musical. i was wondering the other day about this cast and was disappointed to find out their was no recording. thank u, thank u, thank u 4 sharing!!!!

hey i've got a great idea for those of you who don't like the west side story marquee and prefer the legally blonde one. why don't you all write the producers of the show or even mr. laurents himself and ask them if they could please just change the marquee to the legally blonde one because it's more pleasing to the eye.

nope. nothing. absolutely nothing at all. sorry.

"My favorite review of "Cybill Shepherd Does It to Cole Porter" was... "Why? What did Cole Porter ever do to her?" LMAO!!!

God, all that BLACK!! Are they headed to a funeral?

I beg to differ MrMidwest but no Cole Porter collection is complete without:

Great character actor. I remember him as Warren Beatty's over bearing father in SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (1961).

"And THAT is why it didn't make a great play, IMO. You are so wrong. STEEL MAGNOLIAS is an excellent play that is why it was adapted for the screen so quickly. It made an impact. I saw the original production at the Lucille Lortel and I saw the film when it opened 2 years later and marveled at how wonderfully the material was adapted for the screen. That it was successful as both a play and a movie speaks for itself.