Checking in with West Side Story...

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/23/09 at 11:48pm

Saw the matinee this afternoon. A few thoughts:

-What the heck did Matt Cavenaugh do to get cast in this? Bland, bland, bland. He has ZERO presence, ZERO charm, ZERO charisma, and ZERO chemistry with Josefina. I felt nothing between the two of them. No connection. Nada. Nothing. The man behind me said he couldn't wait for him to get shot. I was hoping the understudy would do act 2, but no such luck.

-Josefina Scaglione is wonderful. Beautiful voice, lovely performance. It's a shame her Tony was so wooden.

-Karen Olivo steals this production. What a performance. I really hope she wins the Tony this year, because she absolutely deserves it. It would be a travesty if Haydn Gwynne wins the Tony over Olivo.

-The decision to stage the two most crucial scenes in the second act in spanish is puzzling, foolish, and downright bizarre. What was Laurents thinking? That was absolutely his biggest directorial blunder in this production. They add nothing to the show, and only confuse many members of the audience. Not everyone knows the dialogue already in these scenes!

-It was wonderful to hear that score played by a 30 piece orchestra.

-Ultimately, this is still WSS, and it's hard to screw it up. However, this production doesn't really measure up, given the fact that one of the leads is awful, the two lovers have no chemistry, and the most important scenes are in a foreign language.



Updated On: 5/23/09 at 11:48 PM

[margot serena pilar]

Posted: 5/23/09 at 11:53pm

Margot Serena Pilar approves this message!

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/23/09 at 11:54pm

Anita returns to her native tongue in act 2 because of Bernardo's death. Her dreams in America have been destroyed. She has no use to speak english anymore. That's why her scenes and "A Boy Like That" are in spanish during act 2. In DC, even "I Have a Love" was in spanish, but they changed that after the critics noted how that sequence was not landing.


I have a feeling this production may fare better with replacements, mainly the males. Karen and Josefina are fantastic.

I really will not understand Haydn winning the award over Karen, if that happens. Karen absolutely deserves it. Her portrayal of Anita is devastating. If Haydn wins, it will obviously be to keep a "Billy sweep."


Updated On: 5/23/09 at 11:54 PM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/23/09 at 11:56pm

<----- doesn't get the love for Karen Olivio. I think she suffices. Perhaps because her does nothing above and beyond...but the rest of the production is awful...makes her shine like a star?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/23/09 at 11:56pm

Haydn so does not deserve that Tony. I fail to see what's so special about her performance, at all. I'll be very disappointed if Karen doesn't win.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/23/09 at 11:58pm

Haydn doesn't deserve it. She lands some laughs in act 1, and has some dramatic moments during the end of the act. But she has almost nothing to work with during act 2. The role is very under-written.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:00am

I also don't get the love for Haydn Gwynne. The only way she wins is if there is a Billy sweep and she benefits from it. Quite frankly, if Karen doesn't win, than I hope Jennifer Damiano does.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:06am

I think people just love her just because she's in Billy Elliot. There's this need to subscribe to universal love for all things Billy, and I just don't get it. It's like everything in the show has to be regarded as God's gift, even if some of the components are kind of mediocre. I don't think Jennifer has a shot in hell up against the Billy-love and the fact that Karen really does deserve the award, but I agree, I'd rather see her take it than Haydn.

Updated On: 5/24/09 at 12:06 AM

[margot serena pilar]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:12am

Margot Serena Pilar doesn't know what all the hubbub is about anyway -- we all know Best Featured Actress belongs to Carole Shelley.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:14am

I have to agree that Mrs. Wilkinson is an underwritten role (plus, it's not like anyone could ever come close to how brilliant Julie Walters was in the movie), but I loved Haydn Gwynne. I ALSO thought Karen Olivo was one of the strongest points of West Side Story (Josefina Scaglione and, honestly, the use of Spanish being some of the others) AND I think Jennifer Damiano is one of the most promising young talents on Broadway.

I think, taking the strength of the role into consideration, Olivo has the advantage, but I certainly don't find either Gwynne or Damiano undeserving. I didn't see Martha Plimpton and didn't think Grandma was a strong enough role for a win for Carole Shelley, but I find Olivo, Gwynne and Damiano to all be deserving.

Updated On: 5/24/09 at 12:14 AM

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 11:42am

I think the Tony voters are going to give it to Martha Plimpton. This is her third nomination in a row. She surprised everyone with her singing, her comedic abilities, and her musical stage presence. This is her year.

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 11:50am

Plimpton doesn't have a shot.

Karen deserves it all the way. I am biased but she really is fantastic.

I hope there isn't a BIlly sweep because if there is it will such a boring night with undeserving people taking Tonys away from deserving people.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 11:53am

The BILLY sweep is almost inevitable, IMO.

But I agree with most of your comments, adamgreer.

I too hope Karen wins the Tony. She certainly deserves it and is really the only aspect of this WSS that is worth awarding. She's wonderful.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 11:53am

Anita is a dancing role, in addition to acting and singing. In that regard, Karen is the worst Anita of the three Broadway Anitas. Chita Rivera, the role's originator, didn't even receive a nomination for her performance. I doubt the worst Anita, who can't even spectacularly dance the role, would win the Tony for it.

[little_sally]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 11:57am

I'd be shocked if anyone other than Gwynne wins.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:06pm

Karen's dancing--

Oh never mind.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:08pm

Anita is a dancing role, in addition to acting and singing. In that regard, Karen is the worst Anita of the three Broadway Anitas. Chita Rivera, the role's originator, didn't even receive a nomination for her performance. I doubt the worst Anita, who can't even spectacularly dance the role, would win the Tony for it.

Foster, I had no idea you were around and seeing shows in 1957 and 1980 to judge the previous Broadway Anitas. Interesting.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:09pm

The award is for Best Featured ACTRESS In a Musical. Not Best Featured DANCER. Voters don't look at it like PalJoey does. They aren't not going to vote for her because she's a weaker dancer than Chita Rivera. Her acting is phenomenal, and is clearly the best of the 3 other actresses in the category (I didn't see Plimpton). Brantley and Isherwood agree, Karen WILL and SHOULD win.

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:12pm

Can some people just get over the dancing? This isn't an astaire award. Best Featured Actress in a musical, not best featured dancer. Olivo acts the crap out of the role and nails it. She deserves the Tony. Hadyn's role is boring and it didn't really touch me at all.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:13pm

This is like how some are saying Alice Ripley shouldn't win Best Leading ACTRESS, because she has pitch problems.

Some of the things people come up with on this board really astound me.

[BroadwayBound062]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:19pm

LMAO about the audience member wanting Tony dead...I said the same thing to my friend. I think the only reason Karen shines so much is because she is in a horrible production and is the only beacon of light there is in the show. If there was a better suited Bernardo, Tony, and Riff, I feel she wouldn't shine so much. The females in the show honestly do steal the show but again Karen's lack of dancing in a major dancing role is sad.

I can't really comment on Haydn Gwynne performance because the day I saw the show she was out but if she were half as good as her understudy then she dersevers the Tony!

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:20pm

but she is best leading actress in a MUSICAL... so she has to have vocal ability, which, she does... so she still deserves it imo

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:25pm

I never really understood why people were saying she couldn't dance. I'm a trained dancer myself, and I was surprised when I heard that she's more of a "mover." If she can't dance, she sure fooled me.

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:27pm

I'm a trained dancer also and I don't even think she is as bad as people are saying. She certainly has gotten a lot better and she still puts tons of energy into it.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:28pm

She CAN dance. And she took intensive ballet training 2 hours before each rehearsal. People are mad because Joey McKneely had to alter some of Anita's moves for her.

Would I have liked to see Anita and the girls do the leaps at the end of America? Yes. But I'm not going to hang myself over it, like some others on this board. Updated On: 5/24/09 at 12:28 PM