Dance numbers that sound great on CD but disappoint onstage- Page 4

[justoldbill]

Posted: 7/26/12 at 10:30pm

No-thank-you, oo, oobiley-oo.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/26/12 at 10:38pm

To which two girls cringingly must reply

"And you can punc-tu-ate it: OOOO-OOOOH!"

Timeless slang?

This is why of the four creators of West Side Story, three will be remembered as geniuses. The fourth is Arthur Laurents.

Updated On: 7/27/12 at 10:38 PM

[After Eight]

Posted: 7/26/12 at 10:52pm

"It's phrases like "frabba-jabba" and "daddy-o" and "gassin', crabbin'" and "cracko-jacko" that make the Jets hard to take as a gang--not the dance steps they do. "

It's both. As well as the lyrics they sing.

[justoldbill]

Posted: 7/26/12 at 10:55pm

I AND VELMA AIN'T DUMB!

Keep cooly-cool, boy.

Updated On: 7/26/12 at 10:55 PM

[jv92]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 2:09pm

I've always thought Arthur Laurents had it in for the other three because he wasn't a genius. A good craftsmen, a talented writer, but not a genius.

And dear BWW friends, can we please get After Eight into a nursing home or something? He obviously hasn't seen a good musical since NO, NO NANNETTE, and I'm not talking about the 70s revival. In all seriousness, you're a miserable old fart and no one takes you seriously. Not even Jerry Herman.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 2:45pm

Back to the subject at hand...the mention about tempos for dance numbers being sped up for recordings really rang true to me the first time, and every time since then, I saw Rich Man's Frug from Sweet Charity performed. Love the Fosse choreography, but it can be a real let-down if you've only been exposed to the OBC.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 5:37pm

You're right that musically it is far more exciting on CD, but I admit that's one of my top dance routines of all time so, as long as not choreographed by Wayne Cilento, I can't personally agree. As mixed a show as Fosse was, it was worth it for me to see the Frug live.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 7:43pm

PalJoey, I did NOT mean to defend Arthur Laurents here. I wouldn't dare!

I only meant that the problems with strict, up-to-the-minute naturalism--even with a story that seemed "ripped from the headlines"--were being discussed among the creative team. That discussion may not have been the cause of Bernstein's choices, but it shouldn't have deterred him, at least.

(My own dirty secret: WSS isn't a particular favorite of mine; though I admit I got to watch your revival from the SM's station and Robbins' staging took my breath away. But the point is my expectations for the show as a whole aren't so high that Laurents' dialogue bothers me. This is by no means to say you are wrong.)

Updated On: 7/27/12 at 07:43 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 9:01pm

One thing about the dialogue is I know many people from my generation at least--maybe older, who when they discovered the show as teenagers thought most of that silly slang WAS just out of date 1950s slang...

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 10:24pm

Makes perfect, if ironic, sense, Eric. What else would you think?

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 10:59pm

Right, but it does kinda backfried Laurents' plan of having a sort of almost timeless or universal slang andyet it arguably sounds more dated than legit 50s slang would now.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/28/12 at 2:59am

I suspect Laurents was thinking "second year of the Broadway run", not "55 years from now". But, honestly, I haven't read anything beyond the bare idea, so I can't know for sure.

To me, the entire reality is heightened: if we're going to get technical about it, the fake slang is no more "artificial" than the second-act ballet. I just accept the dialogue as part of the world of the musical play.

(When I said above that WSS isn't a favorite, I meant only in terms of my subjective taste. I certainly recognize the show's achievement.)