Greene Replaces Green in WEST SIDE STORY — Page 3

Who was on as Anita?

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Oh god, I feel so bad for anyone there to witness that train wreck.

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11 understudies is disgraceful, not even worthy to be on Broadway IMHO.

Understudies are a smart, useful resources, but 11 is an abuse.

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This show does not need to be on Broadway. It needs to be in a high school...

From what I hear, none of the Anita understudies seem to be up to the task.

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how did i know someone was going to post that it isn't worth $125 any night...i have paid full price (for orch and mezz) four times and it was worth every dime I paid (in my opinion). luckily, i didn't pay the fifth time i saw it (when karen was out).

I attended the performance tonight (8/5) with upwards of 10 understudies. I've actually never seen so many absences at any show I've ever been to. There weren't so much understudy slips as one cast list inserted into the playbills that listed the cast "at this performance". I've never seen this production, or any professional production for that matter, of West Side Story and must say that I was pleasantly surprised, especially with the amount of understudies in the show.

In regards to Matt Cavenaugh as Tony, I sadly have to agree with many in that I wasn't wild about him. I think he was good enough to get the job done, but he certainly wasn't the standout that the person cast in the part should be. His voice and acting could have and should have been much stronger.

I must say that none of the understudies really disappointed me. Haley Carlucci was on for Maria and I thought she was stunning. Sang it beautifully and really acted the part well. Can't imagine Josefina being much better than her. I thought Yanira Marin was a great Anita. If I couldn't see Karen Olivo for whatever reason, I was happy to see her. Manuel Herrera was on for Bernardo and also did a fine job.

And getting back to the main talk of the thread, John Arthur Greene was in as Riff and did very well. Was excited to find out I was one of the first to see him.

husk: $125 x 2 = $250 (NYC) and $100 x 2 = $200 (DC). Total spent on WSS tickets so far = $450. Worth every penny.

dramageek, you are definitely one of the first to see Greene as Riff during his regular run in the show, but as adamgreer had pointed out, Greene has been going on for Green for months now - I saw him back on June 9th and thought he was excellent.

$450 still equals more than I make most months.

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One of the reasons Cody got the axe.

What are the others?

$450 still equals more than I make most months.

You need a new job!

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I guess Arthur is getting serious about the lack of people showing up.

Yanira is actually a great dancer, a lot better than Karen.

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Wow, am I glad I found this thread. I saw WSS last night (Aug. 4) and hated it. There were 16 understudies in that night and not one of them was worth the price of a bargain matinee movie ticket at at $2.00 theatre. The U/S for Anita screeched her way through "A Boy Like That." She could neither sing nor dance. And as for Matt Cavanaugh, I don't know what show he was doing, but it certainly wasn't WSS. His line delivery made me think he thought he was playing a villain in some cheap melodrama. His singing was nasal and over-the-top. Did Laurents actually stage this show so that characters would walk out, stop center stage and sing out to the audience, rather than in character? I, and several others like me, wanted my money back, but to no avail. This production was an outrageous rip off. I've really seen better high school productions of this show.