I Saw West Side Story Today And Hated it- Page 2

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 8:33am

The intermission is always after the Rumble, not the Quintet.

WSS is famous for being the musical to have the first-act curtain come down on two dead bodies.

[Hahabimbi]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 8:44am

hm, interesting. I always thought it was perfect after Quintet with all the anticipation to hold you over the intermission.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 8:48am

No.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 8:51am

It's great after the deaths. That way you get that iconic closing tableau, and then open the second act on the other side of the spectrum: the purposely cheery "I Feel Pretty".

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 10:28am

To the op: I certainly SAID you were entitled to your opinion and only speculated on identity.


And yes about WHERE the intermission is: unless this production changed it.

While I still am holding out hope on this one, I am looking less forward to seeing it.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 11:10am

dramamama I actually thought the same thing. Two posters join BWW and immediatly both post over-the-top negative reviews. Yeah, that doesn't look suspect in the least.

If she is a real person and not a sock puppet, I wonder if Amy5 was listening to the opinion of the woman in line at the ladies room who said Josefina wasn't as good as Julie Andrews. Or if she was that woman.

Updated On: 3/8/09 at 11:10 AM

[hmpeterson]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 12:44pm

I find it interesting when people say Karen dances the part fine. Anita's dancing is not supposed to "fine." She is supposed to knock you socks off. She should stand out from everyone else and it sounds like Karen doesn't. Anita needs to be a triple threat but her biggest strength should be her dancing.

[Hank]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 12:44pm

I'm glad you at least liked Karen Olivo. There's a nice article about her in today's Star Ledger. I see that she's from my hometown of Keyport, NJ.
As for all those people complaining about the Spanish, haven't they done any research about this production before buying tickets?
I'd like to see this show, but I'm still holing out for discount codes. I just don't feel like paying over $130 to see anything these days, except maybe Billy Elliot.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 3:42pm

I guess I don't have a problem with Anita NOT being the best dancer. I don't think there is anything contextual that leads to that as a necessity. Just because fab dancers (and Olivio is not a BAD dancer) have previously held the role and they could capitolize on it doesn't (IMHO) make it a requirement.

I'm SURE that the thousands of regional and amateur productions that turned out wonderful productions didn't always have an Anita that was a fabulous dancer.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 3:49pm

I personally loved it and thought that the added Spanish made the entire production so much more meaningful. Obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion, but no Tonys? Unless Hair is a smash hit beyond belief, West Side Story HAS to win Best Revival. It's competition is Stockard's warbling in Pal Joey and the shameful mock-production at the Nederlander. I think WSS wins by default, regardless of your feelings towards it.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 4:06pm

If this was a brilliant, flawless production, I would have an issue with Anita not being the best dancer in the group. But the point of my post was to say that there are a hell of a lot more issues that this show has to deal with before they worry about Olivo's good but not great dancing.

[TheCharleston]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 4:11pm

Olivo needs to be flawless with her dancing, like Allen and Rivera.

She's far from that and it's rather distracting for me..

[massofmen]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 5:22pm

is it possible to be flawless as a dancer? Nothing is flawless, like how there is no perfect musical. Remember on your other post when you said perfect musical doesn't exist? Maybe you should use another word since no one has ever or will ever be flawless.
Your post makes no sense.

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 5:37pm

I think the longer Olivio does it, the more it will become part of her body, and the better she will become. It's probably just a matter of getting the choreography into her body. Not a big issue, me thinks.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 5:41pm

Beltingbaritone, I thought the same thing about Karen, but I don't think that will ever be. She has the legs, but is missing the extension. You either have that, or you don't. In this case, she doesn't.

[wirepaladin]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 6:44pm

Here's my review of Friday night's performance. While I was bashed on another board for it, upon reflection I stand by every word. I want to make clear that it is intended to be honest and is by no means an exercise in snarkiness. As has been pointed out to me, some of the actors have an array of credits, however, those are the exception and not the rule.

I really wanted to like this show and arrived at the Palace last night with great anticipation in seeing a full scale revival of an American Classic. Perhaps, it is a case of you just can't go there again. Or maybe the show for all of its past glory just does not withstand the test of time. However, the show's story line of racial tension remains relevant and despite the dated slang should have been presented with the reverence that this turning point in American Theater deserved.

Frankly, I have no idea what the producers were thinking of when they put together this ill conceived, run of the mill production; one whose cast is weak, sound is poor (or was it the lack of enunciation and emotion in delivering the dialog and lyrics), staging pedestrian. . . Well you're getting the idea. The show never builds any momentum. There is not a single show stopping moment. The is no tension between the Jets and the Sharks. I dare say in a show in which the star is machismo, there was just no testosterone! The addition of Spanish to the dialog and lyrics while well intentioned misses the mark. Perhaps the same end could have been reached by putting actors in place that were capable of projecting a Latin air.

It's not that the performers were not trying! And I applaud then and every other actor that takes the stage and puts themselves out there for critical review. However, much of the cast is miscast. While everyone needs to start somewhere, there was not a single member of the cast that had any real Broadway experience and it showed.

When Robbins originally choreographed this show it was with a maddening devotion to precision, however, this group could not even coordinate their finger snapping highlight. There was just no punctuation or emotion in the delivery of dialog, orchestration, song or dance. In a word, this show is lazy. But then again it was a preview and perhaps the best is held back until the show's doors officially open!

There were some moments. . . though they were few and far between. The dancing had a few intermittent performances that separated this production from being characterized as a great high school rendition.

I will say in this day and age where money is dear that spending the face value for a ticket is a pure waste of your cultural budget and the producer's bankbook. In fact, I might say that if this was an angel's way of showcasing a favored performer than it missed its mark as there is not a single performance worthy of such an investment.

I trust that this production did not live up to its responsibility to future generations as this will likely close quickly, and deprive a whole new generation of the magic of this masterpiece, relegating it to mothballs on account of what will likely be a pitiful box office that will be attributed to the times or the integrity of the book and lyrics.

Refunds are due to the audience and apologies to Messrs. Bernstein, Sondheim and Robbins.

[RumTumTugger22]

Posted: 3/8/09 at 7:38pm

I just wanna throw in my two cents about Cavenaugh, since he's been getting a lot of flack lately. Matt Cavenaugh is a phenominal Tony. Vocally he is superb, and he's one of the best actors on Broadway. I'm not knocking Josephina, at all, she is superb as well. But I can't help asking myself, why cast them opposite each other? If that much younger than him, and looks that much older, why cast them opposite each other? ya know what i mean?

[ewhct]

Posted: 3/9/09 at 12:02am

I can't put it better! Not the worst High School play I've ever seen (I have 7 grandchildren, so I qualify as an expert on High School plays), but certainly the most expensive one!

We were very disappointed with the ineptness of the production and left at the intermission (a first for us).

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/9/09 at 12:06am

Is someone recruiting all of these people to post negative reviews/comments? It's pretty fishy.

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 3/9/09 at 12:09am

I still think people are being overly critical of the revival. I think people wanted to hate it because of the changes they heard that were going to be made before actually seeing it, so, going into it they wanted to hate it, and so, they did hate it. And now people think they should hate it since one or two of the respectable posters hate it.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/9/09 at 12:09am

I'm suspicious as well.

[bwayboy976]

Posted: 3/9/09 at 12:12am

why do you say that? because they disagree with you?

or because they join the day they post their reviews?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/9/09 at 12:16am

No--they "agree" with me--I'm one of the "respectable" people pianolin refers to.

I'm suspicious because they join the day they post their reviews and their "reviews" sound like badly written dialogue.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/9/09 at 12:21am

I'm suspicious because they join the day they post their reviews and their "reviews" sound like badly written dialogue.

- Exactly.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/9/09 at 12:44am

EDITED for lack of good skimming skills. Thanks for the correction, Ljay.

Updated On: 3/9/09 at 12:44 AM