Hmm, could you give me the source for that quote? I either must have missed it or it must have come out before I saw the show, because I know if I saw it after, I would respond.
Granted, more Bernstein than Robbins is in the production because of the work of his kids to keep it intact. As has been discussed before, the only reason they couldn't stop the nightmare from being cut was because Bernstein already okayed it for Jerome Robbins' Broadway. And, you know, thank god for the full orchestra and what-not. But I still think he would be rolling to hear Cavenaugh sing, and the terrible tempo re-design of Krupke.
"I suspect that Sondheim made that remark because of the decision to use Bernstein's original scoring as well as skipping the overture (which was added during the original production over Bernstein's objections)"
I'm not positive about this, but I think the story goes that when the show made its premiere, it had no overture. Bernstein wrote it but they decided to do without it. I think when the NY version closed, and it started touring, and went back to Broadway, I think somewhere in there the overture might have been put back in...actually, there's some part of my brain remembering reading something about they put it back because the movie had an overture and people were so familiar with that. Hmm, no idea if my brain's making that up. I know Bernstein initially hated the movie orchestrations, and I think he preferred the show without the overture, but I don't remember him being really pissed about that...wow, I say that as if I was there. Rephrase: I don't remember reading that he was pissed.
"who could probably do the ORIGINAL Anita choreography for the Mambo and America in his sleep"
I'm suddenly having not-so-great images of a male Anita in WSS...
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli
