#1
Posted: 7/26/09 at 5:37pm
I made the trip from Boston to Manhattan yesterday, and took in both '9 to 5' and 'West Side Story'. Having scored Front Mezz AA center seats (or first row of the mezz) I was excited to finally see what WSS had to offer, and especially to see the performance that garnered KO the only Tony for the show.
I received my Playbill and the first thing I see is a printed sheet of tonight's cast. Josefina was out, which upon inspection of the broadwayunderstudies site she is out from July21-Aug2. Fine. But why was Karen Olivo out??
After seeing many rumblings on this board about her absences, I kind of expected it. Yet with a show that only opened roughly four months ago, a show that arguably only has three major leads that are on stage for both acts (Tony, Maria and Anita), and a show that she won a Tony for - you would think she would exhibit a little bit more professionalism, work ethic, and respect for her cast mates and the opportunity of starring in a Broadway show - especially one that is a 'hit' in the grosses and doesnt seem to be going anywhere soon.
Upon exiting The Palace I ran into a friend who informed me that she had seen KO that very night, walking the streets with a "man" - presumably her husband. It just really baffles me. Obviously, she wasn't ill. Frankly, I'm tired of the 'ill' excuse, it's not as if a Broadway performer has never gone on while being ill. If she had the night off, that's fine but I criticize whoever allowed it since Josefina was out as well on vacation. And I really don't want to hear that performing on Broadway is demanding, because if anyone worked a regular 9 to 5
and missed that many days of work they would be fired. Sure Broadway is a whole different monster, but I believe performing 8 shows a week is not what makes one sick, it's what one does in the hours of not being on stage, it's how one takes care of themselves, one's diet and exercise and frankly, one's technique. Proper technique, vocally and dancing (along with warm-ups) should minimize illness significantly. Yes, there are demanding roles but it's a matter of getting the right people to fill them. Ultimately, it's what you sign up for, you understand the demands of the job, and if you cant live up to those set expectations, you're not a proper fit for the role.
I'm sure she had her "reasons", but what is the point of winning a Tony award if no one can see your performance. If I remember correctly, Patti LuPone missed only three performances of her almost year-long run of Gypsy, YES she was the star, YES she was making big bucks - but regardless of how much money you make, or how prominent your role is - you should still GO TO WORK.
Anyway, KO's understudy Yanira was phenomenal in my opinion. She received hands down the loudest applause of any one, more than Matt and Haley, and I feel that KO lucked out with the role of Anita, as it's perhaps not so much her individual performance that bestowed her a Tony, but rather the strength of the Anita character made it an easier win. I give the show 2.5/5 stars. There are beautiful sequences in the "Dance at the Gym", "America" as well as "Somewhere". "Un Hombre Asi/I Have a Love" really benefits from the Spanish translation and is quite a powerful scene, whereas "Me Siento Hermosa" falls flat. Scenes with Tony and Maria feel dragged out, boring and never ending. And any scene with the Jets, including "Cool", "Gee, Officer Krupee", and "Jet Song" feel like complete throwaways and I didn't feel were shining or even interesting moments in the overall piece. Also WSS requires a bit of suspension of belief, in that it's difficult to believe two strangers would fall madly in love and want to get MARRIED so quickly after meeting one another. Perhaps it's a beautiful message of love at first sight, but 60 years later I think Americans are far more cynical to ever believe any of it.
Go to see 9to5 instead, it's fun, funny, greater production value, stronger performances and overall more bang for your buck - and you have a much greater chance of seeing all the leads than you would across the street at the Palace.
I received my Playbill and the first thing I see is a printed sheet of tonight's cast. Josefina was out, which upon inspection of the broadwayunderstudies site she is out from July21-Aug2. Fine. But why was Karen Olivo out??
After seeing many rumblings on this board about her absences, I kind of expected it. Yet with a show that only opened roughly four months ago, a show that arguably only has three major leads that are on stage for both acts (Tony, Maria and Anita), and a show that she won a Tony for - you would think she would exhibit a little bit more professionalism, work ethic, and respect for her cast mates and the opportunity of starring in a Broadway show - especially one that is a 'hit' in the grosses and doesnt seem to be going anywhere soon.
Upon exiting The Palace I ran into a friend who informed me that she had seen KO that very night, walking the streets with a "man" - presumably her husband. It just really baffles me. Obviously, she wasn't ill. Frankly, I'm tired of the 'ill' excuse, it's not as if a Broadway performer has never gone on while being ill. If she had the night off, that's fine but I criticize whoever allowed it since Josefina was out as well on vacation. And I really don't want to hear that performing on Broadway is demanding, because if anyone worked a regular 9 to 5
and missed that many days of work they would be fired. Sure Broadway is a whole different monster, but I believe performing 8 shows a week is not what makes one sick, it's what one does in the hours of not being on stage, it's how one takes care of themselves, one's diet and exercise and frankly, one's technique. Proper technique, vocally and dancing (along with warm-ups) should minimize illness significantly. Yes, there are demanding roles but it's a matter of getting the right people to fill them. Ultimately, it's what you sign up for, you understand the demands of the job, and if you cant live up to those set expectations, you're not a proper fit for the role. I'm sure she had her "reasons", but what is the point of winning a Tony award if no one can see your performance. If I remember correctly, Patti LuPone missed only three performances of her almost year-long run of Gypsy, YES she was the star, YES she was making big bucks - but regardless of how much money you make, or how prominent your role is - you should still GO TO WORK.
Anyway, KO's understudy Yanira was phenomenal in my opinion. She received hands down the loudest applause of any one, more than Matt and Haley, and I feel that KO lucked out with the role of Anita, as it's perhaps not so much her individual performance that bestowed her a Tony, but rather the strength of the Anita character made it an easier win. I give the show 2.5/5 stars. There are beautiful sequences in the "Dance at the Gym", "America" as well as "Somewhere". "Un Hombre Asi/I Have a Love" really benefits from the Spanish translation and is quite a powerful scene, whereas "Me Siento Hermosa" falls flat. Scenes with Tony and Maria feel dragged out, boring and never ending. And any scene with the Jets, including "Cool", "Gee, Officer Krupee", and "Jet Song" feel like complete throwaways and I didn't feel were shining or even interesting moments in the overall piece. Also WSS requires a bit of suspension of belief, in that it's difficult to believe two strangers would fall madly in love and want to get MARRIED so quickly after meeting one another. Perhaps it's a beautiful message of love at first sight, but 60 years later I think Americans are far more cynical to ever believe any of it.
Go to see 9to5 instead, it's fun, funny, greater production value, stronger performances and overall more bang for your buck - and you have a much greater chance of seeing all the leads than you would across the street at the Palace.
Updated On: 7/26/09 at 05:37 PM
.jpg?format=auto&width=300)
