Lin-Manuel to do "WEST SIDE Olé Olé" Translating

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 9:41pm

Per New York Magazine's interesting interview with Sondheim (from the Theater Season preview):

"Plus, there’s more Sondheim on the way, most prominently a Broadway revival of West Side Story that will feature Spanish-language dialogue and lyrics. (“West Side olé olé,” he says drily, when I bring it up. He thinks it’s “a great idea,” and says Lin-Manuel Miranda, of In the Heights, is in line to translate his lyrics.)"

http://nymag.com/guides/fallpreview/2008/theater/49532/

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 10:13pm

Wait. Lin is really translating the lyrics?

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 10:18pm

"Ole'" is a Spanish (from Spain) expression. As in "...ole' toro!"

The hispanics in WEST SIDE STORY are Puerto Rican -- from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. They don't say "ole" or "arriba" or "viva".

Oy! What a clueless idiot. Alas, IN THE HEIGHTS is about Dominicans.

'Nuff said.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 10:23pm

Sondheim has him in line.
or on line.
and "O lay"
takes on a new meaning.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 10:28pm

This is interesting.

I thought Lin-Manuel Miranda was anti-WSS because of the negative portrayals the show gives of Latinos.

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 10:28pm

I'll admit, that olé comment rubbed me the wrong way. Sondheim should really know better :/

Oh, and Heights isn't just about Dominicans. It's Dominicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans. I've heard from some Dominican friends that it isn't Dominican enough for a show set in Washington Heights. A lot of the iconography is distinctly Puerto Rican.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 10:36pm

You all forget that 95% of the white American public considers "Mexican" to be slang for anyone Dominican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or South American. Our country could care less about Miranda's ethnicity not matching that of WSS.
Updated On: 8/25/08 at 10:36 PM

[My Oh My]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 11:28pm

"Ole'" is a Spanish (from Spain) expression. As in "...ole' toro!"

The hispanics in WEST SIDE STORY are Puerto Rican -- from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. They don't say "ole" or "arriba" or "viva".

Oy! What a clueless idiot. Alas, IN THE HEIGHTS is about Dominicans.

'Nuff said."

This is precisely why the "Ole!" ending of "America" has always bothered me. Not to mention the very distinct Mexican mariachi style of the music and orchestrations.

And when I try to explain to people why it bugs me, they usually have no clue as to what I'm talking about. To most people, "Mexican" is indeed synonymous with "Cuban, South American, Spanish," and "PR." Such ignorance. Ugh.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 11:34pm

In Gypsy he has Rose sing "amigos". It's all artistic license.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 11:38pm

Well, the show was written in the 1950's, when ignorance was even more common than it is now.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 11:48pm

igorance is always common. very good point.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/26/08 at 12:08am

Yeah, I was going to say that Nina's parents are Puerto Rican.

Isn't Lin himself Puerto Rican? Or is he actually Dominican? I remember that he mentioned Puerto Rico in his Tony speech.

Updated On: 8/26/08 at 12:08 AM

[alfgiotir]

Posted: 8/26/08 at 12:31am

he is puertorican (boricua)

[je veux te voir2]

Posted: 8/26/08 at 1:52am

yes well, Sondheim has never been one to show actual cultural understanding in his shows of my fellow Latinos.

West Side Story has always been a hot button issue for me...

[TooDarnHot]

Posted: 8/26/08 at 1:55am

well DON'T push it then!






something about Lin rubs me the wrong way... perhaps it's just the cult following that is developing for him, specifically

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/26/08 at 3:03am

TooDarnHot:

People like to feel represented.

Latinos were not fairly represented on Broadway until Lin-Manuel Miranda came along.

So it's no wonder that people are cheering his presence and his work in the Broadway community.

What about that is so difficult to understand?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/26/08 at 3:12am

To be fair, I believe Lin-Manuel Miranda has gone on record saying that he thinks WEST SIDE STORY is a brilliantly-written piece (or something to that effect) but that at the same time he feels it does very little to change any sort of pre-conceived notions that people may have about Latinos.
I love that he keeps getting hired for all these projects. First, WORKING, now WEST SIDE STORY. That's fantastic.

He briefly mentions the show in this Broadway.com interview

What do you think when you hear this show being hailed as the first truly Latino Broadway musical?

I think it's an honor. I think the writers of Zoot Suit were Latino, but I didn't know about that when I was a kid. I knew about West Side Story, which I loved and I think is a masterpiece. Then there was Capeman my senior year in high school. I saw it three times in previews, and it broke my heart because I think Paul Simon's music was really gorgeous.
Bway.com Q&A

[Byron Abens]

Posted: 8/26/08 at 3:16am

I have to agree with him on the score to The Cape Man. I was thrilled when it was released on iTunes, and have fallen in love with it.