PalJoey Sees His Beloved West Side Story — Page 2

Why blame the cast? Blame the casting. They're all talented performers.

I agree with you totally that any opportunity to see West Side Story onstage with a full orchestra should be taken. It is one of those theater pieces that enriches the soul.

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Updated On: 3/6/09 at 09:46 AM

I agree, Pal Joey, with your basic problems with the show. I saw it this Saturday night. Along with the sets and Karen Olivo, a reason to see the show is that 30 piece orchestra. Rarely will we get to hear the great score presented live with that full sound you get with all these musicians.

As the clueless Lena Lamont says after previewing The Dueling Cavalier, "I liked it."

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PJ.. I am curious.. everything I have heard about this revival from people I know and trust ( including you) has been negative. So why do you think that despite this being a crappy production it will succeed?

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Joey,

I am very sad to hear that none of the things you mention -- which were problems with the show its very first week in DC -- have been changed. Arthur's hubris is clearly doing him in.

You didn't mention the ending, which was the capper of awful for me.

"So why do you think that despite this being a crappy production it will succeed?"

I know this question wasn't directed at me but I wanted to share my thoughts on why the show should have a decent run despite the flaws.

For starters it's West Side Story. The name itself is it's biggest selling point. People who aren't even that into musical theatre love the film. I've stated before that when I was about 13 years old all of my friends had the movie and the film soundtrack. And I'm sure they weren't the only ones. I'm sure many of the posters here can name people who don't really care for musical theatre but love West Side Story.

To take this point further many of the people who love WSS probabaly have never seen it on stage. I was a year old the last time this show was on Broadway and DC was my first opportunity to see it on stage. And I think it's the same for many other people in my age group. The chance to see a beloved film on stage will bring them in.

Then there are the school groups. WSS is often discussed when teaching Romeo & Juliet. A trip to see WSS on Broadway is the perfect capstone to a Shakespeare unit.

Finally, many of the tourists who see the name "West Side Story" and recognize it are not as picky as we are. They're, most likely, not going to notice that the skirts of the Jet girls are not from the correct era. Or many of the other points that myself and other posters have mentioned. As a goup we've studied dance, theatre, music, etc. But not everyone has and they just might not notice.

As Terrance Mann said in Field of Dreams "People will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."

>edited to fix a few typos<

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Updated On: 3/6/09 at 12:04 PM

An open letter, addressed in the nicest of mean ways possible to a once-great dramatist:

Arthur... babe... it's over. You're done. The only show you ever did well was "Gypsy." There's a reason that "Anyone Can Whistle" only lasted nine performances, and it's because the director and the author were the same person. Objective staging was impossible. "Gypsy" was a fluke, because it's a transparent piece--anyone can stage that the right way with the choreography already in place (Robbins' copyright, unless I'm wrong).

Go to London and work on "Gypsy," which is apparently transferring. And tell the producers of this sorry-ass production to call in Alan Johnson or some other first-string Robbins re-stager and at least raise the level of quality of direction and choreography. Because hon, you failed. You didn't want another ****ty WSS, and you created a new and even ****tier WSS.

Go home, Arthur. Just... go home.

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I have no axe to grind against Arthur Laurents. I loved Gypsy. I think he's a genius. And I love the fact that he's still working.

That said, he is responsible for the many flaws in this production: the casting, the edits, the directorial choices - they're all his decisions, and they're all wrong.

The one thing I don't get is the lack of energy. I saw it the night that Chita was there, and the dancers still seemed to be phoning it in. What's up with that?

Did anyone really think Laurents was going to make any major changes after Washington?
That means having to admit you were wrong.
The idea of using less Spanish must have been like pulling teeth.

Just curious- How did Officer Krupke work? To me it's the bookend to Gotta Get a Gimick, almost foolproof but it seems Laurents has acheived now levels of foolishness/senility.

Wasn't that his intention? I'm not saying it's the right choice, but I thought I read something about Krupke not being funny in his vision.

It's another one of his misguided directorial notions.

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Another change: Laurents has re-framed "Gee, Officer Krupke," a hilarious vaudeville number in the original. In this grittier West Side Story, after two of their friends are killed, the Jets' taunting song sounds darker.

"I don't know how funny it is, and I don't care," Laurents says. "It's another expression of the kids who understand what society thinks of them."

A 'West Side Story' With A Different Accent

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Updated On: 3/6/09 at 03:58 PM