PalJoey Sees His Beloved West Side Story- Page 2

[East Village]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 9:25am

Well I think a lot new has been brought to this revival. It was extremely fresh to experience the show without all the standard WSS posturing, cheap costumes and cheesy accents that come dangerously close to rendering it camp museum piece. There's a lot of reasons to breath some new life into WSS even though some folks just don't want it touched with.

Sadly this cast falls short of letting this production become a revelation. Nor does anything seem to be happening during previews to put the drama and passion back in.

That said, I still contend there's hell of a lot more reasons to be excited about this production than rushing out to see the rest of the crap that's out there. I don't suggest crossing it off your list.
Updated On: 3/6/09 at 09:25 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 9:46am

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.

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

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 10:06am

PalJoey, thanks for the review. I was really curious as what you were going to think. You reiterated a lot of what I said when I saw this production in DC. The exception though was that I liked Matt Cavenaugh. Then again, is the National Theatre a small house?

The one person you left out was Kiddo. What did you think?

[GottaHaveAGimmick]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 10:18am

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.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 10:28am

Kiddo is just another failed directorial notion, part of the regrettable dismantling of the Somewhere ballet.

That ballet is in many ways the pinnacle of the collaborative works of two geniuses--Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins--a collaboration that began so brilliantly with Fancy Free in 1944 and ended not so brilliantly with The Dybbuk.

It's a shame that audiences don't get to see Lenny and Jerry's beautiful vision. It's one of the great achievements of American musical theater.

Updated On: 3/6/09 at 10:28 AM

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 11:01am

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

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 11:05am

"What an amazing year, one in which we seem to have screwed up "West Side Story", "Pal Joey" AND "Guys and Dolls" through bad casting and indifferent direction."

WOW! It is hard to believe.

[DAME]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 11:06am

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?

[singtopher]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 11:22am

And where in New York is there ever a fire escape that big?

Or that nice. It looked like Maria lived on Park Ave. The only sets I liked were the rumble and the basement (which is only there for 2 seconds)

My overall assessment was it was good. Just good.

[philcrosby]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 11:38am

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.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 11:57am

I couldn't bear to comment on the loss of Jerome Robbins's final tableau, in which the kids from both gangs were surprised by their own sudden compassion and loss of racial prejudice in the face of the third death.

For Arthur to have junked this and replaced it with some meaningless business involving a black veil demonstrates that he just doesn't get it.

After 50 years, Arthur Laurents still doesn't understand what was genius about Jerry Robbins's staging.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 12:04pm

"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<

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

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 12:19pm

Exactly. Plus the use of the Spanish was designed to draw in certain percentage of the In the Heights audience. That will still happen, whether we think it makes sense or not.

[gvendo2005]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 12:37pm

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.

[A Director]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 1:40pm

On the WSS show site there are pictures and bios of the cast. On the Creative Team section, there are bios and pictures of Arthur, Leonard and Stephen. There is a bio for Jerome Robbins; there is NO picture. How difficult is it to find a picture of Robbins? Very telling!

[marknyc]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 1:53pm

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?

[Tom's Cat]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 2:23pm

I understand that they never corrected the jet girls costumes, but what about their wigs? Those hair styles came right out of the 60's. (I know - I was there.) I guess if they didn't bother correcting the costumes they probably didn't bother with the hair either?

Updated On: 3/6/09 at 02:23 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 2:25pm

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.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 2:57pm

"Exactly. Plus the use of the Spanish was designed to draw in certain percentage of the In the Heights audience. That will still happen, whether we think it makes sense or not."

I think the Spanish could be both a selling point and a detractor. I've spoken to people who think the Spanish is amazing and those who plan on staying away from the show because of it. Say what you will about either group but both groups do exist.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 3:37pm

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.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 3:39pm

Sabrelady, that number lacked the humor for me. It seemed very pedestrian. There was not a laugh to be had.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 3:50pm

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.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 3:56pm

In the film it's a more humerous number because it's just a bunch of kids goofing off. But with its placement in the show it loses the humor because now it's a bunch of immature kids who don't know how to properly handle what just happened to them emotionally. It's not a funny number.

Updated On: 3/6/09 at 03:56 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 3:58pm

It's another one of his misguided directorial notions.

===

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

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

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 4:02pm

I saw the show at the invited dress and A-Rab's pants were all the way down around his ankles. It's a shame if they've changed that since. It was a very effective touch.

I agree. I hope Arthur considers bringing that back. It made the scene even more frightening.