RIP Arthur Laurents- Page 6

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/12/11 at 4:14pm

Somehow what you just said is infinitely less icky than what he said.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/12/11 at 4:19pm

Why thank you. That's the nicest thing I've heard all day.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 4:32pm

Just finished rereading ORIGINAL STORY BY in honor of Arthur's passing. Trying to match up everyone's bitter recollections with the ones I have from my days around Arthur on the original La Cage company. On that show we had 3 huge talents from 3 different generations all demanding attention: Arthur in his 60's, Jerry in his 50's, and Harvey in his 30's (definitely lowest man on the totem pole). Thank god for Jerry Herman-- a consummate gentleman throughout. Of course Arthur was the one with the microphone sitting mid-house. Whatever cruel bitter critique popped into his head was broadcast for all to hear. It seemed at the time he was a guy with a huge ego and no id, no censor. It was almost as if he had a bitchy reputation he was honor-bound to live up to. Guess a scared little man lived deep inside that intimidating shell. Somehow you always want to read that he finally came to terms with his demons-- now we'll never really know.

Also wondering if anyone found Arthur's last book, MAINLY ON DIRECTING any good, either about his life or his work? That Arthur legacy goes on and on...

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 11:32pm

It's the same, just more.

Were you there the day Harvey described in the Times? When Arthur had the whole cast stand up and turn their backs on Harvey?

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 10:10am

In the Reidel article he wrote about Laurents:

Not only did he write "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," they were his ideas.

I don't know whose idea it was to turn Gypsy Rose Lee's memoirs into a stage musical, but everything I have ever read or saw regarding "West Side Story" credits the idea to Jerome Robbins.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 10:58am

I remember reading that Robbins had the idea to update Romeo and Juliet and got the foursome together, but originally they wanted to make it about Jews and Catholics in Brooklyn. It was Laurents's idea to do American and Puerto Rican gangs in Manhattan, inspired by news stories about juvenile gangs.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 11:04am

It was NOT Arthur's idea to turn Gypsy's memoir into a musical.

It was David Merrick's idea. He read the excerpt of Gypsy's autobiography in Harper's magazine shortly before publication. The book was an instant New York Times bestseller, and Jerome Robbins became interested, seeing Gypsy's story as a way to tell the story of how vaudeville degenerated into burlesque and how Gypsy became a star turning it into a sort of art form.

Merrick and Robbins went to Arthur, who said he had no interest in writing a musical about a stripper and even less interest in providing a book to a Jerry Robbins cavalcade of cheap vaudeville and tacky burlesque numbers.

What WAS Arthur's idea--and it was a brilliant one--was to make the musical about Rose instead of Gypsy, so it would be a mother-daughter drama and not just another showbiz saga.

What followed were two years of arguments between Arthur and Jerry about the book scenes versus the vaudeville numbers. On West Side, Jerry had won when it came to the dances. On Gypsy, Arthur won, but Jerry still got his Jerome Robbins box.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 11:06am

It's of course very sad, but I know people who worked with him, and by all accounts he was a nasty man. Rude and arrogant .. No matter what he contributed to musical theatre history, look at Sondheim.. A genius and a delightful man. Laurents could have been a bit more like him.

[jv92]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 11:52am

I just think it's a shame that Laurents alienated all of his old friends, but again, after reading some remembrances, I suppose he deserved it.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 3:15pm

@ pj, Nope, I wasn't in the rehearsal hall the day you mention but Arthur consistently took every opportunity to belittle Harvey from first day of rehearsal through the whole tryout in Boston till last preview in New York. I never understood why Arthur didn't write the libretto himself, frankly, for as little value as he put in Harvey's words. It's a shame because, whatever glories La Cage may or may not have to offer, the book as written is certainly NOT one of them. And worse, you can hear Arthur's trashy interpolations in practically every bit of backstage chitchat the Cagelles are obliged to say. Had Harvey not had to contend with Arthur, OR had Arthur not had to contend with Harvey, I suspect the libretto would have been considerably better.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 3:28pm

Very simply, Arthur was jealous of Harvey.

It was one of Arthur's pettiest failings: that he was so insecure, he could only be mean spirited and competitive with his collaborators. Never gracious. Never proud.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 3:56pm

@pj, since I'm a little new to this board, I may be covering old news here, but are there particular shows you were a part of where you got to see Arthur operate first hand?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 6:16pm

There are some stories that can only be told over cocktails.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 10:44pm

damn! too tempting to pass up but sadly here I am on the west coast. If you care to, email me at [e-mail]. All ears.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 12:54am

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/16/11 at 12:59am

Nice try, Chewy. (And pretty colors!)

But they have to be potable.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 12:33am

Arthur's last interview?

http://www.courant.com/entertainment/arts/hc-west-side-story-laurents-0522-20110522,0,4115951.story

[jv92]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 12:50am

Well, I guess he never saved my letters. I've saved his though.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 5:46am

Oh, Arthur.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 11:05am

Totally agree with him on the revival of "La Cage" though:

"What did he think of the recent revival of "La Cage Aux Folles?" (He directed the original in 1983.)

"Terrible. Vulgar. Transvestites live in fantasy. They're beautiful and everything is beautiful. [The revival] goes out of its way to show they're ugly, unattractive men in drag. They call it 'real.' I call it 'bull****.' "

Couldn't agree more. And it has nothing to do with pandering to audiences in 1983. I imagine anyone appearing on Ru Paul's Drag Race today would agree as well. Making the Cagelles into he-men with dresses and lipstick defeated every lyric they sang in the show. And I think it gave straight audiences permission to dismiss them. Back in 1983, straight audiences could be troubled by how sexy and tempting they found the cagelles, and THAT was the whole point.

See? Arthur did get a few things right in his career...

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 11:43am

Does anyone else really want to see that reel he mentioned of Disney's proposed animated "West Side Story" with cats?

[StageManager2]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 11:53am

Incidentally, I wonder what he thought of the "West Side Pigeons" from THE ANIMANIACS.

[raker]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 6:57pm

In today's New York Times, Patrick Healy wrote that Laurents is notable for "naming names" in his memoirs. An ironic kick in the groin for Jerome Robbins's old pal.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 7:25pm

I saw that too. A very odd phrase for anyone with knowledge of the period to use.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/26/11 at 9:30pm

Just from little things I've read, I always got the feeling that Laurents (who of course was always jealous of attention paid to his collaborators--not really the best way to be when you're working in theatre, particularly musicals) really wished he had written Cage himself.