RIP Arthur Laurents — Page 6

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

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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...

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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

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Arthur's last interview?

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

Oh, Arthur.

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

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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.

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.