Sarah Ramirez in West Side Story revival??

[theaterfan2]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 1:22am

If I were to produce WSS in the next year, I'd have Sarah Ramirez at the helm as Anita? What's you're ideal cast for a WSS revival?

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 1:24am

Wasn't there one on the works st for 2007 or sometime soon? Or am I crazy?

[Cages or Wings]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 1:26am

There were plans to have a 50th anniversary revival with recreated choreography by Jerry Mitchell, but I have not heard anything about it recently.

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 1:29am

What I would give...

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 1:40am

I LOVE Sara...but she is too old for this part. I want them to go with actual teens for a revival. Get some fresh faces, totally undiscovered. The show itself is famous enough, I don't think it needs any big names attatched.

Akiva

[Cages or Wings]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 1:42am

Totally agree with Akiva. Combine the show with a 50th anniversary ad campaign. I think this show (in the right theatre) sells itself.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 2:04am

you DO NOT wanna see this show with teens. I'm sorry but there's a reason why you don't see a 16 year old doing Shakespeare. It's just too deep and too hard to connect to. I would rather have someone who was in their early to mid twenties do it. At least they are a bit more connected.

[Cages or Wings]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 2:09am

That may be fair but I just mean no names. I like the idea of unknowns simply because too often the "names" either act like or are treated by the public as being bigger than the show. That's fine in some cases, but with a classic such as West Side Story, the material is what needs to shine.

[sondwisenheimer]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 2:14am

I think if they were well cast and directed, a young group of performers could definitely connect with this material.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 2:22am

Ramirez wouldn't be avilable if it happened within the next year... (I only say that because someone mentioned the rumor of a 2007 target date.)

She said on the red carpet at the Tony's that she would love to return to theater but that since she is contracted as a series regular for the upcoming season of "Grey's Anatomy," she is tied down with that for AT LEAST a year, more if they extend her contract, so she may be off the boards for awhile...

[TonyaFanatic]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 2:49am

ive seen young people do shakespeare and they were phenomenal. ive seen older people do it and be horrendous. it all depends on who you are having the best cast for things. high text does require a bit of life experience, but who says because youre a teen you dont have it.

[FoscasBohemianDream]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 2:59am

Anita is a dancing role, or at least the two major Broadway Anitas are two of the greatest triple-threats: Chita Rivera and Debbie Allen, could Sara Ramirez handle the Jerry Robbins choreography? I'm not sure if she's a trained dancer but I doubt she is. And I don't believe the choreography for "America" or the gym sequence could be changed because there's a clause in all Jerome Robbins-choreographed shows that states every revival must re-create his choreography.
Updated On: 6/15/06 at 02:59 AM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 4:44am

Ramirez can play the gym.

[blaxx]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 6:09am

Sara not Sarah.

And she could only play the gym if she lost some weight

Updated On: 6/15/06 at 06:09 AM

[once a month]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 8:12am

Did you see her in the 2006 Tony Coverage?? Pul-eeeze! She may be magnificent...but she's over the hill...and she'd need to lose a significant amount of weight to play Anita.

[soapguy17]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 8:23am

Wow, no wonder there are so many theater teens starving themselves.

[dutch46mill2]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 8:40am

Last November WSS was at the American Music theater San Jose and Jo Ann Hunter did an excellent job as Anita she even looks like an Anita. When her and Diana Degarmo (Maria) did that duet it was magic.
Updated On: 6/15/06 at 08:40 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 8:45am

I see her more in the title role...

...as the entire West Side.

Sara has talent, but she would make about as good an Anita as Nell Carter would have.

[coolphantom919]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 10:33am

AWESOME! A WEST SIDE STORY REVIVAL!!!

[Jimmcf]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 10:46am

Now, I am not svelte by any means, but Sara looked like a linebacker in that Tony's dress...she positively dwarfed over T.R. Knight

[broadway86]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 10:51am

Speaking of Sara... My favorite part of the Tony ceremony...

T.R. Knight: Sara? Sara? SARA?! You have a Tony Award. Do you know who else won for Featured Actress in a Musical? Gwen Verdon. Cool. Tammy Grimes. Cool. Andrea Martin. She's cool...

[Jimmcf]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 10:56am

That little speech of Mr. Knight's was the equivalent of a cover story on 'The Advocate.'

[Jon]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 10:57am

I did WSS in high school - 29 years ago. Our Maria sang the role better than any professional I've ever heard. Her name was Dawn Upshaw. Since then, she's won a few Grammy Awards and sings with the Metropolitan Opera.

So, it IS possible to find teenagers who can do the show.

[robbiej]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 10:59am

Dawn Upshaw...now THERE'S a dewy young Puerto Rican, if ever there was one.

[Weez]

Posted: 6/15/06 at 1:47pm

I think Sara's main problem was the unflattering fitted concrete-grey dress. Something designed a little more to flatter the fact she's no rake would've looked much better.