The songs that have been translated for WEST SIDE STORY so far...- Page 2

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 12:24am

I agree they need to change it up and take it in a new direction. If I wanted to see the movie I'd rent it. Why not take a risk and try some new choreography. I think it can be done! I'm sorry, but I don't find ballet dancers to be the most convincing gang members. It might have worked by then, but audiences today are a tad bit more wise when it comes to that sort of thing. I think it could work and be really cool. I'd like to see the guy from Spring Awakening's take on the piece - and I know I'll get blasted for that, but I don't care. I find him innovative and interesting.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 12:26am

You can wish for all the new choreography you want. But it is illegal to change. Why can't people understand that?

[geekgirl06]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 12:31am

Wait... really? I've heard that before but I still don't understand why you would not be able to change something like choreography. That's like if you had to use the same direction or the same costumes or the same set for every production. How would they even monitor something like that?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 12:39am

I find this idea that they are "bastardizing" the score to be so incredibly ridiculous.
And yes, they are legally-bound to do Jerome Robbins' choreography (considered one of the most brilliant choreographies of any show): "the earth is flat, get over it." If your argument is just that gang members wouldn't dance like that, then you are missing the whole thing.
And let's trust audiences a bit and think that they can read an f-ing subtitle and understand that Anita is pissed off that her friend slept with the man who killed the love of her life. Shall we?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 12:46am

Really? well that makes me loose all respect for them, sorry. Art is a living breathing thing, and the fact that you can't change anything means it's just going to be a museum piece. Stupid. Someone has a big head.

[geekgirl06]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 12:49am

The choreography is beautiful, I just didn't know the choreography was attached to the show. Is that the same with all shows? Is choreography truly on the same level as music and lyrics and book? Sorry if I seem a bit ignorant, I don't know too much about choreography.

And about the production, are they actually going to have subtitles? That makes even less sense why people would complain. Seriously, I'm pretty sure you could figure out this show with subtitles. But how much of the show is actually being translated to Spanish?

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 12:52am

Jerome Robbins and Michael Bennett are two of the few choreographers that have that rule in writing. CHORUS LINE's choreography cannot be changed.

Unfortunately, Bob Fosse never implemented this rule. I wish he had. We know what a disaster it was when they changed his choreography for SWEET CHARITY in 2005. Luckily there are choreographers like Ann Reinking who still can create his original and work and create work in his style.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 12:54am

Jerome Robbins made sure that every revival of his shows were legally-bound to include his choreography, since really his choreography (same as Bennett's and in most cases Fosse's) was as essential to the shows as the music/lyrics/book. I'm sure his estate could grant permission for a production to use a different choreography but I very much doubt they'll ever do that.
I wish Fosse had done the same so we'd have been spared of the travesty known as Wayne Cilento's choreography for SWEET CHARITY.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 1:00am

Ljay, it's funny that we both referenced the disastrous Cilento choreography.
I am actually pretty sure that Bennett himself didn't have this rule in writing, but rather that John Breglio and Bob Avians have made sure that his choreography is preserved in all major productions of Bennett shows. However, I believe the recent high profile production of DREAMGIRLS in Philadelphia did not use Bennett's staging (someone correct me if I'm wrong), and it is rumored that the proposed Broadway revival of the same show will not stick to Bennett's choreography. Also, I wanna say that Encores! PROMISES, PROMISES did not use his staging either, but I might be wrong on that one.
Either way, the point is that choreography can be quite essential to a show. You wouldn't tinker with the lyrics or the music, so in a way, why would you tinker with a brilliant choreography?

[geekgirl06]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 1:01am

Oh, okay, thank you! That makes sense. Especially with those shows. But with some of the choreography today, I'm glad that rule isn't for every show.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 1:03am

Updated On: 5/1/09 at 01:03 AM

[BrianS]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 1:10am

"I'm sure if Laurents wants to, he will change some of those way corny lines."

Yes, but for those of us who feel his casting decisions have skewed a little too old and that his Maria looks like she is from Nebraska, he hasn't been demonstrating the best judgment lately.

"Would these guys look like thugs? Aren't they teenagers?"

I live on the West Side and I can tell you that there are some very scary teenagers that would absolutely qualify as thugs. Sorry, but it's true.

With the restrictions of the choreography, the only way I can see them adding that sense of danger is to incorporate more violence into the book scenes (if possible). An unexpected killing that might keep the audience on edge. Otherwise, I cannot imagine being afraid of any of those characters.

[TheRyanOConnorShow]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 1:29am

Considering how underwhelmed I am by some of the casting choices, I think Lin's translations are the most exciting part of this revival!!

[Weez]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 5:51am

'The Light in the Piazza' was half in Italian and ended up running far longer than they had initially planned. Putting a musical that a heckuva lot of people already know partially in Spanish (which, again, a lot of people know or learn partially in school over there) doesn't exactly strike me as the alienating experience some people seem convinced it's going to be.

I love that Lin's involved. XD

[Smaxie]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 6:20am

>Also, I wanna say that Encores! PROMISES, PROMISES did not use his staging either, but I might be wrong on that one.<

Rob Marshall choreographed Promises, Promises for Encores. Some of his best theatre work, I think. He recreated Bennett's choreography for "Turkey Lurkey Time," though. (The program included the line, "For Michael" under the song listing for "Turkey Lurkey").

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 6:24am

Good god, how negative is everyone about something you have not yet seen.Why don't you give the show a chance and see it before you write it off?

If this was a straight forward revival bringing nothing new to the show everyone on here would be complaining and saying things like "Why do a revival if it's exactly the same as the original" etc

Some people just can't be pleased.

[Princeton78]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 7:49am

Pretty soon, "Wicked" and "Jersey Boys" will be playing matinees in Spanish..
Sheesh....

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 8:02am

I think it's exciting that not only are they making it more fresh and real, but they got Lin of all people to do it! Kind of ironic (or maybe just poetic) since I always see In The Heights (or at least the need for ITH) as a reaction to shows LIKE West Side Story that cast non-Latino people in those parts and then had them speak/sing entirely in English. So for him to come along and actually get to HELP Sondheim, that's just so exciting! I can't wait for this show. Since I'm planning on going to New York in February, this might actually work out. Anything else opening around then? I'm trying to plan what to see and now that I know Hairspray will most likely bow out a month earlier, I will happily let WSS take its spot.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 9:06am

I, for one, am incredibly pumped about this revival. I'm not even a huge West Side Story fan, but I am so intrigued and excited by the idea of doing something like this. I think the translated lyrics can work wonders, and it would certainly freshen the entire piece up. and make it incredibly timely.

Updated On: 10/23/08 at 09:06 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 10:21am

During the 1980 Broadway revival of West Side, one of the Jet boys, Brain Kaman, who played Baby John, created a parody lyric for "The Jets Song" making fun of the balletic nature of the gang members:

When you're a Jet,
You're a jet all the way,
From your first pirouette
To your last grand jeté!

[whatever2]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 11:22am

im sorry, but what would be wrong with a show playing matinees in spanish?

[bethnor]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 12:05pm

having material in a foreign language adds some mysticism to it, imho.

an example of this is crouching tiger, hidden dragon. try watching it in english dub. now it's just another kung-fu flick.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 12:40pm

When this production was first announced, there was a statement that new songs would be added to the score. "Officer Krupke" was supposed to be cut in favor of a new song called "We're F_cked". Does anyone know if they've scrapped this idea?

Updated On: 10/23/08 at 12:40 PM

[bethnor]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 1:00pm

^^^^

that song is being adopted as our new national anthem.
Updated On: 10/23/08 at 01:00 PM

[TheRyanOConnorShow]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 6:03pm

Really Dollypop? Am I falling for sarcasm or are you telling the truth? Haha

NEW songs in WSS. I don't know how I would feel about that!

As far as the Spanish is concerned, I think it's a wonderful idea. MOST people, even the non theatre going general public, know at least the BASIC lyrics to most songs from this show, so putting them in Spanish just adds a new poetry, in my opinion.

"A Boy Like That" is most exciting to me because it's such a personal song about tradition and pride and fear within one's race. I think it's gonna be stunning.

But, thaqt said, the casting still terrifies me.