WEST SIDE STORY (2019 Revival) Preview Thread — Page 11

poisonivy2 said: "I know at least five MAJOR leading men who are gay but have not come out because of the rampant homophobia in the business as well as some major directors and industry figures who are extremely right-wing."

You know them or do you know only of the unverified rumor and speculation that follows them?

Quoting my friend's Facebook status: “not only was the show absolutely awful, they do not announce at any time before the performance  that you many not leave to use the restroom! We stood in line outside for 35 minutes in the cold to get in…only to have our actual tickets not work, we had to then get back in line once again! No time to use the restroom. Two of us got up halfway through and went out the back between numbers only to be told once out that we were not allowed to go back in . $1000 for four tickets and we were not allowed to go back in and claim our belongings! They ruined one of my favorite shows. It was awful."

Updated On: 12/12/19 at 10:38 PM

QueenAlice said: "Since when has there not been a scene where Anita has been assaulted?”

 

It’s called the TAUNTING scene. It’s meant to be stopped before it gets out of hand. The feeling of “woah that almost got ugly” is not there because it did get ugly. They all and out RAPE her. It’s a rape scene.  It’s jarring. 

 

Hmm sounds like the traditional staging of the taunt. As I've mentioned, Laurents was the first to really intensify the scene in the 09 revival, cutting the live orchestration, and in early previews even having A-Rab fully drop his pants. The scene is always uncomfortable, and I will never forget Karen Olivo's blood-curdling screams. I remember some feeling that the 2008 staging was closer to an actual rape, rather than an attempt.

If you're curious, a clip of the 2009 staging is on Youtube, but it appears to be from out of town, as the live orchestration during the taunt is still there. Some were not happy Laurents cut the orchestration on Broadway, but it did make the scene more realistic, in my opinion. As the run continued, the scene did seem to keep getting more intense, especially as Olivo's performance evolved.  

Updated On: 12/12/19 at 11:36 PM

Found his CRUCIBLE to be a thrilling night at the theater!

double post

Updated On: 12/13/19 at 12:41 AM

I sat B10 (which is front row) orchestra left, and I did miss quite a bit of One Hand One Heart, but I missed a lot of stuff in general that happened upstage so not sure what the view from row J would be.  It's definitely a pick your poison kind of situation, and I don't think the orchestra was raked very much though I could be wrong.

But about the production… I'm definitely in the camp of thinking this was amazing.  I agree for the most part with Play Esq. I wasn't a super big fan of the traditional show (though granted I've only seen a repertory production and a college production, and I've never seen the movie) because it seemed too elegant? despite the undertones of the message that it seemed to be trying to get across, which I think had a lot to do with the Jerome Robbins choreography.  If you liked how the Daniel Fish Oklahoma peeled back the layers to really show the grittiness of the show, I think you'd like this as well.  It seems much more rooted in the real world with more authenticity in the anger of the two gangs and the violence between them.  The choreography only adds to it, and while I feel like it did deviate from the storytelling in some parts (Cool in particular, though I felt that a bit about the original choreography too), I thought it was a fantastic update to what we’d see today.

The two leads do have incredible chemistry, and when Isaac Powell sang Maria, I really did believe that he had fallen in love with her at a glance.  I really enjoyed the way he played Tony (though I’m assuming van Hove had a hand in that too) since former Tonys I’ve seen have been more of pacifists that are pushed into an act of violence, whereas Isaac has that cockiness of a gang member and just seems rougher around the edges to really remind you that he’s still in a street gang facing enormous discrimination.  I’d say at this point it’s definitely his Tony (ha!) to lose.

I rather liked Yesenia Ayala as Anita as well, and while she didn’t steal the show like in other productions, I think her scenes really seemed more grounded in authenticity as well (which is a common thread throughout this whole production), and I almost felt that she had a bit more agency in the way that she was portrayed.  I definitely second JBroadway and others who have said there’s never the actual act of rape but it’s obvious that’s the direction it’s headed (though I could only see it through the video screen as well so it may be different seeing the actual action).

The projections were rather hit or miss for me.  They had some really beautiful shots, like an aerial view of the gym, and some superimposed images.  But I think they could’ve really worked with turning the projector off for some scenes where there was just a pointless scrolling background or in A Boy Like That where it was just distracting.  And the scenes where it would display the same characters we see in front of us doing something completely different just seemed jarring and unnecessary.

Long post, but all this to say that I really loved the direction this went, and I think it’s very timely and true to its story.  I didn’t miss any of the cuts and don’t really see a way they could be added in (maybe Maria singing a verse of I Feel Pretty to herself without the orchestra before Chino comes to give her the news?).  It’s definitely in great shape, and while I’m sure they’ll be changing some things, I could see this opening next week and still do extremely well.

Also, there’s A LOT of rain.  More than I expected.  No splash zone, thankfully since the stage does a good job of catching it all, but wow is there a lot of water in this theater (I was almost surprised that it wasn’t raining outside when I walked out).

IronMan said: "I'd pay full price to see it again, and I haven't felt that wayin years."

Same here! I was at the first preview Tuesday night, and I have not been able to stop thinking about this production since then. I will definitely be making at least a couple return visits.

 

Sorry for the lengthy post but there was alot to process with this show.  This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Saw the show on Wednesday with four other adult members of my family.  Three of the four absolutely hated the show. We also wound up in a huge group of theatergoers waiting for their cars in a nearby parking garage post show and the universal sentiment was a strong condemnation of the show.  Many just didn't like this new modern take. I didn't think it was awful but I was surprised how very polarizing this was for the crowd.

The biggest through line amongst the group was how much they disliked the use of video projections throughout the show. Most felt they come to see a show for the live theater experience, not to be split on whether to watch what was on screen or the live action on stage.  I thought the use of video was clever and effective at times but felt way overplayed.  Definitely think they need to dial back it's usage and make the images more static.  It felt dizzying and distracting at times as they were often panning throughout these bleak blocks (more on that later). 

In addition, the cavernous stage with no set pieces besides what we all called the hole in wall (literally)...way in the back was not a hit.  Many called it lazy creative and made the setting feel too sterile at times. The consensus was we didn't mind stripping back on the staging but most didn't love how bare and stark everything felt.   It didn't help that whole scenes were taking place and you could only see the actors visually on the 'screen' rather than them being up front and center. 

In terms of the acting, Isaac Powell was the standout of the show.  He was earnest while also feeling real.  He doesn't quite have a booming voice with much raw power (sometimes he was drowned out by Maria) but it was still compelling and effectual.   Can't say that I loved Shereen Pimentel's Maria.  Her vocals were a bit too operatic for my taste and didn't always seamlessly align with Isaac's more dulcet tones.  

I was disappointed in Amar's Bernado's, Riff and Anita.  Their performance just didn't quite resonate for me.  The roles felt too big for them imo.  Amar should have never been cast in the role.  Misconduct aside, I'm not sure why they brought him on, given he was almost universally panned in Carousel.  He was very wooden and  I didn't buy him for one second as a newly arrived Puerto Rican immigrant to NYC.  The actress who played Anita was a bit of letdown for me as well.  That role should have been in a class all by itself but the actress felt middling for the most part.  She held up for the assault scene but honestly, she got lost throughout most of the show and felt like she was just another ensemble member.  

On the plus side, I did think the dancers were absolutely amazing and the choreography was terrific. I couldn't really tell what was new or old but I thought fusing hip hop, latin, modern and more felt very contemporary.  The piece done for the Rumble and Gee, Officer Krupke was outstanding. I did love how the show interpreted police violence, racism and classism through dance and the writing.  

There were also a couple things that really irked me.  Being a Latinx New Yorker, I thought the accents were just atrocious.  It probably won't bother most people seeing the show - but I thought it was distracting and inexcusable especially with the wide pool of talent in this city. Would have liked to see authentic representations linguistically given the criticisms of the show in the past.  Amar, Anita and Maria butchered their accents.  

I also really struggled with the backdrops used in the videos.  The majority of the backplates were industrial locations far on the west side.  You didn't get a vivid portrait of the neighborhood these groups were fighting for because the visualizations were all factory laden. There were no tenements or pre-war buildings where families would actually live so that added a lack of authenticity and sterility to the show. I couldn't help but think about how well In the Heights brought Washington Heights alive in that show.  For a show called WEST SIDE story, it felt like there was a chasm between what the actors were saying and what we were seeing.  I note this because the projections were used so prominently throughout the show.  If you're going to use this visual medium, then it should have been more organic especially with no set pieces.  

Lastly, there's alot of testoterone happening in this show.  Streamlining so much of the musical while simultaneously showcasing the alpha men felt disconcerting.  Losing I Feel Pretty minimized the voices of the women even more.  Further, with the actresses playing Anita/Maria not quite dominating and flexing their acting chops until their penultimate scenes, their narratives waned at times.   I felt like I got real sense of Tony's head space repeatedly but the women often vanished.  The director did us no favors by stationing the women in that hole in the wall where they were not visible except via video when we 'meet' them for the first time.  

I don't know if this show is going to be a critical darling or take a drubbing but it wasn't quite the experience I'd hope it would be.  Onwards to the Spielberg take.... 

note...I did wonder if there were any warnings for people who may be triggered by the sexual violence in the show and how the gun was displayed in a scene.  Both scenes were very intense.  Without revealing much, there were audible gasps at one point when the gun was brandished.  Several people were uncomfortable.  I'm not sure how the show should handle but I do think there should be a heads up before people see the show.