WEST SIDE STORY (2019 Revival) Preview Thread — Page 30

JDonaghy4 said: "I do agree with you that this director always talks down to us, and some of the projections (like the ones you mentioned) were doing that, even if i found them effective. Didnt he do the Crucible a few years back? Same problem."

 

His production of The Crucible had very few projections, and the projections it did have were pretty unobtrusive. Or were you referring to something other than the projections? 

 

JDonaghy4 said: "BenElliott said: "I loved the video work in Network, but here? Trash. Everything is absolutely ruined by it. It's just a big, empty ugly stage with some student film upstaging everyone.

He's talking so far down to the audience that I found it nearly insulting. Everything about this is lifeless, mathematical, painfully on the nose, and at times, exploitive."

to each their own because i liked it alot but i have to STRONGLY disagree re the video projections as compared to Network. In that show it was utterly pointless; here at least it set a scene, gave you a physical context. God, I hated Network.

I do agree with you that this director always talks down to us, and some of the projections (like the ones you mentioned) were doing that, even if i found them effective. Didnt he do the Crucible a few years back? Same problem."

Because Network was about a TV show, the cameras and projections felt natural, but here they just felt on-the-nose and overbearing.  I could tell what they were going for, but it felt shamelessly manipulative and occasionally exploitative.

Did we lose the WSS protest thread entirely? I’m curious mainly because I posted a few minutes before it disappeared and I’m pretty sure my post was kosher. 

joevitus said: "Both that and the "I'm not Amar's Victim" thread disappeared. I've never seen this happen before (granted I haven't been around long). Seen threads locked, but not removed. And to my knowledge, no explanation."

Alexandra Waterbury's instagram post about the protest has all comments deleted and disabled. I guess throwing around words like rapist, pedophile and sexual offender caught up with her.

Thanks gibsons2 and Highland Guy for the likely explanations. 

Edit: I realize "likely explanations" might read as sarcastic--lots of emotions on these topics--but I really do mean the reasons you give are most likely accurate.

Updated On: 2/6/20 at 12:11 PM

SporkGoddess said: "Man, I stepped away from that thread for like an hour and then apparently all hell broke loose?"

Honestly, nothing on there right before it got deleted seemed much different from any other day. They probably just got tired of policing it.

jayinchelsea said: "Still not convinced that this WSS production is worth my time on my next visit to NYC. Have seen the show and the movie countless times, and although the recent NYT magazine article was intriguing, hard to imagine WSS without the Robbins choreography (and no "Somewhere" ballet, really?) And I am not a fan of van Hove (NETWORK was a mess, save Cranston's performance, and his "stamp" on classics is all about him, and not the material, imo).

The last few months of reader comments are all over the place, and ticket prices are quite high.

What to do?"

Get rush tickets? At least that's what I'm kinda doing except I got a $39 rear mezz seat. If it's a bust at least I only spent $50 on it. If I love it I might invest in better seats if I want to see again. 

What did Sondheim's reactions suggest?

Damiensta said: "
spoiler.......

cant imagine why they haven’t used as advertising the shot when Maria and Tony are facing each other as the cast pulls them apart. That is a great scene.

"

I hated this part when both sides were pulling them apart.  It looked cartoonish, felt very comedic, and took all seriousness out of the scene.

Anshel2 said: "A balcony scene without a balcony!"

 

Maybe Van Hove was trying to go back to the historical Shakespearean roots of the "balcony scene" in Romeo & Juliet, which, in reality, was not written to be performed with a balcony. The use of a balcony in that scene was a tradition that developed after Shakespeare's day!