WEST SIDE STORY (2019 Revival) Preview Thread- Page 7

[ModernMillie3]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 12:11am

Updated On: 1/11/20 at 12:11 AM

[supersam1026]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 12:13am

GreasedLightning, here is what I wrote in the other thread:

As for the curtain call, it was one big bow by the entire cast. Then Amar took a tiny step forward as an individual bow and was then succeeded by the other principals. It took a second to realize that he even stepped forward, so booing was not heard at all. I think if he came out for a solo bow, it would be a bit of a different story.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 12:17am

supersam1026 said: "GreasedLightning, here is what I wrote in the other thread:

As for the curtain call, it was one big bow by the entire cast. Then Amar took a tiny step forward as an individual bow and was then succeeded by the other principals. It took a second to realize that he even stepped forward, so booing was not heard at all. I think if he came out for a solo bow, it would be a bit of a different story."

Interesting! Thank you. I’ll be curious to see reactions, if any, as previews continue. 

[The Ferryman Himself]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 12:22am

I thought this was fantastic. I admit, I love Ivo van Hove. However, I have been disappointed with him in the past and am not afraid to criticize. Tonight, I saw Ivo in his best form. 

He has taken text from 1957 and made it sound like it was written in 2019. (At times, the music did disconnect from the production's angry, hasty, yet not sloppy, personality.) The way Maria and Tony interact in the film would be considered old-fashioned and almost silly to some today. That was not the case tonight.

The performances (notably from Powell and Pimentel) were natural, impeccably caught and streamed through his use of technology. The set is fantastic and extremely minimal, yet hyper-realistic. 

The choreography was not my favorite, but I would much rather them keep this over the original. It would be too silly here.

After seeing this production, I won't be able to watch this piece the same way ever again. I agree "Dear Officer Krupke" may be heavy handed here. However, unlike other productions these comments on ethnicity are made within the context of today and within the text. This was always the intent of the original libretto, it just got lost in the way that we now roll our eyes at Maria and Tony. He has found the new lens we need, both literally and figuratively. 

The cuts did not bother me in any way. I admit I went in with that opinion somewhat formed, but "I Feel Pretty" would have been silly tonight. The ballet is replaced with a beautiful moment. I did not notice anythig major missing from the book. (Bernardo did seem to have the most cuts, or is the role always that small?)

The cameras are not part of the story. However, cameras exist in their world and are used effectively. 

 

[Dolly80]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 12:24am

Does it sound good musically? Good singing ?

[The Ferryman Himself]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 12:26am

Dolly80 said: "Does it sound good musically? Good singing ?"

The sound was a little funky tonight ,especially in the last 20 minutes or so. 

The singing is great. Some outshine others, but it was never distracting. 

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 12:29am

ModernMillie3 said: "The production is nearly completely sold out through the holidays - in the Broadway Theater of all places. This is going to be a huge hit.

What an incredibly funny statement. It's "sold out" for the next 21 days. During the busiest season in New York, where every single show gets a huge boost. Not saying much. At all. Look at January, it plummets. A show that is divisive are rarely huge hits. This won't recoup or run for years, sorry!"

This is absolutely not true. Lol. 

I just browsed through almost every Tues-Thurs in Jan and early Feb on Telecharge and most dates are incredibly well sold sans some seats in the rear orchestra/mezzanine on certain dates that will certainly be sold over the next few weeks. Weekends are sold even better. For a show that’s barely started previews in a house this massive, I’d barely call that “plummeting.” 

[abgeter]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 12:38am

I'm curious if this is eluding to actual rush tickets? Or are you saying the rear mezz is prices that are equivalent to rush?

[ModernMillie3]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 3:37am

This is absolutely not true. Lol. 

LOLOL. Except it is. I guess you didn't read the many, many posts about the amount of tickets being held back for this production, especially in previews. It's a lot. And, it's ridiculous to think anything is a hit after ONE preview. Additionally, if you think December and January sales are enough to make this a huge hit that recoups within 6 months and runs for years...........you are sadly delusional and mistaken. 

This will fail and not recoup. Enjoy Amar, though. He may miss a few dates in January when he's in court, though! 

Updated On: 12/11/19 at 03:37 AM

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 3:43am

I’m sitting in Left Orchestra G18. Any idea if I’ll miss much on stage? After I bought the ticket (which was relatively cheap), I started thinking that if I did that seat for Network I would’ve missed some scenes on the left side of the stage.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 5:17am

I’m getting worried now. Not about seeing the production myself, but I’m bringing a group of young ones (12 years old), and this seems much darker than I anticipated. Aside from the Anita scene, anything else I should be aware of?

[devonian.t]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 5:35am

How I miss Whizzer.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 6:34am

A bare stage, back wall lifts to reveal further sets, cameras film scenes and project.

So it's exactly the same ideas he used on All About Eve?

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 7:53am

Impossible2 said: "Can we start a separate 'predator' thread so we don't have to read this crudin every thread about the show?

That way you can all hang out in the one place churning up the same hatredand the rest of us can read about the previews which is what this thread is actually about?"

If only, but on this topic the mods are a-okay with threads being hijacked. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 7:54am

Highland Guy said: "Globefan said: "And also the casting of Amar Ramasar. Ugh"



Here we go. Again. And again. And again and again and again and again and..........

"

Yup.

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 7:55am

ctorres23 said: "Fetus said: "Here's her post on Instagram for anyone who wants to read it directly:https://www.instagram.com/p/B55ZumnAHG1"

Alexandra Waterbury said: "[Amar]should be on a sex offender list"

We're still doing this, I guess.

Sex offenders are rapists, child molesters, and creators/distributors of child pornography. It's a designation for deviant criminals who have high rates of recidivism.

The seriousness of the title means that these horrible people cannot hide in society. It is intended to keep communities vigilant to their actions, and to keep them away from any future potential victims.

Using "sex offender" as a description of lesser transgressions is an absolute gift to these people. They cannot escape the designation - in the worst cases it applies for the rest of their lives - so their only way out is if the term becomes so diluted as to become meaningless.

I understand why she (and many people on this board) are calling him variations on this. I appreciate it feels good to call him that, to brand him with that. But that momentary rush only helps cloud a term that has very real implications for victims and potential victims.

Amar's transgression was a violation of trust and intimacy, but it wasn't a crime*, and it obviously doesn't rise to the level of being branded a sex offender. It is such a total misnomer that I wouldn't be surprised if it gets used by NYCB's lawyers during the trial to try and characterize her lawsuit as being purely about revenge. Her lawyer should have shut this post down.

* Despite her citing the 2014 New York State law, revenge porn requires the person sharing the images to have the "intent" of harming the victim(relevantHarvard Law Review article). Since the chat was private, and not shared beyond that group, the intent was clearly for her to never find out."

You are quite right.

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 7:58am

QueenAlice said: "Fish cut almost all the choreography out of Oklahoma along with all the music that went with it.And Agnes DeMille’s contribution to that show was right up there with Jerome Robbins’s on West Side Story. To say Fish didn’t cut anything is to miss the point completely. Yes he did. He cut a lot."

This.

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 8:02am

BJR said: "All right, here goes. Just got home.

Packed house. Sondheim a few rows ahead of me.

But y'all don't care about that. On to the show.

It's both not in as terrible shape as some would have you think. But also, they're really gonna need two months. Some folks will hate it, no question. But if they can pull off the right fixes, this could be a violent and vital production. Big "if"s, of course.

It's very modern, extremely minimal. Lots of live capture. Lots of rain.

The dress shop and Doc's are fully realized naturalistic rooms revealed behind the upstage wall. They play the scenes naturalistically, sometimes out of sight of the audience, but always being live captured from multiple angles.

Onto the choreo everyone will be talking about. The choreography has some exciting vocabulary. Uses a lot of modern vocabulary with hip hop street shapes and gesture mixed in. But unfortunately, whenever they start dancing, the story stops cold. It simply doesn't have the storytelling capabilities that Robbins did. Does it have less story than most Broadway numbers? Honestly, no less. But WEST SIDE is constructed with extended ballets that played to Robbins strength with narrative.

It's not surprising they're bringing some of his back. But I hope they can keep some elements of the new stuff, though. I'm having a hard time imagining all the Robbins dancing in this particular production.

Issac Powell is walking away with the show right now. Easily the best Tony I've ever seen. Charming, funny, quirky, passionate, unpredictable. If it were to open tomorrow, he could get a Tony nom.

Honestly, the rest of the cast seemed to be working to keep their head afloat tonight. And the choreography lacking storytelling is also failing some of the characters. It makes you realize how little some have to do outside of the dancing - namely, Bernando and Riff. And if the choreography isn't making your eyes follow that one character, then you lose a lot of their arcs.

Pacing and rhythm have a long way to go, and overall, the show struggles to really take off when they aren't singing.

Won't get into the usual previews things that will get fixed, like the major Sound issues and mixing. It was a mess, but they know it.

As for the cuts, I bet "I Feel Pretty" goes back in. The Ballet may not and I'm not sure this production needs it."

Thank you for a really really good review that does a great job at looking at the work as a work, and how this production does and does not serve the material.

[JBC3]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 8:03am

songanddanceman2 said: "A bare stage, back wall lifts to reveal further sets, cameras film scenes and project.

So it's exactly the same ideas he used on All About Eve?"

Well at some point there are only so many basic set/staging templates to draw from for the foundation of a show.

We could say the same thing for lots of other productions.

"The central set revolved for different settings and in some cases, smaller scenes were played with set pieces slid in from the wings."

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 8:04am

JBroadway said: "ljay889 said: "Do they sing “Somewhere” at all?

"

Yes -as I said above, it was actually the highlight of the show for me,"

It's very weird that people can't distinguish between the words "ballad 'and "ballet." Never mind that this song isn't a ballad, they don't seem to understand what word describes a song and what word describes a dance. Why anyone thought the song itself would be cut because the dance was is beyond me. The movie cut the ballet, too.

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 8:12am

bwayphreak234 said: "I just got home from the first preview. I will admit that I was a skeptic going into this as I have never been particularly fond of Ivo Van Hove's work before. That being said, the West Side Story I saw tonight was utterly breathtaking, invigorating, and EXHILARATING beyond belief. I truly loved this production.

Ivo Van Hove stated in a previous interview that his concept for this production was "a race against time", and this is very evident here in the speediness and urgency of the pacing. The concept is crystal clear, and 110% effective. I have seen West Side Story countless times before, but I have never been on the edge of my seat like I was tonight.

Ivo pulls some old tricks out of his hat such as the live video feeds and a lot of onstage rain. However,unlike in some of his previous works I have seen, they don't feel gimmicky here at all. One problem I did have was that I felt like the drug store and beauty shop were too far upstage, but the live recording of the scenes in these areas was deftly done and projected onto the back wall. The entire stage of the Broadway has been laid bare from wall to wall and from the deck to the rafters. The playing space is CAVERNOUS, but it never feels too big or empty.

The cast is excellent with Issac Powell's Tony being the standout. He is truly stellar. The cast is very young, insanely talented, and full of energy. I found the new choreography to be absolutely thrilling and flawlessly executed by the entire cast.

This is very much a West Side Story for today's America. It's extremely dark, gritty, and raw. This will not be for everyone by a long shot. I think this will be one of the most divisive productions ever as a matter of fact. For me, though, this was a reminder of just how exciting and stirring Broadway theatre can be.

"

Thank you for this review. Very insightful, and appreciated.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 8:20am

abgeter said: "I'm curious if this is eluding to actual rush tickets? Or are you saying the rear mezz is prices that are equivalent to rush?"

 

I think this is directed at me, right?

I was referring to actual rush tickets. The rush tickets were $39, which I believe if the same price as the rear-mezz tickets. But I'm saying that the rush ticket I got (house left box) was a superior seat to the rear mezz. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 8:34am

JBroadway, I wanted to add that your explanation for the use of cameras and (semi)off-stage scenes is really helpful. Like others, I thought what's the point in watching things on a screen rather than live? But the idea of "safe spaces" verses hostile ones is really intriguing. Thanks.

[helvizz]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 8:42am

I have to say, I'm kinda baffled no one's mentioned Anita. The way I see it, if the production's Anita is good, she can very easily steal the show. So, I have to ask: how is Anita in this? Has the role been diminished in any way with the cuts?

[JBroadway]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 8:47am

helvizz said: "I have to say, I'm kinda baffled no one's mentioned Anita. The way I see it, if the production's Anita is good, she can very easily steal the show. So, I have to ask: how is Anita in this? Has the role been diminished in any way with the cuts?"

 

I thought her performance was a strong point, but I don't think she steals the show. Nothing significant from her role was cut as far as I could tell (maybe some dialogue, but no singing or dancing).

 

@Joevitus:

Glad you appreciated it! I find that live-feed video is very overused these days, and so it's pretty hit-or-miss whether or not it's actually effective. Even in some of Van Hove's other shows I found the live-feed superfluous. But in this production I think it works.