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

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.

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 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.

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?

How I miss Whizzer.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?