WEST SIDE STORY (2019 Revival) Preview Thread- Page 9

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 2:02pm

Jarethan said: "GreasedLightning said: "I just HAVE to ask... was Amar booed at curtain call?

No need for further discussion, a simple yes or no will do. "

Do you REALLY believe that more than 0.1% of the audience knows what he has done? As I have said before, the people on this board bear no resemblance to the typical theatre going audience. The only impact his presence will have wil be based on the quality of his performance.

"

Did I SAY I believed that they did? (Apparently people on here need things spelled out for them so here’s the answer: I don’t.) 

I explicitly said in my post that no further discussion was necessary as I was just curious.

Thanks. 

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 2:04pm

jbird5 said: "GreasedLightning said: "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 browsedthrough 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/mezzanineon 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.”"

Plenty of seats on Stubhub. Scalpers hit this one heavy."

That doesn’t really matter. If a seat is on StubHub than SOMEONE bought it. The show already has the money for that ticket and the seat is already sold. Whether or not someones butt is in the seat is another story. 

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 2:09pm

Interesting perspective.
 

https://twitter.com/wesbraver/status/1204644470966411264

Updated On: 12/11/19 at 02:09 PM

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 2:15pm

I guess we've gotten to the "a sold ticket is not a sold ticket" portion of the convo.

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 2:31pm

The more I read, the more I feel like I have no interest in seeing this production. Even taking Ramasar out of the equation (which is still a huge turn-off for me, in all honesty), I'm just bone tired of bleakness right now, especially of bleak art that specifically takes aim at the agency and the joys of women. Maybe that means I'm not sophisticated enough for this version of WSS, but I think I'm okay with that. I'm genuinely glad that some people are liking it, and I'm all for new and thought-provoking looks at the canon - I'm a big fan of last season's Oklahoma - but this one is just not going to be it for me.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 2:51pm

Since when has West Side Story not been bleak? Since when has there not been a scene where Anita has been assaulted? Since when has the script not been a male driven story?

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 2:54pm

QueenAlice said: "Since when has West Side Story not been bleak? Since when has there not been a scene where Anita has been assaulted? Since when has the script not been a male driven story?"

It's a matter of degrees, simple as that. For me, at least. Others will (and clearly do) disagree. And perhaps it's just that I'm more tired of bleak/edgy right now than I was previously. 

Updated On: 12/11/19 at 02:54 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 2:54pm

I remember when bringing the curtain down on Maria sobbing over Tony’s dead body was considered very bleak in the 2008 revival. Laurent’s controversy cut the procession of Tony’s body. I’m assuming the procession is cut in this new revival as well.

Updated On: 12/11/19 at 02:54 PM

[BJR]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 3:01pm

ljay889 said: "I remember when bringing the curtain down on Maria sobbing over Tony’s dead body was considered very bleak in the 2008 revival. Laurent’s controversy cut the procession of Tony’s body. I’m assuming the procession is cut in this new revival as well."

It’s back, and more. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 3:08pm

Would you mind elaborating on that?

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 3:11pm

I found the last revival so incredibly dull, I’d gladly watch this even if I don’t like it. WSS has been worn down to the nub. I even find the movie a snooze (just like the Cabaret film). Maybe they were revelations back then, but they aren’t any longer.

The same way people are clutching their pearls over the recent Chorus Line revival for making changes. I’m just glad Baayork Lee took her death grip off the piece. She was killing it from evolving and making it a snooze.

If anything needs some freshening up it’s the classics. Seeing folks covered in blood at the end of Oklahoma was thrilling and brilliant theatre.

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 3:22pm

Hate to say it, but I find the film of Cabaret a snooze, too. Didn't used to. Still like the film of WSS, but they screwed up the Blu Ray, so I never watch it these days.

[Impossible2]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 7:21pm

joevitus said: "Hate to say it, but I find the film of Cabaret a snooze, too. Didn't used to. Still like the film of WSS, but they screwed up the Blu Ray, so I never watch it these days."

Yup Cabaret is a snooze-fest that can't even compare to the stage version.

I also think WSS is a boring AF film, so I was glad to hear he was losing a good chunk of time from it. 

I agree re the bluray too, I thought it look horrid when I watched it recently.

 

[Robbie2]

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

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 9:13pm

I agree that it’s disgusting that what’s his name was casted in this but can we all please remember that it’s a lot of actors and technicians jobs at stake if it flops and that a show should not close because producers made a dumb choice.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 11:27pm

joevitus said: "Hate to say it, but I find the film of Cabaret a snooze, too. Didn't used to. Still like the film of WSS, but they screwed up the Blu Ray, so I never watch it these days."

Times and tastes do change.  I have never liked the movie of WSS, because it seemed too artificial, and all that finger snapping was too unreal for me at 12, when I first saw it (and my opinion never changed through the decades).  I once thought Cabaret was the second greatest movie musical ever (after Gigi, which is still my favorite); I saw it recently, after not seeing it for at least a decade, and thought it held up extremely well, with a single exception.

The issue I had with it this time was Liza Minelli’s acting, which made me cringe multiple times.  I know I loved her performance in 1972, but it was so over the top this time.  

 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 11:36pm

Black lives matter b-roll? Hard pass. After this and Jagged I’m kind over this super obvious political theater. It’s shoving the liberal view point down the throat of liberals.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/11/19 at 11:39pm

GreasedLightning said: "Jarethan said: "GreasedLightning said: "I just HAVE to ask... was Amar booed at curtain call?

No need for further discussion, a simple yes or no will do. "

Do you REALLY believe that more than 0.1% of the audience knows what he has done? As I have said before, the people on this board bear no resemblance to the typical theatre going audience. The only impact his presence will have wil be based on the quality of his performance.

"

Did I SAY I believed that they did? (Apparently people on here need things spelled out for them so here’s the answer: I don’t.)

I explicitly said in my post that no further discussion was necessary as I was just curious.

Thanks."

I guess I just think it was a really stupid question and naive question.  

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/12/19 at 12:08am

Impossible2 said: "joevitus said: "Hate to say it, but I find the film of Cabaret a snooze, too. Didn't used to. Still like the film of WSS, but they screwed up the Blu Ray, so I never watch it these days."

Yup Cabaret is a snooze-fest that can't even compare to the stage version.

I also think WSS is a boring AF film, so I was glad to hear he was losing a good chunk of time from it.

I agree re the bluray too, I thought it look horrid when I watched it recently.

"

The issue for me is that they screwed up during the opening overture. Suddenly near the end of it, the screen fades to black then fades in again. Drives me NUTS. Theoretically, they fixed it and issued the fixed version under a different ISBN number, but I bought one of the "fixed" copies and it's still there. 

[The Ferryman Himself]

Posted: 12/12/19 at 1:09am

I was discussing this production with a friend who saw it tonight. They enjoyed it, but had a few reservations. 

We disagreed strongly on the staging of "Cool". I'm not sure I understood it, but I thought it was striking. The lighting on both the stage and screen at that moment was mesmerizing. 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

What do you think was the purpose of the staging? The women also participating in their own, private violence? 

 

[bk]

Posted: 12/12/19 at 5:20am

joevitus said: "Impossible2 said: "joevitus said: "Hate to say it, but I find the film of Cabaret a snooze, too. Didn't used to. Still like the film of WSS, but they screwed up the Blu Ray, so I never watch it these days."

Yup Cabaret is a snooze-fest that can't even compare to the stage version.

I also think WSS is a boring AF film, so I was glad to hear he was losing a good chunk of time from it.

I agree re the bluray too, I thought it look horrid when I watched it recently.

"

The issue for me is that they screwed up during the opening overture. Suddenly near the end of it, the screen fades to black then fades in again. Drives me NUTS. Theoretically, they fixed it and issued the fixed version under a different ISBN number, but I bought one of the "fixed" copies and it's still there."

The "fix" wasn't a fix and made it worse, as it introduced a second of green, which is what they were trying to cover up in the fade to black.  The fact is, the transfer dates way back to the beginning of DVD - they did not upgrade it, they did not rescan the 65mm negative again, which they should have.  If you watch the DVD you'll see exactly what they were trying to cover up - in that old transfer, an entire few seconds of lime green came in where there was never that color - apparently the idiots who did that transfer thought that was correct, even though the color timing notes could not be clearer about the colors and how they dissolve into each other (I have copies of all the timing notes on this film).  So, for Blu-ray, they hauled out that transfer, someone realized the green was wrong so they inserted the fade to black.  When the outcry happen, again they weren't willing to actually do what they should have done, and simply tried to make it more of a dissolve but that brought back some green.  

There is, on YouTube somewhere, a video with all the versions of the overture, from VHS to Blu-ray - the laserdisc has the correct color timing, though it obviously looks like that technology.

 

[Impossible2]

Posted: 12/12/19 at 6:36am

bk said: "joevitus said: "Impossible2 said: "joevitus said: "Hate to say it, but I find the film of Cabaret a snooze, too. Didn't used to. Still like the film of WSS, but they screwed up the Blu Ray, so I never watch it these days."

Yup Cabaret is a snooze-fest that can't even compare to the stage version.

I also think WSS is a boring AF film, so I was glad to hear he was losing a good chunk of time from it.

I agree re the bluray too, I thought it look horrid when I watched it recently.

"

The issue for me is that they screwed up during the opening overture. Suddenly near the end of it, the screen fades to black then fades in again. Drives me NUTS. Theoretically, they fixed it and issued the fixed version under a different ISBN number, but I bought one of the "fixed" copies and it's still there."

The "fix" wasn't a fix and made it worse, as it introduced a second of green, which is what they were trying to cover up in the fade to black. The fact is, the transfer dates way back to the beginning of DVD - they did not upgrade it, they did not rescan the 65mm negative again, which they should have. If you watch the DVD you'll see exactly what they were trying to cover up - in that old transfer, an entire few seconds of lime green came in where there was never that color - apparently the idiots who did that transfer thought that was correct, even though the color timing notes could not be clearer about the colors and how they dissolve into each other (I have copies of all the timing notes on this film). So, for Blu-ray, they hauled out that transfer, someone realized the green was wrong so they inserted the fade to black. When the outcry happen, again they weren't willing to actually do what they should have done, and simply tried to make it more of a dissolve but that brought back some green.

There is, on YouTube somewhere, a video with all the versions of the overture, from VHS to Blu-ray - the laserdisc has the correct color timing, though it obviously looks like that technology.

"

The bluray looks horrible, the colours are a mess and there's jaggies everywhere!

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 12/12/19 at 7:48am

Black lives matter b-roll? Hard pass.

 

Ok Boomer.

Updated On: 12/12/19 at 07:48 AM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 12/12/19 at 7:57am

SouthernCakes said: "Black lives matter b-roll? Hard pass. After this and Jagged I’m kind over this super obvious political theater. It’s shoving the liberal view point down the throat of liberals. "


I hear you - you’ll notice that I called it heavy-handed, and a few others agreed with me. I’m also really tired of NYC theatre preaching to the choir. But I still liked the production overall despite that one issue. Not all of the show was as blatant. But also, WSS always has a “liberal agenda” in the way that it critiques racism and xenophobia. 

Also, just want to clarify: the number has a Black Lives Matter lens, and the B-Roll in the back is pre-filmed video of the characters getting brutally arrested by Krupke. It isn’t real-life footage from cases of police-brutality. That isn’t meant to change your mind, SouthernCakes, I just wanted to clarify in case anyone (not necessarily you) misinterprets it. 
 


@The Ferryman Himself:

I had actually forgotten about the staging of “Cool” until you mentioned it just now (I remembered that moment, but couldn’t remember that it happened during “Cool” - someone asked about that number above and I said it was staged traditionally. I guess I stand corrected!). I think I’m with you on this one. I didn’t totally understand the intention behind the choice either, but I found it compelling, both visually and theatrically.
 

[Impossible2]

Posted: 12/12/19 at 9:04am

How is being a decent person considered a part of the 'Liberal Agenda'?