WEST SIDE STORY Reviews....- Page 3

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 8:14pm

Very good Variety review posted.

Yeah, love, that was alreay posted.

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 8:20pm

They don't want to kick the 90-year-old pit bull.

And I'm guessing they also are probably mindful of the current economic climate. If they "kill" this show, they'll be staring at another lonely stretch of darkened side street on Broadway.


- Hmmm? Or maybe it's possible they actually liked it!
Updated On: 1/8/09 at 08:20 PM

[jaystarr]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 8:31pm

Hmmm... Let's wait for the New York's Critics Reviews! Let's not forget reviews from GLORY DAYS (from DC) and HIGH FIDELITY (from Boston) - they ALL loved those shows!

Not to be negative... But I still smell disaster in the making for this one! I agree with most of you!

J*

Updated On: 1/8/09 at 08:31 PM

[jaystarr]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 8:33pm

Then the designs for the sets and costumes were unveiled, and suddenly we were looking at comic book Li'l Abner colors, anachronistic hemlines, inappropriate "boy band" attire and hairstyles, and freaky-confusing, surrealistic backdrops. So much for keeping it "real."

West Side Sloppy.

The best description Ive read so far...

Those costumes are ridiculous> there's no INTERNATIONAL MALE or UNIVERSAL GEAR in the 50's... Just wrong!

J*
Updated On: 1/8/09 at 08:33 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 8:37pm

I'm beginning to think ljay has a good friend in the show. Or even some money in it.



Honestly, I think you're looking for some sort of vindication around here, and you're not going to get it. The majority of the BWW posters have found that this show has some major problems. The DC critics generally haven't.

Funny, it's usually the other way around. The fans all "oooh and aaaah" and the critics take it apart.

Go figure.

Updated On: 1/9/09 at 08:37 PM

[raker]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 8:38pm

Arthur Laurents is trying to fix a non-existent problem with WSS, making portions of the show unintelligible to most of the audience. I don't get it. I don't think it's enough to get "the gist" of a Broadway musical. I want to hear and understand every word and every note.

I've never seen surtitles so I don't know how effective they are, but I think the Spanish may have added value to the show if translations were provided. The Spanish without translation stopped the show, and not in a good way.

No one's commented on the orchestra. It sounded small to me. Do shows play with smaller orchestras out of town?

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 8:57pm

I'm beginning to the ljay has a good friend in the show. Or even some money in it.

- Yes, because there are many broke college kids with money in a major Broadway production. I wish! And no I do not know anyone in the show.

Honestly, I just think there is a lot of unfair hatred against this revival. It's almost like when GYPSY was at Encores, then it got to Broadway and everyone whistled a different tune.
Updated On: 1/8/09 at 08:57 PM

[matty159]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 9:01pm

I am really kind of shocked at the negative BWW postings v. positive reviews thing going on here. I was expecting the worst when the reviews starting coming out. I am most curious to see what Peter Marks has to say. It is making me even all the more excited to see it on Saturday night. (And even if it stinks, we are eating Oya, so it won't be a total evening lost!)

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 10:15pm

I personally agree with the reviews. I'm just thrilled to hear Karen Olivo getting GREAT reviews.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 11:06pm

Exactly Jay. I've learned that Out-of-Town reviews are biased and totally off the mark. So many shows get great reviews out of town, but then do horribly on Broadway. It's not worth the time to speculate on what some random newspaper said.

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 11:11pm

I'm going to trust PalJoey's word on this. He seems on the mark. And I would trust his opinion over most posting on this thread. Plus there's a huge difference between something like GLORY DAYS getting positive reviews in DC then flopping on Broadway, and a landmark musical. I really have no agenda with this show, I am not involved with it, I am no obsessed with one of the performers, and I do not worship Mr. Laurents. I just want one of my favorite musicals to have a successful new revival on Broadway. It deserves to.
Updated On: 1/8/09 at 11:11 PM

[gypsy4]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 11:19pm

never mind.
Updated On: 1/8/09 at 11:19 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 12:27am

The DC Examiner

David C. Woolard's costumes are whimsical, mingling bright and muted purples for the Puerto Rican characters with various ochre/orange tones for the Jets. James Youmans' scenery is at times suggestive and subtle, at other times stunning, for instance in the "rumble" scene performed behind a chain metal fence.

http://www.dcexaminer.com/entertainment/010909_Una_nueva_West_Side_Story_.html

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 12:30am

According the wall street journal the Broadway revival has an 8 million dollar advance.


Mr. Seller says it took two months to put together funding for the $14 million production; investors include Weinstein Co., headed by movie moguls Bob and Harvey Weinstein. If the show sells 90% of its tickets at full price in the first year it will recoup its cost, Mr. Seller says. It's sold a "robust" $8 million in advance tickets, he says.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123145791115766141.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[Usnavi]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 12:58am

WEST SIDE STORY is my ALL TIME favorite musical so when Laurents decided to take it upon himself and revive it with the changes he had in mind I guess I expected a lot more than what eventually was done with the piece.

So far I find the overall "look" of the show very unappealing. It doesn't strike me as a show about gang warfare in the urban ghettos of New York City. I don't think that bright orange is a color a real New York City gang would choose to wear and with that the realism goes out the window.

But I am going to refrain from making any more judgements against this production until I have seen it on Saturday.

[A Director]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 1:18am

The Washington Post review is mixed.

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 1:21am

^ Would you like to post a link? It's not on their website.

[hockeynut2]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 1:29am

Here's Peter Marks' review.
Peter Marks on WSS

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 2:31am

Not to be negative... But I still smell disaster in the making for this one! I agree with most of you!

"Not to be negative"? What part of "disaster" isn't negative? And most people (who have actually seen the show) don't believe that. Everyone acknowledges problems, but please, link me all the posts from this board where it was a reviewed as a "disaster" remotely on level with the outlandish opinion you've already formulated for yourself based on a few production pictures.


It's not worth the time to speculate on what some random newspaper said.

Yeah, that Washington Post- who cares what they think?

[A Director]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 3:49am

ljay889 and orangeskittles need to take off their rose colored glasses and re-read the Washington Times, Washington Post and Baltimore Sun reviews. All say the women are stronger than the men and all say the costumes are awful. Will Mr. Laurents make the needed changes or will his ego get in the way?

By the way, Laurents has a new book coming out in March, Gypsy, West Side Story and Other Musicals. In it, he writes about the musicals he's worked on and the work of other directors. Gee, more dish and mud throwing.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 5:13am

I have to admit I'm glad it's getting good reviews. Not because I agree (haven't seen it yet) but so that it won't be pre-doomed when it gets to NY.

Granted, NY critics can totally pan it which can make a difference, but at least it's coming in with pride.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 8:33am

So the Washington Post agrees with the posters here on the deficiencies of Tony, Riff, the Spanish and the costumes, but nevertheless still gives it overall praise.

I predict that will be the tone of the NYC reviews: Arthur's "concept" may not work, but it doesn't diminish the beauty of the music and the choreography. (But I wish he'd put the damn nightmare back into the ballet!)

It will be a success, and if they can market it to tourists from Spanish-speaking countries, it can have a large audience for a long time.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 8:54am

Just to be fair, Peter Marks does praise Matt's singing.

[morosco]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 8:57am

I'm surprised that critics haven't mentioned the uncommonly large number of musicians in the pit and the contribution they make to the show.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 9:29am

"It will be a success, and if they can market it to tourists from Spanish-speaking countries, it can have a large audience for a long time."

PJ, do tourists from Spanish-speaking countries actually bring in enough ticket sales on Broadway to keep a show running for a long time?