WEST SIDE STORY Revival will have an Orchestra of 30 players...

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:21pm

From a new press release today

https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=30043

This production, with an onstage cast of 37 and 30 musicians in the orchestra pit, will introduce the unprecedented element of selectively weaving Spanish throughout both the book and songs.

And it looks like some of the lyrics WILL be sung in Spanish. But great news for the orchestra. Not sure if that was known already. But 30 players is fantastic.

[heathurrr]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:24pm

Ooh, fantastic!!
Thanks!

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:25pm

Words cannot express.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:29pm

So many of these damn shows lately have a measly five piece band that pales in comparison to the huge orchestras of old. This is fabulous news.

[morosco]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:31pm

! ! ! ! ! !

i just peed my pants!

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:33pm

Unless the show is a disaster, I'll have to see this just for the orchestra.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:34pm

This is going to be a HUGE production. It really does belong in The Palace.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:42pm

THANK GOD! The score couldn't be played any other way.

They probably did away with one or both viola parts written for the 2 viola players who came to the theater who Bernstein didn't think were good enough, so he wrote easy parts for them.

[morosco]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:43pm

Found this instrumentation posted online. Adds up to 30. I wonder if this is correct?

5 woodwind
2 horn
3 trumpet
2 trombone
1 drums
2 percussion
1 piano
1 guitar
7 violin
4 cello
2 double bass

[Patash]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:45pm

But will I have to bring an interpreter to understand the dialogue?

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:46pm

Did you need an interpreter for THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA?

[Jon]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:48pm

Maybe they will use supertitles, like at the opera!

Or maybe they assume everyone knows the story and the lyrics by hears already.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:48pm

Did you need an interpreter for THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA?

I <3 Ljay.

Updated On: 7/16/08 at 01:48 PM

[Patash]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:49pm

Get a dictionary and look up "tongue in cheek".

[gypsy4]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:49pm

I always love a big orchestra.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:50pm

This bilingual thing is his "big concept"? Boring!

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:50pm

tongue-in-cheek (tngn-chk)
adj.
Meant or expressed ironically or facetiously.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 1:57pm

I'm actually excited for this now, if they will cast people who can sing the parts well.

[Rigazzi2]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 2:08pm

I couldn't be more excited... I WILL make a trip to NYC just for this. It's been my very favorite Broadway musical since birth, essentially, and to finally get the chance to see a production of it on Broadway is a dream. 30-piece orchestra!! OY!

(I'm currently doing a community theatre production of the show in Alameda, California... That's ramping me up that much more to be there next spring!)

[jaystarr]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 2:12pm

"This show will be radically different from any other production of WEST SIDE STORY ever done. The musical theatre and cultural conventions of 1957 made it next to impossible for the characters to have authenticity. Every member of both gangs was always a potential killer even then. Now they actually will be. Only Tony and Maria try to live in a different world" said Arthur Laurents, who was recently nominated for a 2008 Tony Award for his direction of GYPSY, also one of his librettos.

This production, with an onstage cast of 37 and 30 musicians in the orchestra pit, will introduce the unprecedented element of selectively weaving Spanish throughout both the book and songs.

Great News! I hope they cast REAL Puerto Ricans or hispanics, and I should have no complains at all!

J*
Updated On: 7/16/08 at 02:12 PM

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 2:20pm

Updated On: 8/5/13 at 02:20 PM

[fvalle24]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 2:20pm

How exciting!!!

I vote for Eden Espinosa or Karen Olivo!!

[Patash]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 2:22pm

There was that production I saw a few years back at Stratford, Ontario which had an Asian Maria and very petite, extremely effeminate Tony. Now THAT was ground-breaking.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 2:22pm

"unprecedented element of selectively weaving Spanish throughout both the book and songs."

Didn't In The Heights do that already?

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 2:23pm

There was that production I saw a few years back at Stratford, Ontario which had an Asian Maria and very petite, extremely effeminate Tony. Now THAT was ground-breaking.

- Are you being tongue in cheek?



Chinkie - I think they mean this will be the first production of WSS to do this.