WEST SIDE STORY Revival will have an Orchestra of 30 players...- Page 5

[allofmylife]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 10:17pm

Minute for minute, you will never spend a better twenty minutes than watching the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra on youtube doing the West Side Story Suite. These kids are fantastic (as was mentioned in a message abobe)

Watch all three parts and remind yourselves these are TEENAGERS playing with the calibre of a Broadway pit orchestra. many of these kids were homeless streetkids who have been sponsored to join the orchestra.

Utterly amazing.

And for the more vulgar folks like me, the flautist is muy caliente and the conductor, Gustavo Dudamel is - I guess - hot as well.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 10:20pm

I don't think it is up to Arthur Laurents to simply translate Sondheim's lyrics into Spanish?! Isn't it up to Sondheim to decide what gets changed, and how?

[jewishboy]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 11:14pm

There is no way Sondheim is going to deny Laurents anything. It was Laurents who got Sondheim the job for West Side Story. And it is a creative idea, but who knows if it will work.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 11:59pm

WOW! Incredible orchestra!!!

[cello_dude]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 12:04am

There is no viola part in the orchestra
Updated On: 7/17/08 at 12:04 AM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 12:31am

My brother sent me that youtube clip a while ago, it made me tear up a bit, especially since I'm Venezuelan. It's so vibrant!
I wonder how the bilingual gimmick will work out...
Smaxie's info tends to be rather accurate, so I wouldn't be surprised to see LEGALLY BLONDE out of the Palace by the winter.

[A Director]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 12:49am

The perfect theatre for West Side Story is the St. James. The theatre will be dark by the time the production leaves Washington, D.C. That is, if it ever leaves Washington.

[LadyRosecoe]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 1:38am

The St. James seems too expansive, plus it's Jujamcyn. I just really wish it went back home to the Winter Garden. The stage is so large, open, and rectangular that you really can install so much of the scenery as to make it look realistic. Plus, it's large, but not stacked up with shallow tiers that lack the intimacy.

On the subject of this, isn't it weird how some shows seem to fit a persona of a certain theater? Am I the only one finding what I just said to sound really absurd, yet understandable? I mean I find it weird that [tos] is at the Lyceum, but that speaks for itself. When it comes to a show though like West Side Story, I'd imagine it being a difficult show to place and yet it really isn't. Someone call in the Sorting Hat!

[winter_sky]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 1:43am

I still hope that at some point [tos] could go into the Circle in the Square. It would be beyond perfect for it.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 1:52am

So the show WILL have supertitles. Interesting. I wonder how it will work.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 1:54am

Ljay, which article says that?

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 1:56am

The NYtimes article. And it also says Maria will be a LEGIT latina. So much for TDH'S Lea Michele bullcrap.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 2:37am

So much for TDH's Bull****, period.
That's interesting, I'm against supertitles for a show like WEST SIDE STORY, but that also comes from the fact I'm a native Spanish speaker so my opinion is completely biased.

[dancinfan]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:31am

Has anyone heard about the Irving Lyric Stage production in Texas that will also have a 30-piece onstage orchestra?

[alfgiotir]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 7:28am

what are supertitles? sorry if it is a dumb question.

[morosco]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 7:57am

Supertitles are translations of the lyrics that are displayed above the stage much like closed captioning on television.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 7:59am

Supertitles are used with some opera companies. New York City Opera has a screen at the top of the proscenium which translates the particular language being sung. Just like when some foreign films use subtitles on the bottom of the screen.

Oops, sorry Morosco. We were typing at the same time.

Updated On: 7/17/08 at 07:59 AM

[keen on kean]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 8:22am

Supertitles are such a bad idea. I don't mind them in opera, but there is limited acting in opera, generally. I want to be carried away by the theater experience - not read something flashed on the proscenium arch, like a safety instruction film in a 747. I know the answer is - don't read the supertitles if you don't like them - but ever try not to read advertisements in the subway? But I liked Doyle's productions so this might just be unique enough to work.

[Mamie]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 9:01am

It seems to me that most people are so familiar with the story and lyrics that using titles shouldn't be necessary. I don't speak Spanish but I can guarantee you that I'm going to know exactly what Beranardo, Anita, Maria, et al, are saying and singing.

[StateOfJade]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 9:43am

Not the Nederlander. There are already 2 shows scheduled to move in there.

[Mattt]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 10:09am

Concerning Krysta Rodriguez, I am praying she will be part of this show. She is such an amazing young talent. The thing is her voice might not be perfect to play Maria fulltime. In my opinion she would make an INCREDIBLE Anita. Her tone is very deep but still youthfull, she can obviously dance (A Chorus Line/In the Heights), she IS Hispanic. If not Anita she could be in the ensemble AGAIN and u/s Maria and Anita.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 10:30am

I don't think the supertitles will be necessary to understand the action, but some of the jokes in "America" will be lost.

The real problem with the show though is the godawful Jets dialogue, and unless he's going to have the Jets speak in Polish, we're still going to hear things like "Womb to tomb" and "Sperm to worm."

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 10:47am

"Gee, Officer Krupke" will have to be removed because it is offensive to police. (Just like "I'm An Indian Too" from "Annie...Gun")

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 11:05am

Regarding the large orchestra for next season's WEST SIDE STORY, when I saw the original production at the perfect Winter Garden, the timpani, being too large to fit in the pit, were placed in the right lower boxes, just slightly raised from the orchestra seats. Not having been in the Winter Garden since the original production of 42ND STREET in 1980, I'm not even sure if the lower boxes are still there. (No, I never went to CATS or the current MAMA MIA.)

I agree with someone who posted that Smaxie is usually right about his facts: it is indeed likely that WSS will play the Palace next season.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 11:26am

Re: violas, I'll go more into the story I briefly mentioned.

Back in the days when WSS was on Broadway, certain musicians came with the theater -- if you were going to rent a theater for a show, those musicians were part of your pit.

There were 2 viola players in the Winter Garden(?) that Bernstein didn't think were very good. He was told he either has to use them or pay them anyway and not use them. He was leaning towards the latter, but finally decided to write bogus, very easy and slightly unnecessary viola parts.

My guess is when the show left the theater, he just did away with them, and that's why there are no viola parts in WSS.