WEST SIDE STORY first preview reviews! — Page 11

I read the whole thing--thanks.

I think you summed up the feelings of those of us who know the show inside and out: It's just great to see it live onstage, on Broadway. Finding a dozen things to object to is still better than not seeing it at all.

Glad to hear Arthur cut Velma's "Oublieoo"--did he also cute Graziella's "I and Velma AIN'T dumb!"

On of my favorite moments with Bernstein was listening him to him complain about Graziella's inappropriately midwestern accent. He was agonized about it and said, "Graziella is from new York, not Dayton, Ohio. Her vowel sounds should be pinched and nasal and her d's and t's dentalized!" Then he screeched in a hysterically funny Noo Yawk accent: "OY AN' VELMER AIN'T tsssssss-DUMB!"

Regarding Robbins's staging of "Maria": Robbins mostly choreographed the two spotlights: a blue body spot that bathed Tony in a dreamy blue haze and a white pin spot.

The pin spot started on his face for "The most beautiful sound I ever heard..." Then it opened up to include his shoulders on the 3rd set of repeated Marias, and finally opened up to include his upper body on the bridge.

Robbins had a vision of Tony holding his hands at shoulder height and and letting them "bounce" and "be alive" (his words) without specific gestures. The idea was that the floating hands would reflect his emotions.

Ken Marshall, who played Tony, was mystified by this direction to "let your hands bounce" and paralyzed and frustrated by it. The few times that Ken tried to do it, Robbins would be annoyed and exasperated and say, "Why is he flailing his arms around like Judy Garland?"

I've tried to explain the concept to a few actor/singers, but never with much success.

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"the dress, normally Anita is working on it while Maria complains, and then finally puts it on her, and that’s when Maria says that she loves it. This time, she’s wearing it the whole time, and then just stares at it again, and decides she loves it."

This didn't work for me. It's just not believable that she goes from hating the dress to loving it just because Anita says she'll be the only one there in white. And it's made even worse by the fact that it's a terrible dress! Makes her look like a frumpy Midwestern housewife (I know, I'm from Milwaukee =).

It's still an awful dress.

Kiddo watches some of scenes. And he sings "Somewhere."

Ok, thanks. "Somewhere" is my favorite song from the show so I hope the kid does it justice.

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Seeing it Thursday.

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Which means I will receive it on Monday.
Just kidding.

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Updated On: 3/2/09 at 09:27 PM

I agree. It was a bore.

my main question is....Why the ^%#*@ do they allow those sippy cups with the ice and sell it to idiots who then shake it during the show?? I wanted to punch the little brat next to me, then bitch slap his %^#$@ mother for not stopping him!

I'm trying not to have them until I see it!

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Having seen the show in DC and in NY, its tighter but not much. My problem is one that many here have detailed, namely that Matt Cavenaugh is miscast and has no chemistry with Maria. He's so Nebraska that he doesn't begin to convey someone who was once a member of the gang. As for the gangs, to quote a DC audience member, "the gangs were like a bunch of overly effeminate, gay, computer geeks, rather than gangs." Even former NY Times reviewer, Peter Marks, in his review of the DC run said that his guest for the night said she could take 'em [the gangs]. There's a difference between playing the part and being the part and the gangs don't get there.

Josephina and Karen Olivo are spectacular, particularly Karen. If the gangs had as much passion as she exudes through her pinky, they'd have a show.

For all the hoopla of the Spanish, its a gimmick. It doesn't resolve the basic problem with the show that we really don't know much about the Sharks. They have no lines. We know that Chino is Bernardo's cousin and that he's part of the gang, but because there is no antecedent, when he shows up in the last act and just shoots Tony it misses emotionally because no one has laid the fundament to understand the dynamics more deeply. Yes, Bernardo gets killed, so Chino kills Tony. Is that all??

The sound was just so, so. They're trying to strike a balance and make the show sound natural and not having it sound, well, amplified. I just think at times it needs a little more umph.

All in all, the music and dancing fantastic, sets and lighting too. Sound, just ok, cast very uneven acting wise. All told, a missed opportunity.

I may have missed this, but is there a rush or lottery?

"I hate lottos. I think it's unfair to people who maybe can't afford the pricier tickets. It just urks me. The first two names drawn tonight were two older ladies, but who could def. afford a $90-44 dollar ticket, but who just chose to do the lotto instead."

This is so bizarre. So you asked the women to show you their bank banks, and account statements to confirm their personal wealth? Wasn't that going a little overboard? This sounds like some biased kid who thinks everyone over the age of 50 or so is automatically rich, but all the youngsters running around with IPods and Blackberrys are poor.