WEST SIDE STORY reducing the size of the pit??

[morosco]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 5:54pm

Has anyone else heard the rumor that WEST SIDE STORY will be drastically reducing the number of musicians in the next few weeks? I hope it's not true.

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 5:58pm

They are raking in cash, they don't need to reduce it.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 6:03pm

It was posted on here, and was deleted.

Where is this rumor coming from?

[morosco]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 6:14pm

It was mentioned as an unconfirmed rumor on CASTRECL.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 6:20pm

I do not think the Bernstein estate would allow them to replace the strings with synths.

The producers should have no reason to want to do this.

[morosco]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 6:29pm

I do not think the Bernstein estate would allow them to replace the strings with synths.

I would think so too. But then again they have made some irresponsible allowances for Laurents.

[temms]

Posted: 3/21/09 at 9:28am

There is some precedence for doing this. We probably all remember the dustup over "orchestra minimums", which is where there is an agreed-upon minimum orchestra size (ranging from 3-19 players) depending on the size of the theatre.

It was widely reported that there is a special clause which allows producers to use less than the minimum number of musicians, if there is a compelling artistic reason (i.e. the Doyle productions, rock shows in big theatres, etc.)

A lesser-known provision is the "cut list". What this means is, if a producer chooses to hire more musicians than the theatre's minimum, he can choose (ahead of time) to put certain players on a "cut list", meaning that at any point after opening, the producer can reduce the orchestra to the theatre's minimum.

There are some rules - when you sign the contract with the union, you have to have the cut list approved. And when the musician is hired, they are hired knowing they are potentially temporary and that at any point the producer has the right to scale the orchestra back.

It's actually not a bad thing - it's a way to open with a big band, but not have your huge orchestra drag down the finances of a show later in the run when things start to drop off. But it seems awfully early to be doing it, especially given the reviews and the grosses, and especially given it's a Bernstein score, known especially for it's exciting orchestral writing.

So I wouldn't be surprised if there was a cut list in effect for the show, but I would be very surprised if the producers were choosing to enact it already.

[Princeton78]

Posted: 3/21/09 at 11:26am

I mean, they've opened, they've got decent reviews and a nice advance. Bus groups from all over the country will be coming to see this and they'll have no idea that the opening night audience and critics were treated to a bigger orchestra.

[marknyc]

Posted: 3/22/09 at 2:21pm

"It was posted on here, and was deleted."

So my original post on this was deleted? I'm not even allowed to ask for verification or denial of a rumor?