WSS Incorporating Spanish

[hmpeterson]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 9:54pm

I know there is another thread about the DC run but that has focused more on the costumes. I would like some people who saw it in DC to talk about the Spanish incorporated into the show.

It sounds as though there is A LOT of Spanish in this new revival with screens on either side with surtitles. Is this distracting because I would think it would be. Also, "I Feel Pretty" and "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love" in Spanish...yikes!!!! Not trying to make a judgement because I haven't seen it, but I do not want to hear those songs in Spanish! And how does that work...are they speaking Spanish leading into the songs? How much of this revival is in Spanish?

I think it's great to incorporate more Spanish into the show, but it sounds like half the show is in Spanish with surtitles. It seems like that would take people's attention away from what is happening on the stage so they can follow the dialogue. I would like to hear from some people that saw it and their opinion of how it flows.

Thanks!

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 10:12pm

If you search a few pages back on here there is a link to an NPR show with Josefina Scaglione, and you can hear her sing a little bit of "I Feel Pretty" (or "Me Siento Hermosa"). It works really well.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 10:24pm

My question is whether or not I will understand the songs (and show) if I don't speak Spanish. I know enough to understand everything in In The Heights, but with full-on Spanish songs I'm not so sure. And while most people will probably understand it because of their past experiences with the material, I've (shamefully) never seen the film or a production of it. And since I am seeing it in March I'm not sure if I should watch it or it's alright to go in fresh.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 10:49pm

If you're really concerned, rent the movie or read the script. I refuse to believe you don't know how it ends.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 10:50pm

LOL

[bethnor]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 10:55pm

spoilers

The Shark boys speak almost exclusively in Spanish, except for the occasion they address the Jets. The initial exchange between Anita and Maria is almost all in Spanish. Otherwise for most of the first act Anita speaks English. After Bernardo's death and her view of America is dashed she switches to exclusively Spanish. That, especially, was quite effective, IMHO. "America" is in English, and the Sharks' part of the "Tonight" Quintet, "I Am Pretty," and "A Boy Like That" are all in Spanish.

I think it worked really well, but I have my biases. I enjoy listening to things in foreign languages. It adds poetry and lyricism to it, and often elevates the material. An example is the film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Try watching it in English dub. It becomes just another corny kung-fu flick.

I agree that it adds tension because one side clearly does not understand what the other is saying. I have definitely been in situations where my family speaks in their native language around those who do not speak it, and it makes those who do not understand visibly uncomfortable and alienates them, and the changes were authentic to those feelings.

Obviously, if your native language is Spanish, or you are fluent in it, the effect is lost or blunted.

Apparently Sondheim hates the lyrics to "I Am Pretty," so I think the changes will satisfy him. I have to say. When Karen and Josefina sang "I Have Love" in Spanish together it was absolutely pitch perfect and absolutely gorgeous, it was incredibly lyrical and flowed beautifully. And kudos go to Lin-Manuel Miranda. It's clear even to me that he did not simply translate word for word and that a lot of work went into his changes (because most foreign languages do not translate word for word to mean the exact same thing) and to make it flow seamlessly. For instance, Anita is clearly singing, "Por Favor, por favor," which translates on the screen to the "Very smart, very smart," segment, when most of us knows "por favor" literally means "please."

That said, the OP is correct, the current placement of the surtitles to the left and right of the stage is distracting, and often forces you to choose between the performers or understanding what's going on, which is a mistake. You are better off ignoring the surtitles and getting the gist of what's going on through the performers (which is actually possible, most of the performances being strong enough), which many in the audience seemed able to do (there was a lot of laughter to jokes in Spanish), if you can, or just having advance knowledge of what is being said.

Sadly, the performer who is hurt most by this is George Akram, as his character is most dependent on the translations. I think that's why his performance didn't register much with me; I was always trying to read what he was saying. They would be far better off placing the screens either above or behind the performers.

/spoilers

There. Maybe I don't know "proper review structure," but I hope that was helpful.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 11:08pm

I love what we've seen of "Hoy Me Siento Tan Hermosa"

"Today I feel so pretty
So precious that I can fly
And there is no goddess in the world that is going to reach me"

Updated On: 12/17/08 at 11:08 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 12:03am

I wonder if that's how it's translated on the screens.

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 12:22am

I actually know nothing about WSS except its about two gangs, the Sharks and the Jets, and there's Tony, Maria, and Anita.

I also don't speak a word of Spanish.


So I plan of staying away from this revival.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 12:30am

Usually High Schools English classes incorporate WSS, it's a shame if they're not anymore. I know my school did.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 1:26am

From what the other thread is saying, it sounds like the translations won't be literal. Too bad.

Yeah, my middle school watched parts of WSS. Everyone in my class just laughed at the ballet-dancing gang fight, though.

Wishing: If you're familiar with Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is pretty easy to figure out.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 2:28am

Is "I Have A Love" translated as "Tengo un amor"? That's how I've translated it in my head since I first heard about the revisions earlier this year. It literally means the same thing and it also fits the music (4 syllables).

As for "I Feel Pretty," I had translated that as "Me siento linda." "Me siento hermosa" works, too, but I reckon it's quite a mouthful to sing.


ETA: Okay, So I just clicked on that NPR link. While "Me siento hermosa" is the literal translation of the original English song "I Feel Pretty," it doesn't follow the same sung pattern. What I mean is, I expected her to start the song with "Me siento hermosa..." However, the new Spanish lyrics are better than I'd expected:

Hoy me siento tan hermosa
Tan preciosa que puedo volar
Y no hay diosa en el mundo que me va a alcanzar

Firs of all, I'm loving the internal rhyming (preciosa/diosa) and I must say it gets the same message across without being true (read: literal) to the original Sondheim lyrics. For those wondering, the English translation of the above is:

Today I'm feeling very pretty
So precious that I can fly
And there is no goddess in the world who can reach (my heights)

The English translation sounds lame, but, trust me, it fits in Spanish.

Updated On: 12/18/08 at 02:28 AM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 4:03am

I'm surprised people actually claim to not know anything about it. From my experience, West Side Story is the only musical some people have heard of.

Half the show is not in Spanish. Two songs are. In the first scene at the bridal shop, Anita and Maria speak English, then Bernardo and Chino come in and they switch to Spanish. Before America, they speak in Spanish, but Anita switches to English as soon as the Sharks leave. The Tonight Quintet has the Sharks' part in Spanish. The conversations between Maria and Chino, and Maria and Anita in her bedroom after the rumble are both in Spanish. Maria's speech at the end starts in Spanish but she switches to English. That's it. A few exchanges of dialogue sprinkled throughout as appropriate. The show is more about Tony/Maria and the Jets than the Sharks, so there isn't occasion for half the show to be in Spanish.

Is "I Have A Love" translated as "Tengo un amor"?
Yes

Updated On: 12/18/08 at 04:03 AM

[Fan123]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 6:42am

Here's that 'Hoy Me Siento' link again:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98207909

Posted: 12/18/08 at 8:49am

I can't believe the ignorance that runs thru these boards at times.

It's the VERY SAME morality message that these wonderful creators were trying to teach in West SIde Story to begin with.

To avoid a show because words are being sung in spanish...is complete ignorance.

I always hated the original version because spanish words were used improperly and horribly pronounced in a broken down 'spanglish-english' sort of way.

KUDOS to this new revival for finally bringing some reality in the dialect and making it hipper and adding more of a touch of realism to the piece.

maybe someday, somewhere.....people will be open enough to accept it......but not on these boards....thats for sure.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 9:00am

You know, at first I was skeptical, but now I'm actually excited to see this. It updates the show and makes it less silly, something many posters here, myself included, have been clamoring for.

[hmpeterson]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 9:03am

Thanks for the link....boy her voice is beautiful.

Thanks for the info from the people who saw the show. I have seen WSS (the movie) and a high school production of it but I am bringing my husband who has never seen it. He knows the story but I was worried he would lose a lot if there was too much Spanish in the show.

Taboo: I am not an ignorant person. I said I am glad they are incorporating Spanish into the show. I was concerned how much because I am bringing someone new who has never seen it. Also, IMO, too much Spanish would take away from the true essence of the show. Back then, when people came to America, they wanted to become more Americanized. (Not saying I agree with that but back in the 50s when WSS was set, that is what happened.) So they would try to speak English instead of Spanish. In this show, the girls really wanted to be American (and the guys did too but I think they were too proud to admit it.) So it would make more sense for them to speak a little Spanish but try to speak more English. So being concerned about the amount of Spanish doesn't make me ignorant. It makes me concerned the person watching with me will know what is going on and I didn't want to go to a show and take my view away from the stage to follow surtitles for too much of the time. And I wanted this to be true to the time and the show. From what the posters who saw the show are saying, it will be.

So please don't call people ignorant who are looking for more information about the show.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 9:04am

KUDOS to this new revival for finally bringing some reality in the dialect and making it hipper and adding more of a touch of realism to the piece.

that's exactly why I am so excited to see it. I'll admit it: I've never seen the show before. I'm familiar enough with the music, but never saw a production. I was stoked for a revival anyway, and was so intrigued and excited by this prospect of translating dialogue and lyrics in Spanish. I think it's so time appropriate, too. there's still so much clashing over culture and language, and it shows in people's reactions. my own Spanish is dreadful, but I'm not letting that keep me away from seeing this production.

in other news, Josefina Scaglione's voice is beautiful. she sounds so pure and sweet.

Updated On: 12/18/08 at 09:04 AM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 10:10am

Are people who are going to avoid this because of the Spanish also avoiders of Light in the Piazza? Or is unsupertitled Italian less offensive than supertitled Spanish?

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 10:14am

Phyllis, don't you know that nothing is more offensive than Spanish in the United States?

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 11:02am

I like the new lyrics, even translated, better than the old. Josefina's voice is so gorgeous.

Can't wait to see this.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 11:57am

So please don't call people ignorant who are looking for more information about the show.

I think Taboo was referring to this post:
WishingOnlyWounds2: I also don't speak a word of Spanish.
So I plan of staying away from this revival.

Updated On: 12/18/08 at 11:57 AM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 12:02pm

Si si, usted está correcto, givesmevoice.

[whatever2]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 12:04pm

my enthusiasm for this revival initially was tempered by the fear that the use of spanish would be little more than tokenism -- i.e., a smattering of phrases here and bi-lingual choruses there, just to make it seem exotic for the B&T crowd. i actually am THRILLED to hear the spanish is robust and am now more excited than ever to see this performance.

to the people who are genuniely unsure what a non-english theater experience will be like: i see more than 20 operas a year, and i promise you -- sub-titles work!

to the haters on the board: your check-out has been confirmed for noon on january 20th ... we regret that late departures cannot be accommodated. BUH-BYE!!!

Updated On: 12/18/08 at 12:04 PM

[hmpeterson]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 12:35pm

whatever2: thanks for the heads up on the subtitles.

I have never seen a show in another language and have no idea how that would flow. Which is why I wanted to come on here and ask the people who have seen it, how it would work. It was never meant to be insensitive. I look at the Spanish incorporation like the change in costumes and the casting choices....it is part of the different fresh approach and was curious how it would work.

I didn't think I would like it and was hoping the director was still staying true to the show. One poster mentioned how Anita speaks English for the most part (trying to be American) and then when Bernardo is killed, switches back to Spanish...makes perfect sense! Never thought of it that way. I already bought my tickets for NY so I am looking forward to it.

Another poster mentioned how this really elevates the material. And that was my concern....my husband has just recently become a theater nut like me so it may be too elevated for him....ha!!!