West Side Story Revival... discuss...

[Amneris]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 9:08pm

whatever happened to this? I thought it was supposed to be here for spring 05' with mitchell doing the dance work at the minskoff ?

[pab]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 9:12pm

Some of the members on this Board had some information on that possible revival.

Link Below:


Link

[andyf]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 9:14pm

I think Fiddler still being open may pose a problem.

[Amneris]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 9:15pm

that's my next thing... someone needs to tell the ushers who work for the nederlander theaters that they need to stop telling people Fiddler is posting notice. That is wrong and unfair.

Also Pab thanks for the link =D

[andyf]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 9:17pm

Translate...they're telling people Fiddler's on its way out?

Speaking of which, when is Molina done?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 9:17pm

molinas done when fierstein takes over...btw, west side story is on turner classic movies as we speak

[pab]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 9:20pm

Well they were down to 52% last week so maybe HF will be in sooner then we think.

[Amneris]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 9:54pm

wasn't it a joke about Harvey? I thought that was the title of an article but when you clicked on it, it was something else.. or i could totally be wrong. Yes, they are telling people that Fiddler is closing (that creative team has been talking about posting notice very soon).

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 12:41am

yes, the West Side Story revival was scheduled to have a late 2005 opening, but now they're considering it to 2007 and making it a big 50th anniversary opening. i hear it will also keep the original jerome robins choreography and they're wanting to have actual young people playing the young people in the show! none of this 30 year olds playing 18 year olds. i am VERY excited about this show...seeing as it is one of my favorite musicals of all time.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 12:45am

Yea, they would have to use the original chorography, because that's the only thing his estate allows, which is why they HAD to use his original materical for FIDDLER and GYPSY. Let's just say thank god for that, I cna't see WSS being done any other way. The show never really sent me anywhere - I have an appreciation for it, but I havent' fallen in love with it. I cannot wait to come back to broadway so that, like OKLAHOMA, hopefully it will make re-discovering a classic show a great, eye opening experience.

[Amneris]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 8:57am

mywonderwa11 wrote : "and they're wanting to have actual young people playing the young people in the show! none of this 30 year olds playing 18 year olds. "

AMEN!!!!!! This is one of my favorite shows as well and one of the biggest problems on bway is having the SAME people in every show and it gets a little weird after a while have them play 16 yros when they look their age lol.

[rlbgbc]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 9:39am

I also agree that the Robbins choreography is tne only way to do WSS...it's so much a part of the concept of the show that it's difficult to separate it from the work.

I saw a production of WSS at a rep theatre in which they tried to "modernize" it. Choreography by Mia Michaels. Oi vay. The whole thing was revolting. The dance at the gym was turned into some hip-hop nightmare. No ballet influence at all. And they thought they were being so cutting edge.

They also tried to modernize the lyrics. At the end of "The Jet Song", instead of singing "the whole...ever...mother...loving....streeeeeeeet!", they changed it to (you guessed it) "the whole....ever...mother...f***ing....streeeeeeet!"

You could hear the air being sucked out of the theatre as the blue hairs gasped in horror (this was a Sunday matinee). From that point on, they completely lost the audience. And me, as well. And I'm no prude, believe me...but changing a lyric for the shock value DID offend me.

[Amneris]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 9:42am

i think at that point , I would of left. How can you change such precious lyrics to crap?? Do people really think by adding in curses that it will add to something for the better? I remember a few years back , My HS drama teacher took us to see a tour of WSS at the NJ Performing Arts center and it was AWFUL. My HS did it and I have to say I think our production was a lot better lol.. KEEP THE ORIGINAL STUFF IN THE SHOW!!!! :::does nathan lane producers voice:::

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 2:05pm

I would LOVE for them to revive this show, and do it with a cast of teenagers the actual age. Kinda what Baz did for La Boheme. I think this is one play done best when it is produced by high schools because they capture the lost innocence and the energy of the characters taht a 30 year old simply can't, not matter how good an actor. I am kind of interested in seeing "modernized" version...I think it could work, as long as it's not TOO much. I think Oficcer Krupke would make a funny freestyle beat-box hiphop number with no insturments...just voices. then agian that could suck...I'd have to see it and decide.

Akiva

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 3:25pm

I was so thankful for the run of Jerome Robbins Broadway in the late 80s. That's the first time I had ever seen the choreography for WSS (with the exception of the movie).

[andyf]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 5:54pm

It's true, aside from watching all the poor Irish girls who got stuck playing the Sharks' women trying to be other than transparent...Amneris' production was really good.

[Amneris]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 5:55pm

HAHAHA!!! And OHH!! Those poor shark girls had to use that disgusting black hair paint.. thank god for being a jet girl. It was like Tevye's daughters being cast as Sharks. Updated On: 11/10/04 at 05:55 PM

[judy_in_disguise]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 6:00pm

LOL i was a shark girl......and look at me! *points to avatar* I'm as Irish as they come, minus the red hair!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/10/04 at 6:05pm

Ah, yes. I'm still hoping they throw out the original Jerome Robins choreography and redo it with some rough violent dance. I never bought that ballet stuff... not for a second. It looks sooooo bad in the movie too. Ugh... lets have a real jet and sharks face off, not the ballet of queers...