West Side Story @ The Gateway Playhouse

[Bwaynerd]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 5:18pm

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT1MWt0nHqE
May 11-28

Get ticket info @ gatewayplayhouse.com

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 5:48pm

My 6 year old granddaughter and I have a "date" to see this on Saturday afternoon. It better be good--she's very discriminating!

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 5:54pm

Interesting that they are using the movie version of "America." I've personally only seen that happen in rinky-dink community or high school productions.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 10:15pm

They are also using the version of the ballet that INCLUDES the nightmare!

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 10:30pm

I heard that the Maria has a beautiful voice.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 12:41am

I really hate it when they stick the film version's "America" into the stage version.

Not that it doesn't work on stage but I don't think it's as good as the original all-Shark girl version--a celebration of and a call for assimilation as a key step toward the American dream. The film version's is cute and all but the feeling it's more a battle of the sexes and the pulling of the race card is sort blah to me and not as charming as Anita embracing her new home.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 2:03am

But it gives the Shark-boys the time and space to resonate that Arthur tried and failed to do in his last revival.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 9:37am

Interesting that this happened days after Arthur's death. Next, I predict, someone will switch Cool and Krupke to the way they are in the film.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 12:41pm

Will let you know. As I said, we're seeing the show on Saturday. (We're also having a good discussion afterwards. I think some of the themes in this show are important for a 6 year old to uunderstand.)

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 12:45pm

But it gives the Shark-boys the time and space to resonate that Arthur tried and failed to do in his last revival.

But isn't it illegal??

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 3:46pm

It could be illegal. It could also be that they asked MTI for permission to make this change and it was granted. The only way to find out is to pass the fact that they are doing it along to MTI and see what happens.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 3:48pm

Of course I would like to think that a company who has been producing for as long as they have, and being so close to NYC, would be smart enough to get permission to make that change. However, in light of recent events and comments from directors who claim to have many years of directing and producing it isn't nearly as clear anymore that professionals would know that they need to get permission to make changes.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 3:55pm

One could also look the other way.

[Bwaynerd]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 4:07pm

ofcourse gateway did it legally! they have been in business for 62 years now!

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/31/11 at 12:53pm

We saw the show on Saturday and enjoyed it. Quite frankly, I think I spent more time watching my granddaughter's face than I did on the rest of the show. She was msmerized by the whole production.

It was a good production. Of course, there was the usual problem with Tony being unable to sing the role as written (the last three notes of "Maria" were totally omitted)and he had some trouble sustaining his pitch. The only completely satisfying Tony I've ever seen was Matthew Hudzik in the latter part of the revival's run.

After the show we had a discussion about it. Her favorite number was the "Tonight Quintet" ("the singing was very exciting in that song") and the moral of the show for her was: "Guns. Guns are bad. Tony would not be killed if there were no guns." Then she pondered why Maria would have a gun hidden in her apartment. A perceptive observation for a 6 year old. She said, "There was a statue of Mary on the table and a gun in the drawer underneath that. That was not right." I couldn't agree more.