West Side Story - most recent revival

[Younger Brother]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 2:45pm

I was curious to know, a few years later, what did people think of the most recent West Side Story revival? A friend of mine and said it was very hit and miss: some people were excellent (Karen Olivo, she named) while other weren't. Besides the Spanish lyrics, was the it much different to other productions?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 2:55pm

There are many other threads about this with excellent debate pro and con.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 3:00pm

I saw the tour, which, to my understanding, was a very watered down version of what was on Broadway. The Spanish dialogue was almost completely removed (thank God). I enjoyed it. Was it the best thing I have ever seen? Definitely not. The Tony in particular was pretty bad. I remember Anita being wonderful though. I did not like how Somewhere was sung by Anybodys though at all. Such a misguided choice that did not resonate with me at all.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 3:03pm

I felt the same when I saw it on tour. Anita was amazing. Everything else was pretty blah.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 4:57pm

Most of the Spanish was removed from the b'way production eventually. I saw this with a group of about 80 and not too many people liked it very much.

It lacked soul to be honest. Such a shame, becuae for many of those in my group, it was their first (and possibly) only exposure to such a classic piece of musical theater.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 5:13pm

The Spanish lyrics/dialogue was so unnecessary, the watered-down choreo was unnecessary, that little kid singing "Somewhere" was unnecessary, cutting out a chunk of the "Somewhere" ballet was unnecessary, changing the dynamics of the finale was unnecessary, (some of) the costumes were not era-appropriate and Matt Cavenaugh was the blandest Tony this side of Richard Beymer.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 10:13pm

I didn't get to see Karen Olivo (she was out the day I saw it, not long after the Tonys), but the show in general lacked bite. I saw it again when Natalie Cortez was Anita, and she was wonderful but the show was still pretty uninvolving. I love West Side Story and it's one of my favorite scores, but the revival was just so bland and boring.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 10:39pm

I saw a college production of West Side Story that I thought was superior in pretty much every way to this revival. It definitely did not help that it was up against the great revival of Hair either.

[Visceral_Fella]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 11:41pm

Natalie Cortez was amazing as Anita. A shame that she picked up the watered down choreography because it was built around Olivo. Cortez is an amazing dancer and could have handled the original choreo or at least something more challenging than what Olivo was doing.

bwayphreak, what college was it?

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 12:08am

I saw it about 2 weeks after Olivo won the Tony, hoping to see her, and she was out with bronchitis, so that put a big damper on the experience after also missing her in In The Heights.

I liked it, it didn't move me or feel revolutionary, but I was entertained. I enjoyed the Spanish lyrics/book adjustments. Thought the child in Somewhere was stupid. Kyle Coffman was very cute.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 12:09am

There are literally endless threads about this topic.

[matineeidol2591]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 1:07am

It was a pretty disappointing revival. Extremely spotty direction and acting (example-Maria beginning the first bridal shop scene ALREADY staring into the mirror at the dress she is continually criticizing-by the end of the scene where she is supposed to finally look in the mirror and see/love the dress for the first time, she had already been staring at it for 5 minutes) and the Spanish dialogue did absolutely nothing to enhance the storytelling. And the washington post said it best criticizing that everybody on stage looked like they stepped out of the Gap. The saving graces were the kinetic Robins choreography-still as surprising and thrilling after all these years, and one of the most beautiful scores in the history of musical being performed by a very full orchestra.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 1:47am

It was actually my first exposure to West Side Story (I know, I know) and I left thinking "that's IT?"

Was later shocked at how much I liked the movie...

[The Other One]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 6:59am

There was something inexplicably casual about Laurents's direction. Tony walking into Maria's window after the rumble is one example that jumps to mind.

Still, it was West Side Story, and it was great to have it on Broadway again.

No production of the play has ever been received as well as the film. Even the original was an arty hit that lost most of its Tony nominations to The Music Man, which ran a lot longer as well. Sondheim has said that he began earning money off of the score when the movie, which swept the Oscars and did enormous box-office for its time, was released and pop singers began recording their own versions of its songs.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 8:02am

Sondheim has said that he began earning money off of the score when the movie, which swept the Oscars and did enormous box-office for its time, was released and pop singers began recording their own versions of its songs.

This is very true.

The soundtrack spent 54 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's album charts, giving it the longest run at No. 1 of any album in history, although some lists instead credit Michael Jackson's Thriller, on the grounds that West Side Story was listed on a chart for stereo albums only at a time when many albums were recorded in mono.

It was the best-selling album of the 1960s.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 8:21am

Here are some of the threads



PalJoey Sees His Beloved West Side Story

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 8:21am

Here are some of the threads



PalJoey Sees His Beloved West Side Story

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 8:22am

What was wrong with the West Side Story revival?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 8:22am

What was wrong with the West Side Story revival?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 8:24am

Changing the Spanish in WSS revival

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 8:24am

Changing the Spanish in WSS revival

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 11:15am

I reiterate one of my requests in these old threads: Please write a book. You simply must. A play wouldn't do it, because you can't find someone to channel Arthur Laurents, at the risk of losing their own souls to the power of his ghost. It must be a book. You don't have to go the Kelley/Goldman route to tell the truth.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 12:51pm

Agreed with everyone that has said it was extremely bland. I am not a huge fan of the show itself, but when I have seen the show before, there are always those highlight moments for me that pull me in (even if just for a song). This revival had nearly none of those moments for me.

Karen Olivo was the only reason worth seeing it and deserves the Tony she won.

However, the absolute worst part of the revival for me was Matt Cavenaugh. It felt like a joke on the audience that this actor was cast as a leading man in a Broadway show (let alone in an iconic Broadway show!). I kept thinking that I could not believe any director would let an actor get away with the performance that Cavenaugh gave. It was honestly laughable and the entire time I thought I was watching one of the Princes from “Into the Woods” perform the role of Tony.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 1:48pm

I don't love WEST SIDE STORY the way the rest of the world does. I don't DISLIKE it though. I think it's taut and well constructed, and contains a dazzling song in "Something's Coming", not to mention some of the best (if not THE best) choreography in the history of the musical theater, and some really wonderful dance and ballet music. But the characters are cardboard cutouts and almost impossible to play with any depth, the songs are the start of Bernstein's "pretentious/important-itis phase" (which continued till his death), and I'd much rather see GYPSY thank you very much.

I didn't dislike the last revival either. I thought Cavenaugh was laughably bad. If Larry Kert had been living (and he probably would have been 79 or 80 that year), he would have been a more convincing Tony. I thought Olivo was perfectly bland and okay, but not bad. (Chita, also in her late 70s, would have done a better job.) BUT the girl playing Maria, Josefina Scaglione, was delightful and enchanting and made "I Feel Pretty" worth sitting through. I thought Laurents' direction was apt (with the exception of the last scene), and I thought the production design was particularly good. I'm glad I saw it. I was thrilled to see the Robbins choreography again, even if it wasn't executed to the standard of some long-time fans and dancers alike. And I didn't mind the Spanish. It didn't hurt. It didn't help. It did work though.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 2:01pm

I agree that Cavanaugh was truly terrible. I saw Matt Hydzik later on and thought he was pretty good, certainly better than Cavanaugh had been. I also thought Josefina Scaglione was a lovely Maria; I just wish I had seen her opposite someone who wasn't quite so terrible.