um....West Side Story?....sorta

[theatreboi11]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:04am

I thought I would share a rather interesting event I attended tonight.

Basically I just saw West Side Story without an ounce of dancing.....no I am not joking....no I am not exaggerating.....it was, for lack of a better word, werid! It was like watching A Chorus Line without dancing! I just sat there and could not understand!

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:05am

.......I'm not even going to ask.

[Pinguin]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:05am

What did they do for all the music set aside for dance breaks? Like during Cool? Did they just STARE at each other?

[theatreboi11]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:08am

Lets just say there was a lot of running, fighting, and high fiving. And the best part was that every time there was a dance break they would switch to the cast recording! I didn't understand the orchestra was actually extremely good when they did play!

[bwayballerina]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:13am

Oy vey. The dancing is what makes West Side Story so amazing. America without Latin-flavored dancing? Cool without the random outbursts of pirouettes or whatever? There's a reason why West Side Story is this dancer's favorite musical. And switching to the cast recording, that's just... strange.

[Sporti2005]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:13am

this must have been some SERIOUSLY down home community theatre....yes?

[theatreboi11]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:16am

yes it was community theatre but they have never put on this bad of a show. Last year the show was amazing and this year well.....Chino was played by a 54 year old....Maria was 16.......Anita was 44.....Bernardo was 15......lets just say alot of interesting love scenes!

Updated On: 8/5/05 at 12:16 AM

[life_so_far]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:23am

Oh... my...

[CurtainUp]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:25am

Oy what about the DANCE IN THE GYM?!?

[theatreboi11]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:28am

There was some very middle school partner dancing....just all impromptu and then after a bit the gangs starting yelling back and forth and doing the whole my dick is bigger than yours thing. Lights went out.....for came out of no where.....and Tony saw Maria....end of scene.

[timote316]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:32am

I thought Jerome Robbins' estate requires that all productions of his shows require his choreography... hm.

I cannot imagine WSS without dancing.

[theatreboi11]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:34am

Hmm I don't think that is true because I have been in the show where it was just a random person's choreography. So either that or every community/high school production is illegal.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:44am

Hmm, I'm also involved in a well summer theatre high school performance of west side story. I'm interning as assistant musical director and playing in the pit...and we do have dancing thank god, not fabulous...but the staging of the ending is pissing me off...

I'm pretty sure the script calls for, or at least the way my high school did it two years ago, is Maria refuses to let Shrank touch Tony, so then the Jets start to carry him off, but he almost falls so some Sharks unconsciously run to grab him, then they kinda look and realize what has happened and make up without words. Some others follow, and a couple walk off very confused, still unable to let go of gang violence..oh and a Jet puts the scarf on Maria's head, and then the last scene on the stage is Chino being held and the four adults just staring blankly into space, not knowing how this all happened or how to control it. I love that last part...

The way this is staged...after Maria refuses to let Shrank touch him, she motions to everyone...and Chino is the first one to come over and pick him up...I don't think he's seen the error of his ways in that many seconds, he certainly shouldn't be first, and Jets and Sharks come and carry him off at Maria' motioning...then the scarf is put on her and the last image is Shrank walking Maria off...wtf?? Why would Maria let Shrank walk her off, it just doesn't make sense.

Sorry, had to vent, I've been hating watching that last scene of rehearsals.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:48am

I believe only major Equity productions require the Robbins' choreography. Jerry Mitchell (who, at last word, is slated to direct the next Broadway revival of the show in 2007) has said he's been part of some WSS productions that used the Robbins choreography and others that have not. Thankfully, he plans on recreating the Robbins choreography for the next revival (assuming it's still happening).

[Marquise]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:50am

I think they should do "West Side Story" without the songs and dances. They could set it in Old World Verona and have it about two feuding families instead of the gang members. I could see this working....

[theatreboi11]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:58am

haha marquise!

[ProducerJeff]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 9:25am

I produced WSS for a local community theatre a couple of years back....and in the contract I signed with MTI it does state something to the effect that the original Jerome Robbins choreography should be used....etc., etc. (not sure on the exact wording and I am too lazy to dig up the contract).

We did keep to the spirit of the Robbins choreography, however it is hard when you don't have dancers that have the training necessary to do some of the moves.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:08pm

If I'm not mistaken the Robbins Estate says that original staging and choreography should be used if possible. If more than 90% of the choreography is used billing says originally choreographed by Jerome Robbins - choreography re-created by Jon Doe. If not it just says original...JR - Choreographed by Jon Doe. Or something like that.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:15pm

How old are the characters in WSS? Are they really supposed to be in high school? I always figured Maria to be about 16, Tony was 17 or 18 and Anita and Bernardo maybe a year or so older then that. Maybe I'm just going off the movie, though.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:21pm

I'm guessing that since they dance at a school gym they're probably around the high school (or high school dropout) age range

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:22pm

Is it the school gym? I thought it was like a Rec center...

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:24pm

It isn't a school gym it is indeed a Recreational Centre gym. They are supposed to be late teens - early 20's.

[peach]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:37pm

Egad. WSS without dancing is sacrelige (but I'm a dancer, so....)
This is a tough show to do - I don't think groups should even attempt take it on if they can't *really* take it on!

Each time I've been in it (always non-equity) we used Robbins' original choreography, or at least most of it. It had to be credited as such for legal reasons, I suppose.

[Madame X]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 12:41pm

Where did you see it? Someone else on this other message board saw it last night too and said it hasn't held up at all and couldn't fathom it being anyone's favorite musical since it was so depressing. Wonder if it was the same production.

[theatreboi11]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 1:34pm

I saw it in Highland, Indiana haha Doubt it was the same production