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Post by Nicholas on Nov 17, 2019 12:44:30 GMT
I just don’t see why van Hove needs to have a crack at this. AFter all, we’ve already had the definitive European West Side Story…
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Post by Someone in a tree on Nov 17, 2019 17:05:26 GMT
I just don’t see why van Hove needs to have a crack at this. AFter all, we’ve already had the definitive European West Side Story…
We may laugh but the stylised wigs and costumes is a neat way of getting around any casting issues. Instead of faithful casting you go wild with the colourblind concept
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Post by intoanewlife on Nov 18, 2019 22:17:42 GMT
I just don’t see why van Hove needs to have a crack at this. AFter all, we’ve already had the definitive European West Side Story…
Ummmm wtf did I just watch?
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Post by raider80 on Nov 19, 2019 11:54:31 GMT
I just don’t see why van Hove needs to have a crack at this. AFter all, we’ve already had the definitive European West Side Story…
Now that is high art with a capital H.
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Post by viserys on Nov 20, 2019 8:13:46 GMT
Now that is high art with a capital H. No, this is precisely the reason why German theatre lovers flock to London in droves
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Post by MrBraithwaite on Nov 20, 2019 8:43:28 GMT
Now that is high art with a capital H. No, this is precisely the reason why German theatre lovers flock to London in droves I couldn't agree more Viserys!
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Post by Nicholas on Nov 25, 2019 13:53:57 GMT
Now that is high art with a capital H. No, this is precisely the reason why German theatre lovers flock to London in droves Sure, in London there's, you know, some of the best theatre in the world, but you get daily access to theatre as, um, 'daring' and 'artsy' as this, and honestly I’m a wee bit jealous. If they revive this I'm bloody flocking to Germany. We may laugh but the stylised wigs and costumes is a neat way of getting around any casting issues. Instead of faithful casting you go wild with the colourblind concept In theory that’s an interesting approach. In practice, they seem to have ended up with…
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Post by Fleance on Dec 20, 2019 5:01:32 GMT
Wonderful, deeply moving production, directed by Ivo van Hove. May upset the purists, though. It has a long preview period: two months. What I saw will probably change somewhat, so an excuse to see it again. And yes, there are projections, and they are brilliant.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 25, 2019 16:14:45 GMT
I saw this last week before Isaac's accident.
I was extremely supportive of a new modern take on WSS, including new choreography. We've seen the (brilliant) Robbins' choreography 700 times, and for all we know there are probably 60 recreations of his original choreography in America, and probably 10 across the world happening right now.
I've only seen Lazarus and All About Eve as far as Ivo's work is concerned. I was mesmerized by the camera work in All About Eve, though I listened closely to how people have criticized his camera work as a "trick" to hide otherwise weak direction. WSS utilizes the same camera work, be it, much less than All About Eve. I also recently saw "A History of Violence" at St. Ann's Warehouse, which is somewhat similar in using cell phone/live filming while telling the story. If you've seen it before, it might not be as impressive. If this is your first time, it possibly could be.
In an interview, Ivo says that he's made the cuts and made the play into one act to show how fast things are unraveling, and how the characters are racing against time. That's a fine artistic choice, but I found that his pace, technique and overall aesthetic was at odds with the book. And although the book is not dated and some lines land and land well, it's still written at such a pace that is much slower than the tempo of the movement on stage.
The new choreography seems uncertain. It only picks up with the big production numbers, mainly at the gym. America is now based on the film version with boys vs girls, and I like how it works.
The two leads are good. In this version, it's mostly Tony's story, and Isaac Powell might not sing the score beautifully, but he has reinvented Tony from the ground up. He finally makes sense as a reformed ex-gang member who wants a new beginning. Shereen Pimentel is feisty, flirty and believable as a strong millennial who has an opinion.
Both gangs now are multi-racial and mixed. What was once a story about racism is now a story of toxic masculinity. Overall a very polished preview. The production has a lot of style and swag, but with very little emotions. Technically, they've figured it out and don't need to worry about the mechanics of the show, but there's still some work to be done on how to connect to the audience. Considering how square and touristy the audience is, I'm not sure that this WSS belongs in a commercial Broadway house. It would fare much better somewhere in Brooklyn, or even at an opera house that wants diversify its programming and bring in a younger audience.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Dec 30, 2019 18:19:54 GMT
Thanks for the great review.
Interesting how race is sidelined for toxic / alpha male concept. How do the lines about ethnicity go down, Especially in the song America?
Thanks
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2020 2:08:50 GMT
Who knows what its staying power will be, but right now it is selling very, very well.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2020 23:32:16 GMT
Not sure if you can access it outside the US, but excellent CBS 60 Minutes feature aired this past Sunday that explored the development and tone of the show. Certainly increased my enthusiasm to see it in a few weeks. www.cbsnews.com/news/west-side-story-broadway-behind-scenes-60-minutes-2020-02-16/ In an "extra" segment, Sondheim make s a compelling case for why a new interpretation is appropriate and welcome.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 18, 2020 12:55:50 GMT
Yes we can access that. It looks brilliant, wish I could see it. what seems odd is the decision to leave in the toned down language eg “mother blubbin’ street” which sounds incongruous and just wrong in that very modern setting. It seems pretty much everything else was up for being changed at and in the Sondheim clip he says he would have used profanity had he been allowed to.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2020 16:55:25 GMT
Interesting background story: www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/02/20/west-side-story-returns-broadway-it-has-lot-say-about-race-america/"In this way, van Hove knowingly or not signals that “West Side Story” has always been about the ways that race and identity are constantly changing and reformulating themselves in America. The show’s original creators grappled with this concept as they were devising their 1950s opus and eschewed religious tensions for racial ones. Just as the original 1957 production was meant to be a window into the racial politics of the day, so too does this new “West Side Story” speak to contemporary audiences, highlighting the ways in which race, ethnicity and identity, while always changing, are also ever present in the experiment that is America."
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Post by couldileaveyou on Feb 21, 2020 1:27:15 GMT
Last night was opening night and the general reception has been mixed/lukewarm. The New York Times seems mixed-to-negative, while more positive reviews come from The Times, Rolling Stones, the Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, and the enthusiastic New York Post.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2020 4:17:37 GMT
In terms of very positive reviews, you can add The Washington Post and Time Out New York. I think this Hollywood Reporter review offers a thorough exploration of the production's strengths and weaknesses. www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/west-side-story-theater-1280016And this closing line from the review sums the situation up nicely: "Like last season's revisionist makeover of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! it's bound to be polarizing, but it's definitely not to be missed."
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Post by n1david on Aug 9, 2021 17:28:10 GMT
Damn. Had hoped to see this next year after my visit to last year in April was canned...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2021 16:18:56 GMT
Damn. Had hoped to see this next year after my visit to last year in April was canned... I'm not surprised. There was ALOT of controversy surrounding this production. They may try it over here in London but I don't know. From the limited clips I've seen, it looks pretty weird. Maybe it will go to National? I would rather have Hadestown back though.
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Post by Mark on Sept 10, 2021 20:37:40 GMT
I hope not. Really didn’t rate this production.
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Post by n1david on Sept 10, 2021 22:35:38 GMT
I know that the casting of this show caused a huge amount of controversy and not everyone liked the show. My view was that this was an interesting attempt to reimagine a classic by a noted director. Whether it succeeded or failed, it would have been interesting from the perspective of how the production of "classic" shows evolves. I doubt it will come to the UK as it would come here with the label of being a failure on Broadway, so I could only see it here if it were further reworked and presented as a new version.
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