West Side Story Revival will cut I Feel Pretty and Somewhere Ballet

[SisterGeorge]

This may indeed turn out to be awful, but the movie cut the Somewhere Ballet and it's one of the best movie musicals ever made, so a cut number here and there does not necessarily doom this production.

 

[ljay889]

But the movie still used the song as a duet. It’s an iconic song.

[trpguyy]

If y’all are upset now, just wait until you see the 40’ video wall.

[JBC3]

I wish someone was turning this thread into a TV docudrama as the over-the-top reactions would be hysterical to see acted out live.

[justoldbill]

Why doesn't any of this surprise me?  Next, they'll announce that the dancing will be done barefoot on a carpeted stage.

[ggersten]

The prologue will start with the actors getting dressed into their parts - all of which will be projected on the screen.

The Rumble will be pre-filmed and projected.

The Sharks will speak Spanish, and subtitles will be projected.

Krupke will be dressed as Trump.

 

[MikeInTheDistrict]

JBC3 said: "I wish someone was turning this thread into a TV docudrama as the over-the-top reactions would be hysterical to see acted out live."

Jesse Tyler Ferguson used to do dramatic readings of posts from this board on Instagram. Maybe he'll do this thread. :)

This musical has been presented in essentially carbon-copy form for the last 60 years. Most everyone has had an opportunity to see a traditional production of this by now (and, if not, they have the original film and the new Spielberg film, which probably won't deviate from the original as much as this revival despite revisions). The last revival was recent enough that another revival would not really be warranted unless it were doing something REALLY different. And it is. So I'm okay with it.

[ACL2006]

This is getting a lot of heat on social media. Does the show even last 6 months?

[GiantsInTheSky2]

“Do people think for themselves anymore? Or even think...in general? Or do they just wait for something to get enraged about so they can pick up their phones and add another empty cluck to the latest trending chicken coop?”
- Isaac Cole Powell, aka Tony.
 

This whole thing is a dumpster fire.

[OlBlueEyes]

It takes a lot of hubris to remake a classic film, and most early audiences are not going to be favorably disposed.
 

Let the man follow his vision and judge the completed work.

[Luminaire2]

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "“Do people think for themselves anymore? Or even think...in general? Or do they just wait for something to get enraged about so they can pick up their phones and add another empty cluck to the latest trending chicken coop?”
- Isaac Cole Powell, aka Tony.


This whole thing is a dumpster fire."

 

weird. That linked tweet I can open... but I can’t see any other tweets on his twitter... 

 

[ljay889]

He now deleted the tweet.

[persephone88]

"But West Side Story is a known commodity.  If you say you are doing it, do it.

If you want to create a new different show, do so, and give it a new different name."

Kind of like To Kill A Mockingbird? Very different take from both the movie and the original play script, but it's still called To Kill A Mockingbird and still selling tickets.

Van Hove is a polarizing direction. Some people love him, some people hate him. Did anyone think he was going to do a very traditional retelling? I'm with OlBlueEyes. If you don't want to see it, for whatever reason, don't go. If you didn't like any of his prior work, don't go. But the fact is, no one on this board has seen his work on this yet. It may be terrible. It may be innovative and striking. It may be boring. It will likely have people who hate it and those who enjoy it. Kind of like the recent Oklahoma. Or To Kill A Mockingbird. Or any number of revivals that succeed or fail because someone tried something new with it. 

I love West Side Story. I thought Van Hove's direction of A View From the Bridge was mostly terrific. I felt sort of "meh" about the Crucible. Had no desire to see his Network. I am interested to see what he does with WSS. Though the thought of video screens is not terribly appealing to me, I'll withhold judgment until I see it and hope that he will bring something new and invigorating to it. I adore Jerome Robbins choreography, but am interested to see what someone else can bring to it.

 

[MollyJeanneMusic]

I feel like this production is trying to be this season's Oklahoma - but the key thing about Oklahoma is that it didn't change a word of the script.  It highlighted all these themes that were already hidden inside the text.  If you're going to make a "gritty" version of a show, you have to show why it deserves to be looked at through such a lens, not why it has to be altered to fit that vision.

[YvanEhtNioj]

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "“Do people think for themselves anymore? Or even think...in general? Or do they just wait for something to get enraged about so they can pick up their phones and add another empty cluck to the latest trending chicken coop?”
- Isaac Cole Powell, aka Tony.



This whole thing is a dumpster fire."

I mean.. he ain’t lying. If the show was the same with no innovation, people would bitch. If they change they show to put another creative take on it.. people bitch. Make it make sense. 
 
I think people should give it a chance before making early harsh judgements. We’ve seen literally one production photo, and everything else has come from this interview. I think it’s too early to label the show as trash. 
 

[JBC3]

I hardly think van Hove would care to try and be "this season's" anything. He tends to operate on his own wavelength.

[PalJoey]

 

I mean, this post on "Broadway Beat: Fake Broadway News for Real Broadway Newsies" is probably not-that-very-fake:

“West Side Story” Revival Cuts 'I Feel Pretty', All Other Songs, Tony's Death, Tony, Stage, Lights

[trentsketch]

I'm curious to see how this production is going to turn out. For me, I find I Feel Pretty and the Somewhere Ballet to be much needed moments of hope and positivity in a show that does end on a very somber note. I like the contrast in tones. I like the brief glimpses of optimism that start to seem more and more unrealistic (fantasy, if you will) and spread further and further apart as the plot barrels towards inevitable tragedy. Without these moments in act II, it's mostly tension. 

Whereas the changes to the last revival actually got me excited (I loved it and saw it early enough in the run that most of the Spanish translations were still intact), I'm just not sure about this production. I don't see how van Hove's style is a natural fit for the material and, judging by these cuts, he has a very different vision of what he thinks the show should be. I'm not saying it won't work. It could really come together and surprise me. I'm just not excited by what I've heard so far.

[Rainah]

Isaac Powell has now deleted his entire twitter. Guess he was getting a lot of hate

[SouthernCakes]

Oh jeez. Just curious what the physical production is like. He doesn’t seem to go for big splashy set pieces

[mlsheehan]

As long as the blood rain shower is still in at the end, I'm all for it!

[Mike Barrett]

Everyone needs to relax, you haven’t seen the show. The funny thing is a lot of you complaining are likely to buy tickets as well.

Poor Isaac. Idk if he really needed to tweet and defend the show (although he seems to be proud of the work honestly) but he made a good point and likely got tons of hate for it. Just stay of twitter people, nothing but toxicity.

[everythingtaboo]

To everyone saying, "Well just don't buy tickets"? Well guess what, tickets and groups have been buying tickets for months now, and even with the whole "new look at the classic musical" hype, I don't any layperson would ever expect two of the biggest hits of the show to be cut, along with the intermission. I'm interested still in seeing the show, but there are a lot of folks that will feel a bait and switch situation. 

[Almira]

I'm not precious about West Side Story at all.   I find the MUSIC MAN, with it's brilliant and original opening number, and lead characters that are more than "boy" and "girl" a much more interesting piece.  Add to that the story is completely original.  A singular achievement.

 

But now..,for me this revival is suddenly interesting.  I can live without  I FEEL PRETTY and the SOMEWHERE Ballet anyway.  The film AMERICA is dramatically superior.  Van Hove may at last make a post-original production that is relevant.

[A Director]

Ivo's production will be all about Ivo!

In 2018, the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis did WWS that was not a carbon copy of the 1957 production. Read this story about the production.

https://www.americantheatre.org/2018/06/20/a-new-west-side-story-steps-beyond-jerome-robbins/