themuse.jezebel.com: Hello, Broadway producer, I’m so glad you brought this to my attention—I’m delighted to hear about West Side Story returning to the Great White Way, and I will certainly pay big Broadway money to sit front row and scream-sing the lyrics to “I Feel Pretty,” thank you!!!!
3 comments:
From reading this article I do agree with the author's enthusiasm and anxiety for the new revival for the infamous West Side Story. As a person who watches many original Broadway shows, including revivals, I can understand from the creative team's point of view that remaking a very loved and very popular musical can be extremely difficult due to not copying the original show but also not changing too much from the original show that might upset the audience. Also, these difficulties can be seen in the production team, since this musical will be wildly announced and many anxious people will be waiting to see what the final product will be like, the production team must all be on top of everything in order for the show to run smoothly. With that being said I am very excited to see how the production comes together once it hits the Broadway stage.
In my opinion, it is a little early for West Side Story to be coming back to broadway. I agree with the author's skepticism and anxiety about the show due to one major thing, the directions and the choreography. It hard to grasp that someone will be touching Jerome Robins' masterpiece. I think that it will be hard for audiences to grasp onto a new version of the iconic musical especially when they're seeing different choreography. One way I think they could change the show successfully is if they completely change the choreography. This will help audiences get a different grasp on the show and maybe take something different away.
This article is what goes through my head every time a revival is announced or even a well known IP is announced as being turned into a musical. There are classics that can have whole new spins put on them like anything Bart Sher does, i.e. King and I, but there is always a fear, much of which manifested itself in shows like My Fair Lady this past year which was either loathed or quietly loved, but for the most part it disappointed hard core fans. On the other side shows like Hello Dolly when revived are always going to retain the same quality as the original, which Bette Midler's version did quite well. As for West Side Story, in a time when the immigrant story needs to be told more than ever, it should retain a certain quality that the most famous musical ever always has. There comes a point when art for arts sake, or for the "vision" alienates what people love about a show
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