Well they began it!

[marketsquare]

So Arthur Laurents, who did that Gypsy revival I liked so much, is at it again, putting up a properly bilingual West Side Story. It sounds like he's going for proper gang brutality and sociological realism. I approve the intention-- imagine a WSS where the Jets and Sharks actually feel dangerous! The choreography will be a problem as always, as

Comments

[marketsquare]

Point taken. But Sondheim's forms are ultimately Tin Pan Alley and opera, both of which are closer to the musical forms of Victorian England than Bernstein was to doo-wop or merengue.

[marketsquare]

That depends on the show. If it's a pure comedy, like The Boys from Syracuse or Forum, play to the audience, let 'er rip, it doesn't matter. If you're going for gritty authenticity, you're in more trouble.

[lilbakht]

I can't be too upset about the fact that many productions try to keep most of the musical light-hearted, as that's something many people look for in a musical. They were producing it to sell, after all. But he's got a point, the characters are all gang members, not Archie characters.

As for the choreography/score... it's a musical, and therefore pretty much inherently magical realism, isn't it? I mean, normally people don't break out into synchronized song and dance routines, not matter what kind of backgrond they're from. Suspension of disbelief rules.

I hope the production tours down this way while I'm around!