The Leonard Bernstein Forums

[jerseyjohn]

The Fall/Winter issue of Prelude, Fugue & Riffs, virtually a valentine to the masterwork in celebration of the 50th anniversary, also contained this preview from Arthur Laurents on his plans to direct West Side Story in 2008. "It will be completely contemporary without changing a word or a note, and without bringing in Uzis or mobile phones. One thing I can reveal here: the attitude of the gang members won't so much change as be what it always should have been." The production is currently scheduled for a November 08 premiere.
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jerseyjohn
http://www.wssonstage.com

[Gwen]

Any speculation on what Arthur has in mind for 2008???
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"Good times and bum times,
I've seen them all and, my dear,
I'm still here."
(FOLLIES, Stephen Sondheim)

[Andi]

From his talk at the Perf Arts Lib, I would say Arthur will probably make good on his desire to have a much younger cast.

[Miki]

very often, today's younger actors/actresses have not really had the chance to hone their acting skills, and they're less likely to be unionized and therefore better-paid, which might not bode well for a musical such as West Side Story, because it's so totally in a class by itself, that it would necessitate a top-knotch cast, orchestra and conductor. I'm not trying to undermine Arthur Laurents' possibility as a director, however. The idea of a Broadway revival of WSS is interesting, but who really and truly knows how West Side Story would turn out as a Broadway revival, especially nowadays?



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[Benji]

i think what laurent might mean is getting young teenage kids to play all the gang roles instead of what they did in the movie of casting older actors who look youngful. btw, miki, kids who arent in the actors union can do open call auditions and if they get the job they become union members cuz you can't be in a broadway show without being a union member.

[Miki]

[Andi]

Arthur said he wanted a 12 yr old Tony, and modified that to a 14 year old Tony. That's what he said, and I'm not making it up.

[Gwen]

Alan and I attended the same event as Andi and also heard Arthur state he wanted a 12 or 14 yr. old Tony next time around (although the two of us thought he was just being facetious in light of his previous denials of several purported similarities between WSS and Shakespeare's R&J).

I don't know, Andi...there are a heckuva lot of people out there who started performing professionally at an early age and have had no problems with their growth lines or vocal chords as adults...providing they had responsible teachers while honing their craft(s) and responsible creative teams connected with the shows they performed in while they were children.
_________________
"Good times and bum times,
I've seen them all and, my dear,
I'm still here."
(FOLLIES, Stephen Sondheim)

[Miki]

I'd think, that, given the fact that Tony & Maria make plans to elope towards the end, that they'd want a somewhat older Tony and a somewhat older Maria as well....like, say, about 16-17, maybe, since that's how old Maria was in the story of WSS.

[Andi]

I think that the younger age would actually make the whole thing more exciting, tense, and interesting. There's no tabu against 18 year olds having sex, 14 is another story.

There sure do seem to be a lot of talented dancers that young on TV, the singing is hard to judge because of what goes on electronically.

[Miki]

[mike]

mature vocal cords to hit high notes, because they generally come with the territory of youth
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careful, i'm not all here