All tagged Arthur Laurents
It has been a few days now since the news officially dropped about the cuts and revisions made for the Ivan Van Hove-helmed revival of West Side Story preparing to open on Broadway. Some of my readers have pointed out to me that I have been noticeably quiet about what some have deemed is a massacre of a classic and some feel is an innovative take. They are correct. I have been mostly silent on the topic, taking some time to process how I felt about the changes and synthesizing these changes to decide whether or not they will truly influence the integrity of the piece. In recent years I have also tended to write about history, steering away from personal opinions in the hope that what I share ignites enthusiasm about musical theatre classics instead of turning people away from them. Even if a show is dated or is not in line with the thinking of our contemporary views, I believe most older shows (even the flops) have merit and are worthy of remembering. However, enough people have reached out to me over this West Side Story debacle that I suppose I am being called upon to speak in its defense. I will share my thoughts, at risk of much criticism (and maybe not for the reasons you might think). I do not expect everyone to agree with me and hope that each of you will apply your own reason and thought to whether you want to an altered West Side Story, making (or not making) your ticket purchases accordingly.
In 1983, a musical prepared to open on Broadway that would star two of Broadway’s most-beloved and enduring talents: one a Tony-nominated (several times over) triple-threat known particularly for her electric dancing prowess, the other the daughter of Hollywood royalty (Judy Garland) who had carved her own exciting niche in entertainment outside of her mother’s shadow, having won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards. They were, of course, Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli, respectively. Together they would appear in the next Broadway musical by composers Kander and Ebb who had created scores for gritty musicals such as Cabaret and Chicago. Writing the original story was playwright Albert Innaurato, best-known for the comedic family-drama Gemini. Direction was to be by Arthur Laurents who had directed, among many other things, the original Gypsy. The musical that was shaping up to be the exciting event of the season was The Rink.
The word is out there that a Barbra Streisand film version of Gypsy is very close to getting the green light. It has been several years since this idea was first introduced to musical enthusiasts, and many have waited with bated breath to see if it will really happen. On again and off again, rinse and repeat, I think we have all resigned ourselves to believe that it MIGHT happen. How is that for definitive?
We all know the classic Broadway musical titles: Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, Hello, Dolly!, Fiddler on the Roof, Annie and the dozens of others that show up in regional theatres, high schools, community theatres and even make their way back to Broadway from time to time. However, there are easily hundereds of Broadway musicals that were deemed unsuccessful and have, for the most part, been forgotten by the theatergoing community despite the fact that they have much to recommend.
