All tagged West Side Story
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.
Oh, you knew that sooner or later I was going to have to address this one, easily the most debated Tony Awards Best Musical outcome in history. Many people feel that West Side Story should have bested The Music Man this season, when it was, in fact, the other way around. Today, we look at the merits and detractions of both shows, as well as those of the three other nominees to debate whether Tony got it right.
I cannot get enough of the band Collabro. From the moment I first heard them sing “Stars” on Britain’s Got Talent, I felt plunged into a joy of theatre music delivered in an angelic way that has never been equally captured through four-part harmony. Not long after my introduction to Collabro, I had the fortune of interviewing the four young men that make up the group. I soon learned that Michael Auger, Jamie Lambert, Matthew Pagan and Thomas J. Redgrave are not only extremely talented, but generous of spirit, kind, industrious, eloquent, and dedicated to their art of making showtunes sing with a special flair. It was a honor to speak to them and if their musical hadn’t already won me over, this interview would make me a fan for life. The announcement of their new album “Road to the Royal Albert Hall” was exciting news to me, but would it live up to expectations?
Last week, I wrote a piece on Broadway musicals that were hits in the United States, but that just didn’t have the staying power in London. This week, I thought I would look at the musicals that were hits on Broadway, but ran even longer on the West End. Obviously, musicals like 1776 and Fiorello! were going to have a limited appeal with British audiences due to their inherently American themes, but just what shows did outrun their American productions when they crossed the ocean?
