Frequent readers of this blog will know that at the end of February I saw the revival of West Side Story on Broadway. This was going to be my first exposure to the classic show - I'd never seen a production of it, and I've seen about 15 minutes of the movie. I knew (or was at least somewhat familiar) with most of the score, but I was really excited to see this legendary show live, on Broadway, and be fortunate enough to see a production that was directed by the show's librettist (Arthur Laurents, a living legend) in what he called a "groundbreaking new production". Needless to say my hopes were sky high.
Anyways, I saw the show, and was totally underwhelmed. As I have previously blogged, I enjoyed hearing the the score played by a 35 piece orchestra (the opening saxophone/marimba soli gave me chills), and the choreography was nothing less than extraordinary (especially "Dance at the Gym"), but everything else was kind of meh. I really didn't get what the big deal was with West Side Story.
West Side Story opens tomorrow night, and there is a theater message board that I check out every morning, and there is a guy who posts his reviews on shows usually a day or two before they open. He's usually right on the money, if a bit self-indulgent, and they're pretty thorough. His review of West Side Story hit the nail on the head and much more eloquently describes my thoughts. I 100% agree with all of his observations. It's too bad, I really wanted to like this. Oh well, at least I have God of Carnage to look forward to in may with James Gandolfini.
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