West Side Story: A Magnificent Surprise

 

To do a remake of the beloved Oscar winning 1961 film West Side Story (original Broadway production was in1957) takes guts. Maybe only a director with the standing of Steven Spielberg could get a way with tackling such a risky project.

Many of my friends who fervently love the original film have pledged not to see the remake.  How can you improve on a classic? Despite the negative talk, Spielberg has been dedicated to this idea for many years.

The film was shot in New York in the summer of 2019 but was just released on December 10, 2021. It’s the perfect movie to bring you back into a movie theater.

Let me begin by saying that I rank West Side Story as one of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time. I have great respect and love for this piece of theater. Transferring it to yet another film is a delicate process.

SONDHEIM: Irony of Ironies

 

The theatrical world was shocked by Stephen Sondheim’s death on November 26, and immediately the media was awash in a tsunami of praise and tributes. Professionals and fans from all walks of life described Sondheim as the greatest writer of Broadway musicals, ever.

Although Sondheim was 91, his passing was still a surprise.  Up until the very end, Sondheim was seen attending theater, working on the revival of his landmark show Company and appearing on TV. He seemed vigorous and sharp.

Ever since first hearing the soundtrack album of Company in 1970, I have been a fan. I found the new show so current, so hip, so real, and so witty. Like nothing I had ever heard before. Indeed, it has been said that Company revolutionized musical theater. It was nominated for the most Tony awards of any musical (14 nominations, 6 wins), a record that held until The Producers (2001)

It was so different, that I didn’t even realize that Company was written by the same guy who penned the lyrics for Gypsy and West Side Story, let alone Funny Thing Happened on The Way to The Forum, his only hit before Company in which he wrote both music and lyrics.

HADESTOWN - A Funky and Brilliant Opening to the B'way Season

 At long last, East Lansing’s Wharton Center’s Broadway series finally opened on Tuesday night. Everyone in attendance was eagerly looking around to see how big the house was, understanding that Michigan’s Covid numbers are stubbornly high. Well, it looks like folks have a great need to have their spirits lifted with singing and dancing and good stories.

“Hadestown,” the Tony award winning spectacle, filled about 1100 seats (out of 2500) at the Cobb Great Hall – about normal for Covid times.

Although many people didn’t know what to expect from this oddly named musical, the 13-member cast dispelled all apprehensions at the very beginning. They entered the stage as a group, smiling and waving to the audience enthusiastically. And the audience smiled and laughed back. I saw the 4^th wall crumbling.