West Side Story - pure genius
Mrs P and I went to see West Side Story last week. I was simply going to post here that you should r
un to the box office to get a ticket; but yesterday I read a bizarre review by Christopher Hart which leaves me wondering whether I should ever pay attention to his scribblings again. He talks of its superficial topicality; calls the piece a 1950s musical pop up; and dismisses it as camp, muscle-bound young men leaping around in jeans and tight T-shirts.
Is the man devoid of any musical or theatrical sense? The wondrous thing is how a musical premiered fifty years ago not only sounds astonishingly fresh, but how a story which is so clearly of its time is nonetheless so deeply relevant, and says so much about our own times. As for the production - I've seen three so far, and this is by quite a long way the best. It's riveting, and I can only urge you to get a ticket if you can. You won't regret it.
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THX1138
August 4th, 2008 9:46amBilly Elliot is the best musical in London & not a revival.
Musicals must be the most conservative art form, imagine if 8 out of 10 films were remakes!
Will go & see it though.
Paul
August 4th, 2008 12:59pm"Musicals must be the most conservative art form"
In and of themselves, however, musicals - especially film musicals (the best of them, that is) - are far from being conservative. Think of those wondrous, positively avant garde, Busby Berkely sequences. The incredible Minnelli/Kelly collaborations.
I empathise (ugh) with Stephen's feelings about that bad review of West Side Story. I recently insisted my wife watch the film version because, amazingly, she'd never seen it. Imagine my disappointment when, rather than being as exhilarated and moved as I was, she turned to me after it had finished and said: "It was okay. Can't see what all the fuss is about though."
Luckily, she loves On The Town - so I know she can't be all bad.
seb
August 4th, 2008 1:46pmWest Side Story is wonderful. My guess is that Christopher Hart had foolisly watched a performance of that nauseating kak, 'Grease', before seeing WSS. This would explain his rather skewed review of Bernstein's masterpiece.
Anthony
August 4th, 2008 2:06pmI'd just like to point out that the Saul Bass poster art for the film is an exemplary piece of film art. Just look at it. Look!
Radix lecti
August 4th, 2008 3:49pmMusicals have done their bit to change the world for the better. For example, "South Pacific" offers one of the most moving and damning commentaries about racism in America ever written.
THX1138
August 4th, 2008 6:19pmPaul- I love musicals, It just seems that LDN is full of revivals. It would be good to see some new material rather than another version of West side story, The Wizard of Oz or Gigi & the rest seem to be based on films Grease, Dirty Dancing, Hairspray , Edward Scissor hands & Yes Billy Elliot but that really is great as is Avenue Q
I suppose the cost of productions forces the producers to go for brand awareness over risk taking. Shame
Anthony- Totally agree about the Saul Bass poster for West Side Story it's gem I collect film posters & have a few bass posters Vertigo,Love in the Afternoon, Man with the Golden Arm the new Coen brothers film Burn After Reading (which is supposed to be brilliant BTW) has a Bass inspired poster. Did you go to the exhibition at the design museum a couple of years ago- Brilliant It's such a shame that modern film poster design is so rubbish last great poster was for Sideways, Photoshop has a lot to answer for.
dearieme
August 4th, 2008 8:58pm"a story which is so clearly of its time": what a wag.
Verity
August 4th, 2008 9:56pmRadix Lecti writes: "Musicals have done their bit to change the world for the better".
No, they haven't, you liberal drip.