| re: Couldn't disagree more with this. | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 11:12 am EST 01/26/18 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 11:03 am EST 01/26/18 | |
| In reply to: Couldn't disagree more with this. - BigM 09:58 am EST 01/26/18 | |
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| No one is arguing to dump the original ''West Side Story'' wholesale and ''replace'' all their work by Hispanic artists. But in 2018, it's not unreasonable to think that Latinos might have something to offer in a story that deals with Latinos. ''There's no reason to do a revival of 'West Side Story' unless you have a fresh take.'' That's what Arthur Laurents told the cast of his 2009 Broadway revival. In directing this version, Laurents incorporated more input from the Latino community and sought to make it sound more authentic. Lin-Manuel Miranda, with Sondheim's collaboration and blessing, wrote Spanish lyrics for ''I Feel Pretty'' and ''A Boy Like That.'' Miranda said Laurents tried to address the criticisms of the 1961 movie: ''Arthur told me that if he were Puerto Rican, he'd be offended too because they used a bunch of Greeks in bad makeup.'' Laurents also believed a fresh take on his show should feature Latinos playing the Latino characters. Asked if he was happy with the results, Laurents said: ''My satisfaction is not the point. Are the Puerto Ricans satisfied?" Now you can debate whether Laurents' decision to incorporate more Spanish worked for you (and the show eventually restored some of the original English lyrics in those two songs), but Laurents and Sondheim were open to giving Latinos a voice in how they're depicted. Karen Olivo, who played Anita, was grateful: ''Speaking in Spanish, singing in Spanish, the way you phrase things is different -- it makes it so much more emotional. We allowed the Sharks to be themselves, and you get to see both sides of the story for the first time." |
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