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What did you think of West Side Story? Any thoughts on the updated language (the original show was almost entirely English)? Share your ideas with the class.
Tags: Music, Orchestra, West Side Story
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Dear Chirag,
Even though “awesome” screams out “Enthusiasm!” please seek out another adjective, one equally vivid, to express your joy in the future.
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The bilingual aspect of the play not only helped to equalize the status of the gangs but on a smaller scale, to highlight one of the effects of globalization: the need to be multi-tongued. This need is becoming a greater reality for us all, from the subway to Broadway. We are no longer safe in thinking that since we speak English the rest of the world must follow suit. Foreign languages have even sneaked its way into one of the cornerstones of American theatre; and we must evolve as to continue to enjoy these once ‘cultural’ events.
In the song “America”, it can be seen how numerous immigrants tend to shun their motherland and rather fight for a place where they’re not accepted as equals. Instead, this exposure to a developed country should be used as a learning opportunity to understand the techniques in developing a nation and how these techniques can be applied to their own country. This will inevitably lead the country out of poverty and raise it’s human development index. Thus, the population’s fight to succeed will not be to migrate but to work as a united force to aid in the development of their own country.
My $0.02 – Nazana
Oh, the “Tonight” song was the best!
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The wallace91 comment was mine. Wallace is derived from Braveheart..one of my favorite films…hope everyone’s enjoying this class.
-Adam
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I, for one, loved the addition of more spanish phrases and lyrics. How else is the audience truly going to experience the raging conflict between the two gangs? I felt it was the best way for the producer to build the tension by showing truly how different the gangs were each other (in language, culture, fashion).The spanish dialect and simple English phrases uttered by the Sharks also portray the struggle that the Puerto Ricans faced to assimilate to the American culture.
During the talk-back session we were arguing if including spanish was a good or a bad idea. And Riff (sorry do not remember his real name) talked about the difficulty to find the balance between the two languages in the play. I applaud Laurence for experimenting with the bilingual element but I feel that he has yet to find that balance and it may take a few tries before he is successful.
Most of the songs were brilliant. The best song was “Tonight”, when everyone is dancing and singing on stage. There were some moments where I felt the play was getting dragged on, but the performances by Anita saved it. She was truly the show-stopper!
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West Side Story was my first Broadway show and I enjoyed it very much. Seeing West Side Story for the first time, I thought it was very dramatic and it sends a strong message about race and discrimination. I didn’t laugh as much as I cried but the story had my attention the whole time. I’d like to see another Broadway show, perhaps South Pacific.
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I liked West Side Story’s storyline much more than that of Romeo and Juliet’s. Even though West Side Story was supposed to mirror Romeo and Juliet’s storyline, I definetly think the conflict between race and nationality was one that people (and myself) can relate to today, as opposed to the conflict between two wealthy families. And oh yeah, the Jet Song was awesome! =P
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I think it was convenient for people in today’s society to view a play based on the famous Romeo and Juliet play. There are many people out there who simply know the plain thing about Romeo and Juliet. They fall in love, can not be together, try to work things out, but in the end they die. Hopefully, this play enlightened the obscurity that many people faced about Romeo and Juliet. Any play of Shakespeare has to be analyzed in depth to get the real meaning hidden behind the superficial reading. A modern play helps people try to do that and go in depth in a 16th century play, such as Romeo and Juliet.
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Please include your first names on posts. How else can the readers compliment you on your brilliance?
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I liked this production much more than the movie. I’m glad they could create a more modern version of, to me, a very dated play.
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I would love to go watch more shows like this one
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Although it is generally understood that the goal of placing ample Spanish elements in the play was to develop authenticity, I feel that there was more depth to this concept. The implementation of the Spanish dialogue caused the audience to pay more attention, thus giving the audience an integral role in the potential success and/or failure of the production. The enthusiastic masses provided us with the former, and should be thanked accordingly.
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An awesome, different portrayal of recurring themes from Romeo and Juliet!
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