That being said, I am still amazed at how smoothly everything went, how wonderful the kids were, and what a great time we all had.
The shows we saw were: West Side Story, August: Osage County, and Altar Boyz.
I'd seen 2 of the three this past August and am happy to say that both are in FINE shape. Altar Boyz was even MORE fun the 2nd time around. Maybe it was the seat, maybe it was Neil Haskell (So You Think You Can Dance), maybe it was the energy of being with so many enthusiastic young people. We got to meet the entire cast (Well, there are only five of them.) afterwards and had a truly great time.
August was still riveting and shocking and stunning. MOST of the cast was the same as when I previously enjoyed it. The biggest change is that John Cullum is now in the role of Beverly Weston and wow was he incredible in the 15 minutes or so of stage time he has. I actually HATED the opening the first time I saw this and had actually warned the kids to "bear with it" through the horrid begining. Except it wasn't horrid anymore.
West Side Story.
The classic: West Side Story.
I'm not sure what to say. I was so incredibly disappointed in this production. Despite the word on the street and from the official reviews, I went in to the Palace Theater with high hopes. And they were dashed quickly.
The orchestra sounded amazing. Like Gypsy and South Pacific, the multi-piece orchestra was revived and beautifully so. Jerome Robbins choreography is still amazing. The only actor that I can REALLY send to the front of the class, is the beautiful and talented Karen Olivo (In the Heights fame).
Other than that: Meh. Or worse. The men are woefully weak and miscast. Matt Cavenaugh as Tony had no connection to any other character on the stage, including Maria. He sang with so much vibrato, I thought he might begin trembling. Cody Greene (Step Up and Dance Winner) -- whom I adore -- can dance up a storm. However, his singing, at best, is on pitch and serviceable. His acting....ouch. Maria is a newcomer from Latin America (sorry that I don't remember WHERE) that was good, with a terrific voice, but didn't make huge connections as an actress.
Changes that Laurents (director) made were met with varying success. I didn't feel that ANY of the changes made the show better. Some weakened the show. The change in the ending (which I won't spoil) was incomplete and ineffective. It also ruins the journey of the story.
The addition with adding Spanish was only wonderful in the Quintet. A few places in the dialogue it worked....because it "flavored" the scene; but too often it went on too long and the audience would loose interest. I actually DISLIKED it during I Feel Pretty and A Boy Like That. Again...it creates a disconnect for much of the audience.
The basic failure in the revival of West Side Story, is that it has no soul. In musicals, we sing when words are no longer enough to express our feelings, when song is no longer enough, we dance. This didn't happen at WSS....it was just "time to sing" or "dance break time".
I am saddened; a little part of my soul died.
