A bilingual version of West Side Story gives the Sharks their due

[IndianaGreen]

A bilingual version of West Side Story gives the Sharks their due

A new Spanish-English reworking of the classic musical will be 'darker and more threatening' than previous stagings

Ed Pilkington in New York
Tuesday 16 December 2008 16.30 GMT

After a break of 51 years, West Side Story, the gritty urban remaking of Romeo and Juliet, has returned to the stage where it opened in 1957, though this time it has been reworked to give the Puerto Rican Sharks their due.

The revival had its first preview in Washington DC's National Theatre, the same space where it saw a preliminary run before moving to Broadway in 1957. Stephen Sondheim's lyrics, and Leonard Bernstein's score, transformed musical theatre, dragging it from sanitised make-believe onto the harsher reality of the streets.

The idea of reviving the show is hardly new. First came the Oscar-winning 1961 film with Natalie Wood as Maria and Richard Beymer as Tony, shot in the soon-to-be demolished streets of the Upper West Side where the Lincoln Centre now stands. There were further stage revivals in 1964 and 1980, neither very memorable.

But there is a buzz surrounding the latest effort. It is directed by Arthur Laurents, a 90-year-old veteran of musicals who has the distinction of having been the author of the book of the original West Side Story.

Added excitement comes from the bilingual reworking of the libretto. When Maria sings I Feel Pretty it comes out as: "Hoy me siento/Tan Hermosa/Tan preciosa que puedo volar/Y no hay diosa, en el mundo, que me va a alcanzar."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2008/dec/16/west-side-story-sharks-jets

[Pab Sungenis]

1. Translation

"Today I feel so pretty, so precious that I could fly. And there is no goddess in the world will be able to reach me."

Nice. I still prefer to hear Little Richard sing the song, though.

[Vadem]

2. I'll be going to see it at National Theatre in DC on Friday night!...

can't wait--I'm sure it will be just as wonderful as it was in its debut in 1957!

[IndianaGreen]

3. Please post your impression of this version

The stage version was a lot edgier than the film version. I expect this bilingual version to rock!

[Optimistic]

4. How about a Liberal/Conservative version

The Cons can have Bill O'Rielly as their Leader and the
Liberals can have Keith Olbermann as it s leader.
It would be a shoo in as best tragic comedy of the year.