Katymac Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Just booked for DD, DH & I to see Westside Story in September She is SO lucky, as she gets to spend the first week of their visit working backstage & then we all get to see it before she leave for college Squeee!! :D 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 In my opinion, one of the best musicals (if not the best) ever. Brilliant news. Well done and enjoy x 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Friend of ours is in it at the mo. Not one of my personal favorites but it is great and I'm sure you'll love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Fantastic. Does she know what she will be doing backstage yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afab Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 We saw them last year; It was fantastic! Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 (edited) The original "Riff" on stage was played by Mickey Callen (real name: Martin Calinieff) who lived next door to my best girl friend. She dated him for a while, at the time he was playing "Riff" on Broadway. He was VERY good looking. He did not play that role in the movie. He had a little French Poodle named (what else?) "Riff." There are some beautiful songs in WSS. I used to use a lot of the music for my ballet classes. "Officer Krupke" is wonderful for frappés and petit allegro. "Maria" is terrific for a big waltz in the center and "Somewhere" is lovely for a flowing adage. Have a wonderful time! Edited August 16, 2014 by Anjuli_Bai 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 This is probably my favourite musical. I don't think that there's a bad song in it. Apparently, the vocal roles for the leads (certainly Maria) are very demanding. It does sort of qualify as ballet because the dancing was choreographed by Jerome Robbins. It's a brilliant interpretation of Romeo and Juliet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 It is very demanding, both physically and vocally. Katymac, if your DD hasn't done so already, get her to read up on the background of WSS both the stage and the movie production. Robbins, Bernstein, Sondheim....the way they worked together, the way Robbins had the dancers /actors work. It was groundbreaking. x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 As I recall, Jerome Robbins was fired in mid-production. I think it was the dance in the gym which was choreographed by someone else. The only other choreographer mentioned in the cast list is Hal Bell but it doesn't say what he did. I have read - but can't recall where that the gym dance (Mambo) is not considered as "good" as the other dances and it is because Robbins was gone at this point. I'm working off of old memories here - and I could be wrong. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 (edited) The duet for Maria and Anita 'A Boy Like That/I Have a Love' is extremely technically demanding, especially for Anita and has been classed as up there with many 'straight opera' pieces for difficulty. The chorus of 'America' moves between 3/4 and 6/8 rhythm from bar to bar and is brilliant for training the ear for musicians and dancers in terms of musicality. I remember DD aged 5 asking us why she loved this piece so much and why the 'main bits' (we realised she meant the stresses of the beats) were different from one bar to the next in the chorus ;-) Edited August 17, 2014 by Legseleven 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taximom Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 My young friend plays Conchita covering Anita. She has been 'on' for Anita for many performances and is loving the tour which is due to finish very soon. Heather Aka Taximom 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klaris Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Going to see this in September - looking forward to it even more now I've read all your posts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 The storyline is usually thought to be based on Romeo and Juliet. But there are substantial differences. In R & J the families are feuding but otherwise they are equal in power and share the same ethnicity, cultural norms, origins, and influence. They are at the top of the social heirarchy. The only thing that separate R & J is the feud - the cause of which is not important to the story of the lovers. The story is about the impact of a contrived "difference" and how that affects the lovers. WSS, on the other hand, works on the theme of actual (though ultimately unimportant) differences. A clash between ethnicities, newcomers versus those who view themselves as already assimulated, They feel threatened by this influx of competition for jobs and power. WSS is about much more than the lovers - it is about the movement of people - in the case of Puerto Rico - for economic reasons. It is also about wanting to assimulate and yet wanting to cling to those cultural markers which are comforting. "Tony" has a job. Romeo probably never worked for pay a day in his life. Tony is striving to be a success through work. Romeo is an unabashed rich guy who spends his time looking for fun and trouble in the market place. It is his newfound love of Juliet which changes him. Tony is already on the road to a positive life before he meets Juliet. Both, however, are caught in the web of the society around them from which they cannot escape and dooms them. In WSS there is no third character, such as the priest in R & J, who is striving to bring peace between the antagonists. In broad outline of the story, which WSS does share with Shakespear's R & J: there are two lovers, there is a problem outside of their relationship which affects the outcome, a message is misdirected, and the lovers die. The subliminal message of WSS is the threat of the "outsider" the "other" - a social comment of a specific problem: in acceptance of the "other." That the "other" is really us. Whereas, R & J, illustrates the deadly foolishness of a feud amongst those who are identical to the observer, their "differences" exist only within their heads. Why do we keep returning to see this played out? I think it is because we keep hoping it will end differently. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 Sorry I haven't got back to you all, I'm busy fitting my new kitchen I will be back to comment I promise - but I have water & mastic & sawdust everywhere & I'm panicking a bit 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 (edited) Sorry - I had a small leak under the right kitchen sink Umm DD studied it for GCSE Music & yet still loves it - she did Romeo & Juliet for English and that has not become a favourite; I think they looked at in fairly good detail and she has read more because she was interested. She also loves To Kill a Mockingbird and sees similarities in the themes and also brought in 'Scottsboro Boys' when discussing it. I think as she is mixed she seems to pick up on racial tensions in literature/plays etc She only ever tried to sing America & as you say is always fascinated by the rhythms - mind you as a percussionist the rhythms are always very important to her (which can cause problems in Contemporary - goodness knows what college might say when they find her a fairly advanced Djembe player) She applied for work experience 'backstage; and was offered a week - when asked to choose which week she gave several options; the director said hmm we will use you 1-5 September & when we looked there was nothing on. DD was a bit gutted but resigned, then 2 days later it was announced that it would be WSS - she cried! Then they told her to get 'more backstage experience' before she started - which threw us a bit. I was talking on another site about how difficult that was and a chap offered her a summer job working at 'his' theatre, which she jumped at. When she turned up it was a paid position!! So she has been in lighting boxes and sound 'somethings' and up & down ladders and shifting very heavy stuff up and down a pier! She missed Jim Davidson (thank you ) but has seen the Chuckle Brothers (loved them), Back to Broadway (bit shaky on the voice and the dance routines were quite basic ) Jethro (lovely 'old' man) and some hypnotists & clairvoyants (she wasn't impressed). Abba, Simon & Garfunkel tributes to come & a male strip show not too sure about that tbh but I have a feeling she might find herself in the lighting box for that!! She has learnt SO much this summer! Between that job, her Work experince and she also did a few days helping a festival organiser before the festival (& then performed ) she has really grown up & is saving her wages to use for spending money at collegehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBuU0Rt0oAU & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2__NGa6_gg Edited to reformat untidy bits Edited August 17, 2014 by Katymac 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 That all sounds great Katymac ! Congratulations to DD ! (and good luck with the kitchen..and, erm, the male strippers........ ) x 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 Yeah, thanks (quite worried about that tbh) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 It's obviously DD's week - we have just been offered a place on the Billy Elliot Kids Week workshop tomorrow afternoon. Someone cancelled and they advertised the space on Facebook, they said no initially as all the places were gone then emailed this morning offering a place So we have to go & buy new ballet kit as we left home ages before we got the email. Not as bad as all that as we were buying her uniform for college tomorrow morning - so the only extra will be a spare pair of ballet shoes & they wear out quickly enough!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 She starts tomorrow She finishes her paid back stage job today & received a glowing reference from her boss (& enough money to fund her spending for college) - the work experience will be a different sort of theatre with a different sort of show 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 The best of luck to your dd, KatyMac. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share Posted September 1, 2014 Thanks Fizz, she is so excited - off to get the train! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 What an exciting time your DD has had. All that work experience she has had will look impressive on any CV too. The best of luck to her. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 She has had an amazing summer - 4 lots of theatre tickets from kids week all paid for by Tesco vouchers (including the lion King which is her enduring job aspiration, Top Hat which fed her need for Ballroom, Thriller - totally amazing and Once, the first musical she couldn't be in as she doesn't play the right instruments), paid work, voluntary work & then WSS just before she leaves home What more could a girl ask for? She also got an amazing 'open' reference for her paid job on NotaPushyMum - which was just beyond any of our expectations 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amum/Cathy Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I think there's a lot of hard work on her part and yours that's earned her that amazing summer and "open" reference Katymac. Well done to you all. Cathy/Hecouldshine (NAPM)! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 It brought tears to my eyes so goodness knows what it did to yours Katy. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 I did cry, then printed it off & made everyone in a 3 mile radius read it & then I ordered DD 2 new DVDs (2nd hand off Amazon) and the iPhone she wanted (from eBay 2nd hand paid for by my parents & her uncle as a "well done for exams/leaving home" present) Then I cried again 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share Posted September 12, 2014 Oh it's wonderful DD is getting a signed programme & we all get to go to Wardrobe after the show 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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