Showtunes

New West Side Story revival, which sounds like it's going to be amazing. AND Arthur Laurents is directing. AT 91.

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Mr. Laurents, who turned 91 on Monday, traced the origin of the new revival to his companion of 52 years, Tom Hatcher, who died in 2006.

Mr. Hatcher was a fluent Spanish speaker, and on a visit to Bogotá, Colombia, saw a staging of “West Side Story” in Spanish....

That sparked the idea of incorporating Spanish into a modern revival. “I thought it would be terrific if we could equalize the two gangs somehow,” Mr. Laurents said. “But I had a lot of trouble because I was depending on Tom, who is fluent. And then he died.”

Not long afterward, two of Mr. Laurents’s friends in Buenos Aires told him that they had a “West Side Story” script entirely in Spanish, on which Mr. Hatcher had made handwritten notations. “It was like he was telling me, ‘You must do it,’ ” Mr. Laurents said....

The result is what he calls “bilingual sexual spats” between the characters Anita and Bernardo, and some of the Stephen Sondheim lyrics translated into Spanish. Other elements, like the original choreography by Jerome Robbins, remain unchanged.

Oh AWESOME.

Arthur Laurents is amazing. I mean he did Gypsy this year so I have nothing but the utmost faith in him.

It sounds so great! I love revivals where you can tell the people putting it on are really excited about it.

Also, I have the urge to see "A Tale of Two Cities" ever since I found out about Aaron Lazar. sigh. He's so, I dunno. Not hot but he's got something.

[title of show] loves In the Heights

and

In the Heights loves [title of show]

Happy opening, [tos]!

Hee.

The plot of the Phantom sequal makes me wanna cry:

<<As for "Phantom . . . Once Upon Another Time": It's set in 1906 in Coney Island. The Phantom, having fled Paris, is running a freak show. At night, he crawls into his lair and makes love to an automaton that looks like Christine.

Christine, meanwhile, has become a famous opera singer. But she's fallen on hard times because her husband, Raoul, has squandered their fortune. So she's accepted a high-paying gig from a mysterious impresario to open a new amusement park. On her first night in New York, she draws back the curtain in her hotel suite and comes face to face with her new employer - flash of lightning, crash of chords - the Phantom!

Christine has a child, Gustave, but is his father Raoul or the Phantom? I can't tell you because no one's seen the second act yet.

But I can tell you that Raoul, who was so handsome in "The Phantom," is now a drunken wreck.>>

I don't even know where to start! How about the <<fact that Christine doesn't know who the father is? During what part of the original show did she manage to have sex with the Phantom?!>>

QUOTE (ulkis @ July 17, 2008 02:33 pm)

I don't even know where to start! How about the <<fact that Christine doesn't know who the father is? During what part of the original show did she manage to have sex with the Phantom?!>>

Clearly, you've misunderstood the plot for the past 21 years. I think it goes --

ACT I
ALW: I really, *really* want to shag ~~Christine~~ Sarah Brightman.

ACT II
ALW: Woo hoo! I got to shag ~~Christine~~ Sarah Brightman!

Andrew's first clue should have been that he needed to get his audience drunk beforehand.

Basically, this LJ entry and this Crack!fic explanation say everything I'd want to say.

Although, it's like Andrew's personally attempting to make me regret every time I've defended him online. [/is paranoid]

I seem to have a different take on Phantom than a lot of the fans. And I don't mean the crazy "Raoul should die now OMG and ChristinenthePhantom live underground 4eva" fans but even the sane ones who like Christine but thinks she loved him. I don't think Christine loved the Phantom. I think she could have loved him, but that is just how freaking ugly the guy was, she felt revulsion before she felt anything else. So I have a hard time buying her even kissing him on the lips (in the show, I mean. Who wouldn't want to kiss Gerard Butler like that?), let alone having sex with him.

Oh yes, and I had no idea Raoul was actually impotent from a street fight in that book sequal. WHAT. Oh Phantom fandom, never stop sending the lols.

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Although, it's like Andrew's personally attempting to make me regret every time I've defended him online.

I know, right? Andrew! I think you have some pretty catchy tunes! I'm not ashamed to like you! You're on the brink of ruining it all!

....I can't really see Raoul in a street fight.

Who wrote this, Susan Kay?

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I think she could have loved him, but that is just how freaking ugly the guy was, she felt revulsion before she felt anything else. So I have a hard time buying her even kissing him on the lips

See, that's very Book!Christine and Phantom, right there (and I am all about the book). I don't know what this "slightly unattractive" bullshit is about.

Also, I was hanging on to this link for a rainy day, and now I know why: Butler To Star In Phantom Sequel?

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A source close to Webber reveals, "Because it's a sequel to a film which helped the career rise of Gerard, Lord Andrew believes he will do it. There could be another film down the line. There's a massive audience out there who love the original."

I'm kind of thinking he might have better things to do. Like not get his ass kicked by the critics again.

Plus...you know theres no way his voice could handle that.

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Who wrote this, Susan Kay?

No, some guy named Frederick Forsyth. Although I must check out Susan Kaye's book, it seems good. It's just so hard to get.

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See, that's very Book!Christine and Phantom, right there (and I am all about the book). I don't know what this "slightly unattractive" bullshit is about.

Yeah, I admit that's an aspect from the book I probably let color my impression og the musical too much, although I think the musical leans more towards Christine feeling more sorry for him than she feels love for him.

Where is that cat who previously destroyed the score when we need him?

Have other people heard the 4 leaked orchestra tracks from Shrek: The Musical? I've liked them so far. The voice casting is pretty spot-on. The creative cast and crew are pretty reputable, so I'm interested to see how it actually LOOKS since no photos have been released or leaked of the costumes. I think that's what will make or break this one.