Same West Side, Slightly New Story

By Tony Buchsbaum

I have always identified with West Side Story. I think this is probably because I'm named after its tragic hero. But there's more to it than that. After all, West Side Story is one of those rare indelible musicals. Whether you see it on stage or in a movie theater, whether you listen to the original cast recording or the soundtrack, it's still a brilliant look at New York in the late 1950s and the stark realities of racism, loyalty, and love. And once you experience it, it never leaves you.

Over the years, the musical has seen its share of revamp and revival, but this year brings something new: a new version. The big change? Some of the material created for the Sharks has been translated into Spanish. After all, would Maria really sing "I Feel Pretty"? Nah. She'd more likely sing "Me Siento Hermosa." Would Anita really sing "A Boy Like That"? Not if she could sing "Un Hombre Asi." The new lyrics were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose recent In the Heights found such deserving acclaim. Are they beautiful? Well, I don't know because I don't speak Spanish—but I can tell you they certainly work well within Leonard Bernstein's music.

The West Side Story revival on Broadway now was directed by Arthur Laurents, who wrote the book that framed Bernstein's music and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics. Laurents—now directing this piece for the first time—has staged this version to be as close to Jerome Robbins' original as he can.

And that's where my problem with it lies.

My question is: Why? I mean, let's say I handed the script for Jaws to Martin Scorsese. Would you really expect him to re-create Spielberg's film? I, for one, would be far more interested in seeing Scorsese's Jaws. Some years back, Gus Van Sant re-created Hitchcock's Psycho. He shot it in color and used a new cast, but everything else he did to essentially copy Hitchcock: the angles, the cuts, even Bernard Herrmann's score. In a word: yawn.

More recently, Scorsese remade Cape Fear—but he didn't re-create the original. Every frame of the Cape Fear remake was Scorsese—and that's how it should be. (He did use Herrmann's score, but that was pretty fascinating.)

Now, I haven't seen the new West Side Story, but I've seen the film, which was co-directed by Robbins—so I'm wondering why I need to see Laurents' re-creation? As with Jaws, I'd much rather see Laurents' own version. To say—proudly—that he has re-created the original seems more an exercise in "let's see if we can do it" rather than the more creative "wouldn't it be cool if we did this?" Granted, Laurents' idea to use Spanish lyrics in certain spots was inspired—but gimme more! Arthur Laurents, you're too good to simply re-create! C'mon!

As for the music—which is newly available on CD—it's beautiful. Insightful. Heartbreaking. It's West Side Story, for goodness' sake! Matt Cavenaugh makes Tony his own. Josefina Scaglione brings out Maria's Puerto Rican spice, perhaps for the first time—as does Karen Olivo in her Tony-winning turn as Anita. Each is unforgettable.

Check this, mate

By Tony Buchsbaum


The musical Chess is back. Not that it was ever terribly far away. From concept album in the mid-80s to British stage musical, to Broadway adaptation, to London revival, and now, to a concert version now available on CD and DVD.

With music by Abba masters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and lyrics by Tim Rice (Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and countless other iconic muscials), there's never been anything wrong with Chess's pedigree. Still, the show never inspired the rabid following other musicals of that time did, such as Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, and Les Miserables. I think that's because Chess is complicated: It's a love story crossed with a metaphor crossed with politics. Or is it just a political metaphor for a love story? I never thought it mattered, for in the end it's one of those shows you really have to pay attention to. It demands your attention—and the return-on-attention is considerable.

Certainly the show's ambiguities are what led original stage director Michael Bennett (A Chorus Line) to tackle it—but the show had the bad luck of seeing its director withdraw due to illness in mid-prep. Bennett was replaced by Trevor Nunn, no slouch, but the latter was left, really, to pick up the pieces left by the former.

Anyway, long story short, Chess has risen again, revised, restored, and resplendant in a new production that ran at London's Royal Albert Hall in May 2008. This concert version was a a stunning production that blended musical and concert by pairing stage and classical voices. Josh Groban plays Anatoly, a world chess champ; Idina Menzel plays Florence, the right hand of Anatoly's rival; and Adam Pascal plays the rival, Freddie Stumper.

Groban's work here is almost a revelation: His voice is in top form, and it appears he can act. (Who knew?) Though they're wonderful, it must be said that Menzel and Pascal struggle a bit to match Groban's power, but then both have high-pitched and slightly nasal qualities that are clear when set against Groban's full-throated vocals.

Each major character faces serious choices—and each agonizes over which move to make next...knowing his or her move with affect someone else's. Therein lies the metaphor—and this musical's powerful engine.

I, for one, think this production of Chess gets it right. Presented as a concert, it lacks in a traditional musical framework, but you won't notice because it makes up for it with drama, passion, and style. I didn't miss the theatrics; I was swept along by the story and the songs that amplify it.

The DVD features the entire May 2008 production, with orchestra, massive choir, and actors all onstage at once, a minimal set, and more than two hours of constant singing. The evening is presented on a 2-CD set and a single-CD highlights version. You can't go wrong with either (my advice: splurge on the 2-CD set). Each features new and thrilling performances of the show's signature songs, which include "Someone Else's Story," "One Night in Bangkok," "You and I," "I Know Him So Well," and "Anthem."