Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Theater West Side Story To Lose Orchestra Members
Posted by Henry Stewart on Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 2:24 PM
Woodiel published an op-ed in Sunday's Times, announcing that Arthur Laurent's generally well-reviewed revival of West Side Story, playing at the Palace, would soon lose half of its string section. Worst of all, they would be replaced by, ew, synthesizers.
He writes:
Some shows need orchestras and violins; others don’t. But West Side Story is one of those shows that does. The show is inseparable from its lush, sophisticated orchestration. So here’s my proposition: if the show is no longer profitable, the producers should simply close it with its dignity intact. Doing so might put me out of work, but it would honor (rather than demean) the legacy of Bernstein’s crown jewel. (emphasis mine)
The city that was tripping over itself to celebrate Bernstein's 90th birthday just two years ago is now silently denigrating him on Broadway.
Of course, who's going to hear a difference? As Woodiel writes, "if you happen to be listening, as Lenny would have suggested you do, you will notice." But that's a pretty big "if". Audiences today never listen, and maybe they deserve the skeletal section they hear.
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