Above:
West Side Story (2021)
-See More Below-
~Check out today's BIRTHDAYS HERE:~
Monday, April 11, 2022
A Place For Us
Something's coming, something good, \
If I can wait.
In addition to the first High School production, I went on see several other stage versions of the show both amateur and professional. I also ended up playing Riff in a theatre production during my first year of University. It was years later when I first saw the 1961 film version. Although I loved some things about it, for me, West Side Story belongs not on film, but on the stage.
Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino, 2021)
Yes, I loved both Rita Moreno and Ariana DeBose, especially their film versions of America, not all musicals translate smoothly from the stage. Chicago and Grease, yes, West Side Story and Into The Woods.. not so much. Although Steven Spielberg gave it his all, some of the songs and especially the gang fights, just tend to look silly on stage. Having performed the Jet Song, I know it can work on stage, it just doesn't translate as well on film.
Kyle Harris (Tony, National Tour)
Like so many musicals, the leads never seem to get as much attention as the supporting characters. In musicals, especially the second female lead gets the best songs, and best one-lines. The character who generally gets the lions share of attention in West Side Story is for sure Anita. The character and her musical numbers create a star-making role that stands out in almost every production, on both stage and on film, that I've seen.
In West Side Story there are three main male characters, Tony, the lead, and supporting characters Riff and Bernardo. The character of Tony requires a skilled singer, the character of Bernardo requires a skilled dancer and Riff is required to do both.
Tony & Riff (1961)
Having played Riff, I know it was a bit of bummer to be killed off before intermission. I remember wanting to go home after my death, but having to stick around for the curtain calls. The show has it's best moments in it's first half, losing both Riff and Bernardo in the first act. Check out my tribute to Tony, Riff and Bernardo below:
Riff & Tony (2021)
Bernardo: Shark Bait
Bernardo: A Puerto Rican migrant and founder/leader of the Sharks, a Hispanic street gang who are in the midst of a turf war with their archenemies, the Jets. He is the older brother of Maria and is Anita's boyfriend.
Chakiris
George Chakiris
Film (1961)
I'd been playing Riff in the London stage show for over a year when the movie was announced. They were floating names like Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, Warren Beatty and Robert Redford. So none of us thought in our wildest dreams we'd be cast.
Five of us were invited to do a test scene, so we stole our stage costumes and went to Elstree for the day. Weeks went by and then I got a call from Robbins, who asked me out to LA. They wanted me to be Bernardo.. None of us put on very heavy Puerto Rican accents. The danger in going too strong is that it will show up the cracks. Rita Moreno, who played Anita, is Puerto Rican, so we all turned to her if we had trouble pronouncing our lines.
George Chakiris
Ken Le Roy
Original Broadway
Cast
Winter Garden Theatre
(Sep 26, 1957 - Feb 28, 1959)
Broadway Theatre
(Mar 02, 1959 - May 10, 1959)
Winter Garden Theatre
(May 11, 1959 - Jun 27, 1959)
Marcy & Bob Kole
George Marcy
Broadway
Winter Garden Theatre
(Apr 27, 1960 - Oct 22, 1960)
Alvin Theatre
(Oct 24, 1960 - Dec 10, 1960)
Norman in 1961 film
Jay Norman
Broadway
City Center
(Apr 08, 1964 - May 03, 1964)
Mercado
Héctor Jaime Mercado
Broadway Revival
Minskoff Theatre
(Feb 14, 1980 - Nov 30, 1980)
Akram
George Akram
Broadway Revival
Palace Theatre
(Mar 19, 2009 - Jan 02, 2011)
I think my favorite Bernardo has to be George Akram. I unfortunately never saw him on stage, but I did see the show on-line after falling in love with the cast after watching their 2009 appearance (above) on the Tony Awards. Akram and Karen Olivo make a stunning dancing pair as Bernardo and Anita.
Akram with John Arthur Greene
It was maybe a good thing that Amar Ramasar (below) had his stint in the 2020 cut short by the pandemic. Before the show even opened, the show had protesters angry at his casting. Ramasar, a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet, was fired in 2018 for his alleged involvement in a scandal involving explicit photos of another dancer. After being fired from the NYC Ballet, Ramasar was eventually reinstated the following year after his union, the American Guild of Musical Artists, intervened
Amar Ramasar
Broadway Revival
Broadway Theatre
(Feb 20, 2020 - Mar 11, 2020)
Alvarez
David Alvarez
Film (2021)
Alvarez in American Rust
Riff: A Jet All The Way
Got a rocket
In your pocket,
Keep coolly cool, boy
Riff: The second leader of the West Side Street Gang known as the Jets. He is the tritagonist villain in the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story, as well as its 1961 film adaptation. The musical is the modernized version of Romeo and Juliet, of which Riff is the equivalent of Mercutio.
Russ Tamblyn
Film: 1961
When I came home from the army, the film part came up. But it wasn't with MGM – it was with United Artists. They wanted me to test for Tony and MGM allowed it. Later, I was told they'd narrowed it down to me and one other. Riff was never mentioned. I was pretty sure I didn't want that role, because my dancing wasn't great. But then my agent called and said: "Well, Richard Beymer got Tony, but you can be Riff." If you watch the film, you'll see I strut a lot because I never had any dance training
Russ Tamblyn
Mike Faist
Film: 2021
'We realize that Tony is actively trying to be different. He’s trying to change. He’s trying to be a better person. And so I keep using the analogy that it’s like coming home to Thanksgiving. The people in your life, love you so much that they want you to stay in that role for themselves. But it is at the end of the day, selfish love and a love that will meet with friction and a wall there. … The whole plot was Riff’s inability to accept and see Tony’s transformation.'
Mike Faist
Mickey Calin
Winter Garden Theatre
(Sep 26, 1957 - Feb 28, 1959)
Broadway Theatre
(Mar 02, 1959 - May 10, 1959)
Hasson & George Marcy (Bernardo)
Thomas Hasson
Winter Garden Theatre (Apr 27, 1960 - Oct 22, 1960)
Alvin Theatre (Oct 24, 1960 - Dec 10, 1960)
Mellon
James J. Mellon
Minskoff Theatre
(Feb 14, 1980 - Nov 30, 1980)
Green
Cody Green
Palace Theatre
(Mar 19, 2009 - Jan 02, 2011)
One of my favorite versions of 'The Jet Song' was sung by singer Kurt Ollmann for the 1984 album, West Side Story, conducted by Leonard Bernstein..
Greene
John Arthur Greene
Palace Theatre
(Mar 19, 2009 - Jan 02, 2011)
Cook
Ben Cook
Broadway Theatre
(Feb 20, 2020 - Mar 11, 2020)
Although the run was short, the 2020 revival was impacted by almost Spiderman-like injuries. Dharon E. Jones had replace Ben Cook in the role of Riff after Cook sustained an injury during the show. This is the second injury in the production, after lead Isaac Powell, (Tony) suffered a knee injury during a performance.
Powell returned to the production, but opening night had to be pushed back. Jordan Dobson, who was Powell’s standby, had been playing the role of Tony while Powell was out.
Jones, taking over for Cook, previously performed the role of Action in the production.
Jones & Isaac Cole Poweel (Tony)
Dharon E. Jones
Broadway Theatre
(Feb 20, 2020 - Mar 11, 2020)
Tony: Lil' Romeo
Tony: A romantic young man and former leader of the Jets, he has found a new lifestyle now that doesn't involve gangs. Tony finds himself violently torn between his friendships and love. Falls in love with Maria and meets an unfortunate death. Genuinely sweet and sincere.
Richard Beymer
Film, 1961
Beymer wasn't happy with his performance as Tony. He thought he was miscast: he was from a farm in Indiana and had no street sense whatsoever. He needed a lot of direction and didn't get it; they just stuck fake teeth in his mouth instead. The other thing that upset him was that Natalie Wood despised him. She had a "shit list" on her dressing room wall – and Richard's name was top. I asked her why her Romeo was on it and she said: "I just don't like him
Russ Tamblyn
Ansel Elgort
Film, 2021
Ansel Elgort
Kert
McKay
Marshall
Cavenaugh
Powell
Larry Kert
Original Broadway Production
Winter Garden Theatre (Sep 26, 1957 - Feb 28, 1959)
Broadway Theatre (Mar 02, 1959 - May 10, 1959)
Winter Garden Theatre (May 11, 1959 - Jun 27, 1959)
Don McKay
London West End
Dec 12, 1958, - June 1961
Broadway
City Center (Apr 08, 1964 - May 03, 1964)
McKay with George Chakiris as Riff (West End)
Ken Marshall
Broadway Revival
Minskoff Theatre (Feb 14, 1980 - Nov 30, 1980)
Matt Cavenaugh
Broadway Revival
Palace Theatre (Mar 19, 2009 - Jan 02, 2011)
Although I love me some Matt Cavenaugh, I think my favorite Tony has to be Richard Beymer. I also have to give a special shout out to Ansel Elgort. I was not a fan of the casting, and still think Elgort was miscast, but... was pleasantly surprised that he pulled it off.
Isaac Powell
Broadway Revival
Broadway Theatre (Feb 20, 2020 - Mar 11, 2020)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)