- West Side Story (2021)
2/12/22 (Sat)
I was equally excited by and wary of the idea of a new film version of West Side Story (see here). The 1961 film, as with the original stage show four years earlier, was portraying contemporary events by people who were there. Any remake would necessarily involve a reinterpretation of the story filtered through a modern sensibility, and it was hardly a comfort that it was being led by the ever-woke team of director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner. The original show, which portrays a turf war between Polish-American and Puerto Rican social outcasts, has been criticized by some as an outmoded, semi-racist piece by four Jewish white guys (choreographer, writer, composer, lyricist), though you could also say four gay guys if that helps. The last Broadway revival in 2020, which I did not see, was reportedly an extreme makeover with a distinctly modern perspective, including references to Black Lives Matters, extensive use of video screens, and modern dance in place of Jerome Robbins’ iconic ballet-inspired choreography. That closed quickly due to the pandemic but did not subsequently reopen, suggesting that the producers didn’t have much confidence in its commercial prospects. It was hard to say what to expect with Spielberg, though the previews encouragingly looked like a more traditional approach.
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