"West Side Story" is getting an update. Directed by Ivo van Hove; Choreographed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker; Associate Director: Daniel Raggett; Associate Choreographer: Clinton Stringer; Assistant Director: Osheen Jones Opened on Broadway: February 20, 2020. West Side Story transposes Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the gang-ridden streets of 1950s Manhattan, dominated by the Sharks and the Jets. Broadway is dark. That's-- that's 'West Side Story,'" Rudin said. “With the history of contemporary dance, post-modern dance, we came to a sense of reality that defying gravity is the history from [a crawling] child to somebody who’s growing up from animal to upright person.”, If Robbins’ dance floated up, De Keersmaeker’s shifts down and side to side. "You take notes on everything," Whitaker said to van Hove. I did everything possible with my team.". So that's a very difficult thing when you're very young and ha-- and when you don't have a lot of experience. "The camera was out of focus, the actors were out of position, you were getting angry. “And yet this is the timeless story written by Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. It's a battlefield," De Keersmaeker said. I'm not a general," De Keersmaeker said. Van Hove is animated, decisive; De Keersmaeker calls herself a patient collaborator. Of course there are bound to be bumps," Powell said. The calm in the middle of the storm: Ivo van Hove. I'm not like, 'Cha, cha, cha, chack.'" But we have a revival of our look at the new production of "West Side Story." It's bracing, vital and sublime. Isaac Powell, Tony, injured his knee and had to take a month off. Reviewed Feb. 13. Ivo van Hove opens his video-enhanced, Jerome Robbins-less "West Side Story," a bombardment of sight and sound. Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim. Van Hove tapped choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, his friend and fellow Belgian, to design more contemporary, street influenced movement. "That's it. You at one point said, 'Everything is wrong. Copyright 1991-2020 © Playbill Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Casting in the revival of West Side Story. It is directed by Ivo van Hove, with choreography by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. Director van Hove and choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker have admired each other’s work since the 1980s, but “West Side Story” marks their first collaboration. “We really chose for inclusion of the American population today.”, READ: Stage Directions: Broadway’s Ivo van Hove Shares the Childhood Story of How He Became a Director. Then protests erupted over Amar Ramasar, a dancer with the New York City Ballet who plays the leader of the Sharks. Lyricist Stephen Sondheim wanted “West Side Story” to be the first Broadway musical to use the F-word (in the song “Gee, Officer Krupke”), but it was changed after the song was played for producers. "Is that what they were doing?" So, no, it's a normal process, in this case a very intense one." “In ballet, you’re constantly celebrating vertical posture and defying gravity on extension,” she says. "Why does it have to be either?" But therein lies the new and the provocative—and the guiding principle of her choreography: “harmonizing opposites.”, In her movement vocabulary for the show, she harmonizes the vertical and horizontal. This was their vision. You know? So hai voluto la bicicletta. We were given unprecedented access to the making of the new production. Van Hove and his choreographer, Belgian postmodernist Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, vowed to come up with a “West Side Story” for a new century and a new audience. A lot is different this time around: Jerome Robbins' original choreography is out, as are some iconic parts of the show, like Maria's "I Feel Pretty" solo. "There must be things about this that just scare you? "It's a black box, fully exposed, guts and all it's not "West Side Story" of 1957. Book by Arthur Laurents; Based on a Conception by Jerome Robbins; Music by Leonard Bernstein; Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Music orchestrated by Jonathan Tunick, Leonard Bernstein, Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal; Musical Director: Alexander Gemignani. Opened Feb. 20, 2020. That is the task before the Belgian choreographer and her director, Ivo Van Hove, for their upcoming Broadway revival, which begins previews December 10 at the Broadway Theatre. Whitaker asked. It’s All About Sounds, Sergio Trujillo and the Musical He Was Born to Choreograph. Arms slice through the air, bodies drop to the floor, anger and energy pulse traceably through the body. An unrelated stage revival of West Side Story, directed by Tony winner Ivo van Hove and choreographed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, is slated to premiere on Broadway in 2020. So much of this is wrong.' I'm not gonna do that," Rudin said. "It's happening in real time," Powell said. "Would you call it an animal? Four flights up above the stage, out of sight of the audience, in what was once a dressing room, now is Maria's bedroom. Copyright © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc.All rights reserved. "Fuzzling with your material?" Likewise, De Keersmaeker’s movement marks a vast departure from the ballet-rooted original of director-choreographer Jerome Robbins—which is what van Hove and producer Scott Rudin had in mind when they hired her. Powell said. He blocked it with the actors and cameras, then went down to the theatre to watch it unfold on the video wall. View Comments They took us to what they call a secret set. So now you have to-- you have to peddle. You can be inspired by other people but not stealing from them, I think." 45min. It's an invention of Jerome Robbins and we should respect that, you know? The Belgian director says the story is universal. Edited by Sean Kelly. West Side Story on Broadway. Lin-Manuel Miranda ... thanks And I'm really happy with that. And now they ride into the uncertainty of opening night. “The question is how to make West Side Story for the 21st century,” according to Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The scenery is an enormous, black wall that opens up to reveal two hidden sets. This aspiring choreographer reveals his process behind creating a new story to the song everyone has in their head. A Radical Restaging of “West Side Story” In the new Broadway production, avant-garde choreography incorporates salsa and hip-hop. Book: Arthur Laurents. But it's been a fascinating toolkit to play with. West Side Story's Ariana DeBose and David Alvarez dance on set of Steven Spielberg's remake. Her choreography captures the conflict at the core of West Side Story, but also that quest for harmony dreamed up by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Robbins. "I was at the birth of this thing," van Hove said. We started rolling our cameras this past October in a manhattan dance studio. They're recent Latino immigrants. Veteran actor Ben Cook, who played Riff, the leader of the Jets, dislocated his shoulder and had to leave the show six weeks before opening, giving 22-year-old castmate, Dharon Jones, a newcomer to Broadway, the break of a lifetime. Picture: Splash News ... Ariana DeBose has been cast as Anita in the 2020 remake of West Side Story. Two days later, on November 18, the production went uptown to the Broadway Theatre. The core of this story remains relevant.” So follows the vision for this take: “The Sharks are definitely Hispanic-rooted,” she continues, “but Hispanics of today are maybe not the same Hispanics as they were 50 years ago.” And van Hove and De Keersmaeker also cast a new lens on the Jets, who are not all white and of European descent as in the original. Jerome Robbins, Montgomery Clift, and the Origins of “West Side Story” How a hit Broadway musical was born in New York’s post-war bohemia. "Jumping into this American classic," correspondent Bill Whitaker said in a conversation with van Hove. Tony and Maria are the star-crossed lovers. They're ready, after all the blood, sweat and tears. "You know, how a number has to end, how you have to build tension, you know? "The next day you go up and you have production meetings with the crew and you go work with the actors. The songs and Arthur Laurents' story are the same, but the dancing is all new. "No, no, no, no," van Hove said. "Also... you have to be able to act. He's been named in a civil suit alleging he participated in an exchange of explicit pictures of female dancers, which he contests. I love the sometimes violent but always the high energy of a rehearsal process." 22 July 2019, 13:45 | Updated: 22 July 2019, 14:02 ... A first look at the choreography for Steven Spielberg's West Side Story. Her style is vastly different from the original, balletic dancing of director/choreographer Jerome Robbins, immortalized in the 1961 movie. Kathryn Burns, the award-winning choreographer behind. And be it 1957 or 2019, Robbins or De Keersmaeker, that will never change. a serpent? Broadway Theatre. An updated West Side Story - watch two videos below . The first time in the theater van Hove rehearsed the bedroom scene when Maria learns Tony has killed her brother, it was like directing a movie. "Sometimes. ", So is the veteran producer concerned at all that that video image will overwhelm your actors on stage? ALL NEW CHOREOGRAPHY BY ANNE TERESA DE KEERSMAEKER . West Side Story. We saw some of those kinks. It is produced by Scott Rudin, Barry Diller and David Geffen. That delayed opening night by two weeks. "The challenges were high. West Side Story Broadway REVIEW: ... February 20, 2020 09:00 PM Advertisement. Whitaker asked De Keersmaeker. Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. The cast starred Larry Kert as Tony, Carol Lawrence as Maria, Chita Rivera as Anita and David Wintersas Ba… As we first reported this February, days before it opened and weeks beforeCOVID-19 temporarily shut it down, a new team of creative artists has staged a radical reinvisioning of the classic musical. Bill Whitaker reports on the new twists making their way to one of America's most iconic musicals. The first notes of Leonard Bernstein's music and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics stirred treasured memories. Seamlessly? What kind of animal? I don't excuse it. It's stripped down, fast and gritty - a "'West Side Story' for the 21st century." Music: Leonard Bernstein. "Yeah. A lion? When the original "West Side Story" opened in 1957 it caused a sensation with the innovative fusion of dance, music and theater - a reimagining of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Continuing the recent influx of contemporary dancemakers working on Broadway, De Keersmaeker is taking on West Side Story. De Keersmaeker said. I've patience. You know, it took us a while to bring all the elements, you know, in a perfect balance. ", "Am I always successful? "So how do you change something like America, the way she throws the dress around?" After tryouts in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia beginning in August 1957, the original Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 26, 1957, to positive reviews. Ramasar was initially fired by the New York City Ballet. They say you wanted the bicycle. It's not up to me. Unlike previous revivals, this West Side takes place today—just like the 1957 West Side looked at its today. FB Tweet. I think what he did was really stupid." (Can you bear to lose “I Feel Pretty”?) "I feel like a fish in the ocean, you know? Broadcast associate, Emilio Almonte. A Broadway revival of West Side Story began previews on December 10, 2019 and officially opened on February 20, 2020 at the Broadway Theatre. She blends Robbins’ classical style with floorwork signature of her own and a “presence of what dancing of today is—globalized culture of hip-hop, street dancing, house dancing.” Simultaneously, De Keersmaeker tethers herself to the music, “my main partner.”. Imagine my delight upon learning that for the show’s 2020 Broadway revival, its helmsman, experimental Belgian director Ivo van Hove, had insisted on brand-new choreography, made by the brilliant postmodern minimalist Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, a fellow Belgian. "There are places where I think it still does slightly overwhelm, or kind of dwarf the actors, and some places where it's incredibly exciting that it's there. Something else they had to fix: the rain. Photographs by Collier Schorr "We start to shape it together with the dancers." But Ivo van Hove, a Tony Award-winning director, known for his cutting-edge productions, promised something new: a more raw and raging "West Side Story.". It's a lot of people. But I would be lying if I say that it went, like, smoothly like this, you know?" The Tony nominee discusses working with Latino royalty, authenticity through dance and what exactly he looks for in that audition room. Among his numerous stage productions were On the Town, Peter Pan, High Button Shoes, The King and I, The Pajama Game, Bells Are Ringing, West Side Story, Gypsy, and Fiddler on the Roof.Robbins was a five-time Tony Award … De Keersmaeker had to scale up her dancers' movements to fit the bigger space and giant images. Choreography doesn’t make this reimagined “West Side Story” breathe. Maybe a dragon." "He got reinstated. "Because it's not in the score. "It's not easy to sing these songs. So, I mean, I'm flexible. "I know exactly what I wanted it to be. It's Van Hove's first Broadway musical. "Well, there is a certain codified language in Broadway," De Keersmaeker said. She comes from contemporary dance, not ballet; European culture, not American—though in the ’80s she studied at the dance department of NYU. With Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez. Now, three of the most daring theater-makers of our time — director Ivo van Hove (A View From the Bridge and The Crucible), choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, and designer and frequent Van Hove collaborator Jan Versweyveld — offer a radical, thrilling new interpretation of this iconic work, with extraordinary dancing, breathtaking vision, and 23 young, brilliantly gifted performers … "It's up to you, you know, to judge that. We'll see," van Hove continued. "It's a huge challenge, because everything has to be on the highest level, the singing, the dancing, and the acting. Two Latin dance consultants were brought in to add more authenticity and Broadway flair to De Keersmaeker's choreography. Based on a conception by Jerome Robbins; Book by Arthur Laurents; Music by Leonard Bernstein; Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Choreography by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker; Directed by Ivo van Hove. Runtime: 1hr. Jerome Robbins (October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American choreographer, director, dancer, and theater producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television.. "There's a camera set up in the bedroom," Pimentel said. Entire Original Production Directed and Choreographed by Jerome Robbins. You know, with clear leaders being Ivo and I.". "It's a bit like a battlefield. It's video on a scale Broadway has never seen. Choreographer: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. And it's true. And the Sharks are not just Puerto Ricans. You have to dance at the same time,"van Hove said. Running time: ONE HOUR, 45 MIN. "I mean am I supposed to replace him in the show? "So when the audience walks in, that's what they're going to see?" And-- and the ocean is a dangerous place to be sometimes, you know, but also great place to be. Rival street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, become the Montagues and the Capulets. "It's both." It seemed the show was snake bit. “The DNA of West Side Story is how music, dance, and theatre come together,” she says. I don't have so much experience about that. "So in the play," Whitaker asked, "you will be running up and down the stairs to come to your room?" Payroll Clerk Craig Salstein ... associate choreographer Harry Shuluk ... stand in jets utility Dennis Smith ... additional set medic Ramona Wong ... construction accountant Mathias Luque ... production assistant (uncredited) THANKS. After 19 weeks, the performances have been polished, the video fine-tuned, the dancing distinct. She approaches dance first through form and shape; she’s accustomed to “small constellations” of dancers. Exclusive photos of the five nominees for Best Choreography as they reveal the inspiration behind their visions. West Side Story, in theory, contrasts all of this. "This is your first Broadway production," Whitaker said to De Keersmaeker. Sign up for exclusive discounts and save up to 50% on tickets! A deluge that soaks the actors and sometimes musicians in the orchestra pit. And it's-- it's teamwork. I made a choice of doing this. The Tony nominee on creating the intricate movement for, The Tony nominee talks his musical theatre debut, re-imagining the work of. Van Hove tapped choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, his friend and fellow Belgian, to design more contemporary, street influenced movement. The production was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, orchestrated by Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal, and produced by Robert E. Griffith and Harold Prince, with lighting designed by Jean Rosenthal. It's-- a lot at stake. "This is a different animal." PERFORMANCES WILL BEGIN DECEMBER 10, 2019 OPENING NIGHT SET FOR FEBRUARY 6, 2020 ... West Side Story, will return to Broadway in a new production directed by Tony Award winner Ivo van Hove; and for the first time ever in the United States, will feature all-new choreography by the internationally acclaimed Anne Teresa De … the whole vision has been realized. "I think we're managing our way into it," Rudin said. by MICHAEL VAN DUZER [dropcap]West Side Story[/dropcap] blazed its way onto Broadway in 1957 and the American musical has never been the same. With the upcoming Broadway revival, choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker makes her theatrical debut and thrusts her singular contemporary dance into the Broadway fray. You know? So that's out? Will this be successful? Tickets and details . That's not the only big change. "And kinks that need to be ironed out.". Everything scares me about this," van Hove said with a laugh. Twenty-five of them projecting images onto the wall designed to intensify the action. Director: Ivo van Hove. Their young cast reflects America today. In Italian, they say, 'Hai voluto la bicicletta.' "The arbitrator found that there had been no firing offense," producer Scott Rudin said. Updating this American masterpiece was his idea. I think finally it turned out well. De Keersmaeker told us originally that she is not a general. “The world has changed, America has changed, New York has changed, the notion of what identity and community means has changed, the relationship between men and women has changed,” says De Keersmaeker. "I love that," van Hove said. "Whittled down to one hour and forty-five minutes, West Side Story – with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreography by Jerome Robbins — has grown exceedingly dark and mislaid some of its moving parts in the new Broadway revival from edgy Belgian director Ivo van Hove. West Side Story on Broadway. After five weeks in the rehearsal hall, the last run through before moving to the theater. "We were here one day when you were rehearsing the bedroom scene upstairs," Whitaker said to van Hove later. "I'm not a general. And of course everybody has an expectation." Directed by Ivo Van Hove. 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Thirty-three of the 50 cast members are making their Broadway debuts. Central to van Hove's reimagining: cameras everywhere. West Side Story is on stage at the Broadway Theater (1681 Broadway New York, NY, between 52nd and 53rd Street.) Choreography by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. De Keersmaeker responded while laughing. Did you ever have any questions through that, about the use of the video like that?". "I don't like when they start to fuzzle with your material," De Keersmaeker said. Curtains won't rise again before the new year. "They really enlarge the movement, but that's not the way people-- young people dance these days.". And of course you know that it will be a journey. "That's out," De Keersmaeker said. "It's huge. West Side Story Opens: February 20. I knew it was not gonna be easy. In this version the Jets are not all white. Produced by Ruth Streeter and Kaylee Tully. West Side Story on its own is a classic and also the dance choreography is classic, and we don't have any intention of making something that is against Jerome Robbins. "But I am a dancer. I know. ‘West Side Story’: Theater Review The Broadway Theater; 1700 seats; $199 top. "Those dresses are very beautiful," De Keersmaeker said. "And you have to behave like a general." Yeah, now peddle." As the show evolved, we saw as much drama offstage as on. "Yep," Pimentel said. "No snapping of the fingers," van Hove said. Whitaker asked Scott Rudin, the money and power behind this production. The concept of adapting Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a contemporary story of youthful unrest and racial prejudice among gang members came from Jerome Robbins.. Arthur Laurents wrote the book, Leonard Bernstein composed the score and, earning … No. I mean, this seems like a grueling process." It's just not that. Choreographer: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. WEST SIDE STORY. With the upcoming Broadway revival, choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker makes her theatrical debut and thrusts her singular contemporary dance into the Broadway fray. ... Director and choreographer Jerome Robbins, composer … Directed by Steven Spielberg. So is this a theater, or a movie set? An adaptation of the 1957 musical, West Side Story explores forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. Shereen Pimentel and Isaac Powell with correspondent Bill Whitaker, "West Side Story" lyrics still embarrass Sondheim, Why "I Feel Pretty" is not in the "West Side Story" Revival, California Privacy/Information We Collect. Picture: Splash News The West Side Story actors are joined by an … March 2, 2020 ... University of Chicago Press, 2016) in celebration of the new Broadway production of West Side Story that opened at The Broadway Theater on February 20, 2020. A dragon? 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