Hello all!
I just got home from seeing/hearing "West Side Story" with my sister Sarah and friend Tracy at Orchestra Hall. What a great film! It was amazing. For the film's 50th anniversary, a new remastered print has been released and is touring with some of the great orchestras around the world. I'm not sure how they did it but my understanding is that the orchestral score and accompaniment was stripped from the film soundtrack so the live orchestra--in this case the great Chicago Symphony Orchestra (www.cso.org)--played the music live while the movie was showing. Leonard Bernstein's score is unlike anything written before or since. Hearing it live with a full orchestra was like reliving the familiar and experiencing it in a whole new light. And even after fifty years, the message of the movie itself is still so relevant to the world today. WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG??? Seriously though, the final half-hour, from Anita's "rape" in Doc's soda shop to the final scene where the Jets and the Sharks overcome their prejudices and unite in Maria's grief at Tony's death, had me in tears. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house!
And what a score! Even though some of the songs have been recorded and performed ad nauseum over the years, experiencing them again in this context was a revelation: "Something's Coming," "Maria," "Tonight," "Cool," "Gee, Officer Krupke," "I Feel Pretty," "A Boy Like That," and of course "Somewhere"...I challenge anyone to find a musical with a more compelling or consistent score. And Jerome Robbins' choreography is still as exciting and innovative as it was fifty years ago.
Hats off in particular to Rita Moreno as Anita. While Tony and Maria are the obvious focus, I feel upon this viewing that Ms. Moreno steals the show. Her portrayal, to me anyway, is the most nuanced and emotionally developed: from the sassy Puerto Rican girl of "America" and "Dance at the Gym" to her anguish at discovering Maria's love for Tony and her betrayal of Maria at Doc's soda shop, Ms. Moreno was an actress at the top of her form. It's no wonder she won an Academy Award.
The remastered print with a digitally-enhanced score has just been released on Blu-Ray in celebration of its 50th anniversary. I've added it to the top of my Christmas list.
The weather in Chicago today is seasonably lousy. Got up early for a coffee at Cafe Floriole (www.floriole.com) and a haircut at State Street Barbers up in Lincoln Park (www.statestreetbarbers.com). Cafe Floriole, at 1220 West Webster Avenue, is a great place to go if you're craving a cappuccino or a strong cup of espresso with perhaps an almond croissant or a slice of quiche. The atmosphere is open, the decor fairly minimalist, and the aromas of fresh-baked pastries and ground European coffee are unfailingly enticing. I always make sure to stop in before or after a haircut at State Street Barbers, an old-school barber shop with several locations around the city. I then made my way over to the Iguana Cafe (www.iguanacafe) at 517 N. Halsted for a spinach omelet, a latte, and the Sunday New York Times. I always know the week ahead is going to be good when I'm able to finish the NYT Sunday Crossword with no outside assistance.
Going to stay in tonight and catch a new episode of "Hell on Wheels," AMC's new dramatic series about the Western expansion of the railroad. While an obvious comparison is to HBO's legendary (and long since cancelled) series "Deadwood," "Hell on Wheels" has greater appeal to me. While it lacks the great Ian McKellan, "H.O.W" is less stylized, more realistic Western fare...without "Deadwood's" somewhat intrusive iambic pentameter. If you haven't caught it yet, the first three episodes are available from Xfinity on Demand.
Looking forward to the week ahead...I think it's going to be a good one!
Shout-outs tonight to the great Chicago Symphony Orchestra for transporting me for three hours on a rainy November Sunday afternoon, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim for their brilliant music and lyrics, and Jon B. at State Street Barbers for a great haircut. Cheers!
QUESTION OF THE DAY: "What is the first musical (film or stage) that you ever saw?"
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