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West Side Story Reviews
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| 16 |
GREAT REVIVAL!! Review by: BigTheatreGuyfromNJ, Apr 12, 2010 |
| West Side Story is a classic, and a must see revival. There was suspense, drama, amazing acting and singing, and an overall sense that you were watching a piece of history. My wife and I caught the matinée on April 10th and sat in the 5th row orchestra. The energy coming off the stage was incredible, and the intensity of the conflict was palpable. The dancing was amongst the best I have ever seen on Broadway and the music and singing was world ... read more class. Do not hesitate to see this classic musical. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Adults
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| 17 |
Review by: blondo, Mar 21, 2010 |
| Even though some scenes were too drawn out and I could have done without the Spanish lyrics it was a very enjoyable experience and a great birthday gift. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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Family
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| 18 |
Worst show ever! Review by: assembler209, Mar 15, 2010 |
My wife and i went to see West Side Story for my Birthday.
We both just looked at each other at intermission and said "Is it just me or..." Yes it was that bad but since I paid nearly $100 per ticket I wanted to see it through until the end in case it got better. No such luck. We ran out as soon as it was done. At least we were the first ones out and got to Les Halles early. The food alone made the trip worthwhile but what a horrible and ... read more dissapointing show. I feel bad for the actors because I think the story was just bad and not believable. So much of the diologue was in Spanish. Were talking about 5 or 6 minutes at a time? Are you guys for real? Are Americans supposed to speak fluent Spanish?? I paid almost $300 per ticket for Mamma Mia and loved it and almost $200 for Rock of ages which is the best I have ever seen and would see it again.
You couldn't pay me to see West Side again. Next time I'll read the reviews! |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 19 |
Suprisingly AWFUL!!! Review by: , Mar 12, 2010 |
My partner and I went to see the show last night and were deeply disappointed with the entire show!! We did not read any reviews on the show until the next day. And we concur with the reviews that state the performances were flat, dull, expressionless and lacking passion. The lead and supporting actress performances were stronger than the male lead and supporting cast. The supporting actress actually had some terric moments of really being ... read more in her character. It was not a consistent performance however.
I was deeply disturbed by the "rape" scene in the show. I was not expecting the scene to be that graphic and thought the entire show was a bust from that point on.
The dancing was uninspiring and the performers were out of sync with each other. Not having seen the original movie or theater production, I felt this show was trying to be a more hip updated version. It failed miserably! I am sorry to write a "bad" review of any performance, but feel obligated to let other people know that this is one show to DEFINATELY SKIP AND SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR ANOTHER SHOW!!
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Bland Review by: Murphyturkey1, Feb 28, 2010 |
Gosh, I wish I had read the reviews before I went to this. It wasn't awful for me, but it was definitely colorless, passionless, and energy-less.
I sat high high up in the balcony so I didn't feel bad losing my $50, but I felt bad for those who paid $100 and up. I was able to watch the entire show without leaving early, but I was really expecting excitement.
The music was fine...actually the most excitement I had during ... read more this matinee performance was watching the team of percussionists who were positioned in the box wings above the orchestra, stage left and stage right. They were entertaining.
The acting: okay, exceptions at this performance Anita, Doc and the detective were the three characters I looked forward to seeing.
The music: good but I wished the orchestra could have cut loose.
The dancing: technically decent; seemed all of the actors/dancers were on point, almost mechanical.
First act: long, no passion
Second act: I knew the end was coming, therefore, I could tolerate it.
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 21 |
Reviewing the reviews Review by: , Feb 13, 2010 |
| I find it interesting, the majority of reviews state that the female lead is great but the remaining cast is boring. First act is painfully slow and the male leads are lame. All these people can't be wrong. Considering the expense of going to see a broadway show, we've decided to skip this show. Too much a risk. Sitting through a lame show isn't an option. From the sound of things, the director; casting director and producers weren't on their ... read more toes. Best. |
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Enjoyable Review by: , Feb 8, 2010 |
| I went to see west side story and had an enjoyable time. There was some good and some bad but overall it was a very good show. The beginning of the show went very slow and I was rethinking why I came to the show. However, things went from boring to excellent. The music was great and the actors sang it wonderfully. I do not believe I saw the Anita everyone is talking about because all though she was good she could not be the one everyone is ... read more raving about. Now the scenery was magnificent. The scenery for the rumble was great as well as for everything. All the scenes moved clean as can be with the scenery changing effortlessly. At the end of Act 1 I had changed my mind and was really enjoying the show. It was very similar to the movie! Anyways, act 2 was not as good. There was way too much spanish spoken in act 2. The little bits of spanish in act 1 didn't bother me but act 2 had a lot more spanish. It was disappointing that the song I feel pretty was half in spanish. It ended very oddly, as did the movie, but it was just odd to not have a final song but it's a sad ending so I understand. The orchestra was great. The people who played the Jets and the Sharks were good as well. Although, the Jets have a much bigger part than the Sharks. The Sharks rarely talk. They definitly focus more on the Jets than the Sharks. Overall had a great time. Would recommend. It's just a different kind of show than I am used to. I'm used to upbeat musicals but this is more of a drama musical. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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Large Group
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AMAZINGG! seen it twice, going back to see it a third time! A MUST SEE Review by: broadway<3, Jan 7, 2010 |
| I've seen West Side Story twice and LOVEDDD IT. Its my favorite musical of all time. I'm already planning on going to see it a third time. Karen Olivo is amazingg as Anita, and the new tony, Matthew Hydzik is even better then the original, his voice is amazing and gives me chills :D. My favorite would have to be John Arthur Greene as Riff. He was absolutely amazing as Riff, he is an amazing dancer and singer and really plays the role of Riff ... read more perfectly! This is a MUST SEE! if your looking for an amazing unique Broadway show, worth your money, then go see West Side Story! You won't be disappointed. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Family
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Seniors, Tourists
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Dance routines were excellent...but that was it Review by: Familygirls, Dec 24, 2009 |
Very disappointed...Caught the show with my 21 year old daughter and we opted to leave at intermission. An all time first for me. The show lacked passion and was too slow moving. On a positive note, the dance was excellent.
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
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Recommended for:
Seniors
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| 25 |
Lacks power; If you're an avid NYC theatre goer, skip this revival! Review by: , Dec 13, 2009 |
I've never seen the West Side Story movie or anyother West Side Story production so I really had no expectations going to see this show.
Most of the cast doesn't have a commanding stage presence. It appears that Karen Olivo is the only one pouring her heart and soul into her role. Some parts dragged and it was more interesting to watch the guy playing the xylophone!!! In the end, the show fails to deliver its message to the audience. When ... read more it ended, I was like "Um...ok?" It's not powerful enough and it doesn't touch the audience. I don't know if it's just the cast or whatever, but this show fails to really reach the heart of the audience. I felt indifferent after the show and it wasn't uplifting. I've seen a lot of Broadway plays and this one is definitely on the bottom of my list. SKIP THIS SHOW! Spare yourself from boredom. There are a lot of better shows than this one like Hair or Billy Elliot or Next to Normal or Wicked! Now I know why it only got one Tony Award. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Wonderful Show! Review by: Broadwaychika, Nov 15, 2009 |
| The story as we all know is one of the most emotional and touching of all time, and the actors in this production I believe captured that. The actors playing Tony and Maria had very good chemistry, and were both wonderful actors. But the one person who stole the show was Anita! She was stunning in the role, and had more emotion on stage than anyone I had ever seen! She performed beautifully and made the role look effortless! Please make an ... read more effort to see the show! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Large Group
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Adults
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| 27 |
Review by: , Nov 3, 2009 |
| As a theatergoer of many decades, my husband and I found this revival to be awful, weak voices except for role of Anita. The two main leads were colorless, no physical attraction and the beautiful music of West Side Story was ruined. Can't compare to the original or the movie. I was very insulted to find one act and some numbers done entirely in Spanish. This is WRONG and I intend to write to the producers. You are limiting your audience and ... read more since English is the main language spoken in this country, it is shameful to pay FULL price for theater tickets and not understand what is being said. It was almost an entire scene of spanish.WRONG!!!! |
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| 28 |
GREAT Review by: fp040, Oct 23, 2009 |
| Great Show - Sondheim/Bernstein score - energetic dancing - I saw the original cast - WONDERFUL!! - If you are not moved by this show you should be on life support...DO NOT MISS |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Seniors, Tourists
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| 29 |
PLEASE retire Mr. Laurents!! Review by: Realitycheck, Oct 23, 2009 |
| You just should not mess with perfection -- and that is exactly what happened here. Hey -- I'm game for new productions, fresh takes on issues, updating the outdated. I am NOT up for totally destroying THE quisisential broadway musical. EVERY directorial decision was wrong. Tony, singing "Something's Coming" stands completely still on the middle of the stage as if he is performing a concert of elevator musak. Where is his excitement,... read more, passion, running aroudn and leaping for the sky?? Not here! Some lyrics in Spanish to add authenticity? Not what I would think of, but I was willing to give it a try? Well -- I was not expecting that the flow between english and spanish would be within the same monologue --- or every other sentence in a dialogue? How could anyone think this would work? Shame on you Arthur -- give it up -- it's time to retire. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| Acting: |
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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| 30 |
West Side Story-Fantastic! Review by: KWK, Oct 22, 2009 |
| After reading the reviews below, I was a little skeptical about seeing "West Side Story" because I love the movie so much. Well, I plan on going back several times. This show was fantastic. There were no understudies last night and all performers were professional and gave it their all. The dance numbers were incredibly choreographed. I had no issues with lack of chemistry as mentioned below. This show has many tear inducing moments and the ... read more audience gave it a standing ovation at the end. Yes, the use of spanish was a little too much and not really necessary, but that was a minor complaint. Please, if you love the film like I do, ignore the reviews below and go and form your own opinion. This is a true American classic and a fine job was done bringing it back for all of us to savor! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| Acting: |
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Adults
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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