Bilingual “West Side Story” To Hit Broadway With A Well-Aimed Chancleta

Arthur Laurents, who originally wrote the book for Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s “West Side Story,” is set to direct a bilingual revival of the iconic musical, explaining that it would be more “gritty” and “passionate.” Like a Puerto Rican thug breaking into song on an inner city fire escape!

In an element that its director, Arthur Laurents, said would heighten the passion and authenticity of the show, much of the dialogue — both spoken and sung — will be in Spanish.

“They will speak Spanish where they would naturally,” Mr. Laurents said in a telephone interview from his home in Quogue, N.Y., adding that supertitles would be used to aid the audience. “The scenes with the Spanish are wildly exciting because they are much less inhibited. I don’t think many eyes are going to stray to the translation.”

That’s just how we are, you know. Uninhibited. We scream “Ayayayayay!” while haggling with bodega owners over the price of a mango. In all seriousness, though, we do really like the idea of an “edgier” and, yes, possibly more authentic version of “West Side Story.” All patronizing buzzwords aside, of course. And Laurent totally agrees:

Mr. Laurents still rankles at the mention of the 1980 revival, which he called bland, and the film version, about which he said: “Bogus accents, bogus dialect, bogus costumes. I think it’s also terribly acted.”

Earlier interpretations left the teenage characters appearing too innocent, Mr. Laurents said. “You don’t treat these kids as little darlings, but as what they are,” he said. “They’re all killers, Jets and Sharks. And the piece is really about how love is destroyed by a world of violence and bigotry.”

A love affair between a Latina and an Anglo? Why, that’ll never work. Know what also never works? Slapping self-tanner on a gringa and expecting her to become Poo-err-toe Reekan:

Mr. Laurents said he intended to cast Hispanic actors in the roles of the Puerto Rican Sharks and particularly the lead role of Maria.

“I’m not about to go slap some dark makeup on her,” Mr. Laurents said. “I think it’s important to have a Latina in the role for a very simple reason — I think they know what it feels like to be an outsider. If they’ve got Puerto Rican blood, they know what prejudice is. If they’ve got any kind of Hispanic blood, they know what prejudice is.”

They know what it is and it makes ‘em wanna dance! To that effect, enjoy our favorite — and most culturally insensitive — song from the musical. “America:”

Jets? Yes! Sharks? ¡Sí! in Bilingual ‘West Side’ [NY Times]