Jets vs. Sharks rumble into the 21st century
Puerto Rican native Ernesto R. Acevedo-Mu簽oz has his eyes set on the next era of West Side Story
Ernesto R. Acevedo-Mu簽oz, professor and chair of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts
Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheims classic musical泭West Side Story泭has played a pivotal role in the life of Ernesto R. Acevedo-Mu簽oz, professor and chair of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts泭at the 窪蹋勛圖, ever since his father introduced it to his children.泭
My brother and I played (the album) over and over, and by the time we finally saw the movie on a pan-and-scan Betamax videotape sometime in the early 1980s, we were both sold on it, Acevedo-Mu簽oz writes in his 2013 book,泭West Side Story as Cinema: The Making and Impact of an American Masterpiece.泭
First, I was intrigued by the words, Puerto Rico my hearts devotion on the album, for I had rarely heard the name of my homeland mentioned in any movie. Later, I was overwhelmed and giddily proud to see Puerto Ricans represented onscreen, however inaccurate or stylized the portrayal.泭
Acevedo-Mu簽oz even says the Oscar-winning 1961 film version of West Side Storya retelling of Shakespeares tragedy,泭Romeo and Juliet, set in 1950s New York and replacing Capulets and Montagues with Jets and Sharksis the reason he went into film study.
Ernesto R. Acevedo-Mu簽oz book "West Side Story as Cinema"
Years ahead of its time, unlike any other musical film,泭West Side Story泭continues to explore ethnic, sexual and social anxieties and to underscore dystopian polyrhythms within a fantastically utopian genre, he writes.
These days, many of Acevedo-Mu簽oz introductory students have never seen the film, though many know it through the television show泭Glee, which featured the musical in 2011.泭
Which isnt to say that泭West Side Story泭has become a relic. The show has been revived on Broadway several times, most recently in 2009. Perhaps more significant, says Acevedo-Mu簽oz, it has been produced thousands and thousands of times by regional, high-school and amateur companies.泭West Side Story泭has never disappeared.
This year, the belovedand to some, controversialclassic is set for two major revivals, with a new and radically different stage version now in previews on Broadway and a Steven Spielberg-helmed remake of the film set for release in December.
This is not quite the same as the little summer-stock theater company doing it out in Horseballs, Nebraska, says Acevedo-Mu簽oz, who is widely considered one of the nations experts on the film and has recently been泭泭on public radio about the coming revival and remake.泭
That new versions arrive at this particular point in American history is no accident, he says.
I think its a direct consequence of current political tensions having to do specifically with immigrants, Acevedo-Mu簽oz says (though hes quick to point out that technically, Puerto Ricans are not immigrants, since they had citizenshipbut crucially, neither voting rights or representationimposed upon them in 1917).
He also notes that just two years ago Hurricane Mariaironically, the name of the female lead in泭West Side Storydevastated Puerto Rico, highlighting the second-class status of the islands residents. The federal government was slow to respond to the disastertwo weeks after the storm hit, 89 percent of the island still had no powerand the Trump administration cut promised relief funds.
On top of all that was the public humiliation of Donald Trump throwing rolls of paper towels in a photo-op, Acevedo-Mu簽oz says, as if thats what was needed or useful.
Though widely acknowledged as a Hollywood classic,泭West Side Story泭has long drawn fire from critics who say it presents negative stereotypes of Puerto Ricans, offers a retrograde view of relations between the sexes and committed brown-face by using white actors to portray Puerto Ricans.泭
Dutch director泭Ivo van Hoves泭Broadway revival reportedly seeks to redress some of those issues, jettisoning Marias I Feel Pretty and using Puerto Rican actors to play Sharks, among other changes.泭
Spielbergs versionset, like the original, in the 1950swill feature Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for best supporting actress in the original, both as an executive producer and playing Doc, the wise counselor to the Anglo Jets gang who is based on Friar Laurence in泭Romeo and Juliet.
And they are making the effort to get the casting to be more accurate and reflective of reality, using real Latinx Puerto Rican actors to play the Sharks, Acevedo-Mu簽oz notes.
He applauds efforts to find new ways to address troublesome aspects of the musical and film but notes that remakes and revivals often disappoint fans and critics alike.
The 2009 Broadway revival directed by Arthur Laurents included some lyrics adapted and translated to Spanish by Lin Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) in an effort to make the play more inclusive for contemporary audiences, he says. But theatergoers responded negatively to this change, and eventually dialogue and lyrics were changed back to the original English.
泭
Years ahead of its time, unlike any other musical film,泭West Side Story泭continues to explore ethnic, sexual and social anxieties and to underscore dystopian polyrhythms within a fantastically utopian genre,"
Regarding the Spielberg remake, Acevedo-Mu簽oz says he is cautiously optimistic, given what we know about the casting and location work, but the recent track record of musical and other remakes suggests it could be a risky enterprise.
Then again, he has little patience for remakes in general, and wonders why Hollywood continues to greenlight them when nearly all bomb at the box office and are savaged by critics and fans alike.
Who asked to see a remake of泭Dirty Dancing? Who asked to see a remake of泭Fame? Who asked to see a remake of泭West Side Story? he asks. Nobody.
Acevedo-Mu簽oz praises泭West Side Story泭for its revisionist approach, political commentary and social satire and visual and aural elements, calling it the musical film equivalent of the great American novel. But hes not blind to its faults.泭
The plot is really silly. Tony and Maria know each other for all of 24 hours! he says. He even likes to open lectures about the film with a classic joke by Robert Wuhl that puts the spotlight on just one of the storys implausibilities: Tony runs through the Puerto Rican neighborhood yelling Maria! and only泭one泭girl comes to the window. Ba-dum-tsss.
Even so, Acevedo-Mu簽oz has little patience with the contemporary propensity to judge art out of context.泭
It appears that Maria doesnt start existing until Tony notices her, he says about I Feel Pretty. Thats problematic. But its also perfectly in tune with the 1950s context of the play.
In general, hes no fan of hindsight sensitivity.
Lets not burn泭West Side Story泭because it doesnt get a lot of things perfect; theres no such thing as perfect, he says. No work of art deserving of attention is泭not泭controversial. Its dangerous to pretend we can protect anyone from anything because ultimately, this is what helps us erase racial, social and class conflicts that have permeated this country since its founding.