Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanthe
"West Side Story" is not named "Romeo & Juliet", though, is it? So I'm not criticizing Bernstein at all. Bernstein used a unique name for his adaptation to distinguish it from the original. You are comparing apples with oranges.
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There's also a fundamental difference between a theatrical work and a book. The former is always a collaborative process--
WSS had music by Bernstein, lyrics by Sondheim, book by Laurents, choreography by Robbins--and each performance is different. A play is never static; it is reinvented every night. Not so a book.
Nor is rewriting a novel analogous to adapting a basic story from one form of entertainment (straight play) to another (musical).
But the digression to
WSS has me humming "The Jet Song" and "Tonight," so it's been a good thing.