PRELUDE, FUGUE News for Friends of Leonard Bernstein RIFFS Fall/Winter 2008/2009 West Side Story: Returns to Broadway "Could it be? Yes it could; Something's coming, something good!" est Side Story will return to Broadway in a W new production directed by Arthur Laurents, who wrote the book of the show. Produced by Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander, Jeffrey Seller with Terry Allen Kramer, Freddy DeMann, Roy Furman, Robyn Goodman, Walter Grossman, Sander Jacobs, Hal Luftig, Roy Miller and Broad­ way Across America, West Side Story will open on Broadway on Thursday, March 19, 2009 with preview performances beginning on Monday, February 23, 2009 at the Palace Theatre. From December 15, 2008 through January 17, 2009, West Side Story will play an out-of-town engagement at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., where the musical had its world premiere in 1957. The original Jerome Robbins choreography will be restaged by Tony Award nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz, The Life). "This show will be radically different from any other produc­ tion of West Side Story ever done," (continued on page 2) Inside ... 3 Lenny Remembered 6 In the News 10 Selected Performances 5 Artful Learning 7 Peter Pan in Santa Barbara 14 Looking Ahead West Side Story: Returns To Our to Broadway, continued said Arthur Laurents, who was recently nominated for a 2008 Readers Tony Award for his direction of Gypsy, another one of his shows. "The musical theatre and cultural conventions of 1957 made it next to impossible for the characters to e barely have time to write in have authenticity. Every member of this space to enumerate all the W both gangs was always a potential worldwide events and convey all the Matt Cavenaugh Josefina Scaglione killer even then. Now they actually excitement surrounding the celebration as "Tony" as "Maria" will be. Only Tony and Maria try of Bernstein's 90th birthday. There to live in a different world." could barely have been more hoopla The cast of 3 7 will star Matt This production, with Patrick had he been here personally. (But Cavenaugh (A Catered Affair, Grey Vaccariello conducting 30 musi­ there would have been more hugs.) Gardens) as "Tony," Karen Olivo cians in the orchestra pit, will New York City has been at the (In the Heights) as "Anita," Cody introduce the unprecedented front of the birthday parade. In an Green (Movin' Out) as "Riff" element of selectively weaving unprecedented move, Carnegie Hall and George Akram (The Farrelly's Spanish throughout both the and the New York Philharmonic have Stuck on You) as "Bernardo." The book and songs. collaborated on a citywide festival, role of "Maria" will be played Leonard Bernstein: the Best of All by Broadway newcomer Josefina Possible Worlds, featuring countless This show will be radically Scaglione from Buenos Aires. She concerts and events covering every was choosen for the role after an nook and cranny of Bernstein's different from any other exhaustive international search. career. He seemed to be everywhere Also in the cast will be Steve Bassett this fall: on the radio, on posters, production of West Side as "Lt. Schrank," Kyle Brenn as on television, in magazines. Only "Boy Soprano," Joshua Buscher the Presidential campaign seemed to Story ever done ... as "Diesel," Mike Cannon as be getting more attention. "Snowboy," Kyle Coffman as As if all this were not enough, West Side Story, which "Arab," Joey Haro as "Chino," we also have the Broadway revival premiered at the Winter Garden Eric Hatch as "Big Deal," Curtis of West Side Story to look forward Theatre on September 26, 1957, Holbrook as "Action," Michael to in the early spring. features one of Broadway's Mastro as "Glad Hand" Danielle Needless to say, it has been most luminescent collaborations. Polanco as "Consuela," Jennifer profoundly gratifying to see so Jerome Robbins, who conceived Sanchez as "Rosalia," Lee Sellars much attention and praise lavished the idea for the musical, was as "Krupke," Tro Shaw as upon our excellent musical hero. joined in its creation by three "Anybodys," Ryan Steele as We are fairly certain he wouldn't theatrical luminaries: Arthur "Baby John," Greg Vinkler as have minded either. Laurents (book), Leonard "Doc" alongwith Madeline Cintron, Bernstein (music) and Stephen Lindsay Dunn, Matthew Hydzik, J.B.• Sondheim (lyrics). Marina Lazzaretto, Chase Madigan, West Side Story transports Kaitlin Mesh, Pamela Otterson, the iconic tale of Shakespeare's Sam Rogers and Amy Ryerson Romeo and Juliet to the turbulent as "The Jets" and Isaac Calpito, streets of New York City's Upper Haley Carlucci, Peter John Chursin, West Side in the 1950's. The Yurel Echezaretta, Manuel Herrera, star-crossed lovers, Tony and Yanira Marin, Mileyka Mateo, Maria, find themselves caught Kat Nejat, Christian Elan Ortez, between rival street gangs of Michael Rosen, Manuel Santos, different cultural backgrounds. Michaeljon Slinger and Tanairi The lovers' doomed struggle to Sade Vazquez as "The Sharks." exist together in a world of vio­ Tickets for the new Broadway lence, hate and prejudice inspired production of West Side Story are one of the most innovative available through TicketMaster.com. musical masterpieces of all time. Tickets for the pre-Broadway West Side Story features such engagement at the National classic songs of the American Theatre in Washington, D.C. are musical theatre as Something's on sale through Telecharge.com. • Coming, Tonight, America, I 0 Feel Pretty and Somewhere. Lenny Remembered by Kenneth LaFave American symphonists, of Haydn and Schumann. I treasured even n 1985, I took a job writing more Bernstein the composer. Ipress releases for The New "There is no more beguiling York Philharmonic. It was a melodist," my teacher Ned Rorem helluva position for a guy right wrote of Bernstein on the occasion out of music grad school and of Lenny's 70th birthday. fresh from the backwoods of Bernstein's uniquely enchan­ Tucson, Arizona. I'd sit at my ting gift owed largely, in my view, desk on the fourth floor of Avery to the congruence of his particular Fisher Hall penning releases talents with the mood and musical about this concert or that, while language of New York City in the rehearsals were piped in from the 1940s and '50s, and specifically hall below. This was so I could the harmonic pungency and hear when the breaks came, in rhythmic kick of the Broadway case I needed to run downstairs musical. The musical was the and get musicians' permissions lingua franca that made possible a for photographs and quotes. constant cross-pollination between One day, the music over the commercial and non-commercial intercom was Aaron Copland's music in that era. Like George Fanfare for the Common Man, Gershwin before him, Bernstein wrote for the popular stage and a short, simple piece known Leo nard Bernstei n forward and backward by most the concert hall, without any lovers of American music. Zubin fundamental change in melodic­ in charge of making sure everyone Mehta, the Philharmonic's music harmonic-rhythmic method. was in their places and ready to director, was leading the rehearsal. As evidence, consider the go at concert time. Lenny wasn't I sat concentrating on a release middle movement of Bernstein's in his dressing room and we about the upcoming concerts Chichester Psalms. The main couldn't locate him at any of the celebrating Copland's 85th melody was originally set to a usual backstage spots. Finally, we birthday, vaguely aware that completely different text for an found him in a darkened corner the rehearsal had come to an abandoned musical, with lyrics backstage, talking about Mahler... unscheduled stop. Then all of a by the legendary Betty Comden to the janitor. The janitor was sudden, it started up again, and and Adolph Green. Yet it makes mesmerized - and perhaps some­ when it did, I literally jumped the transition from Broadway to what baffled - as he listened to in my seat. It was still the sacred concert work without Lenny exult about music and Copland Fanfare, but... different, anyone being the wiser. Then nature and what it means to be transformed, re-energized, bold. there's a theme in the scherzo a musician. The music had taken on a new of Bernstein's Symphony No. 2: Lenny wanted everyone to love sense of urgency. Age of Anxiety, which had earlier music as he did, and so he spared Leonard Bernstein, the been a song called Ain't Got No no energy performing music, orchestra's Laureate Conductor, Tears Left, again with words by composing music, and educating had taken over the rehearsal. Comden and Green. people about how music relates That was Bernstein the No memories of Lenny to our most basic experiences conductor. I treasured his Bernstein would be complete as humans. Bernstein took a lot performances of Mahler, of the without recalling the way he of criticism for not sticking to loved to talk to people about one musical discipline, but in my music. This was Bernstein the Lenny wanted every­ book his appetite for all aspects Educator. Some have said it was of music was indicative of a large .,, Lenny's ego that led him to speak iil one to love music soul, of an unqualified capacity i: at length about music, about C. for love and life. We'll never see !D composers' lives, about the arts .,, as he did, and so his like again. C: and what they mean to us. I say • '°C: <D nay. It was Lenny's absolute and 11" he spared no energy Kenneth Lafave is a composer :x, uncompromising love for music and writer whose recent works ~ performing music, that urged him to speak about it.