A literal literary trip/link to the past
To say this book is fabulous just doesn't really describe the depth of pleasure that I recieved from it. Actually, I had read the book quite a few years ago. So this particular copy of it was bought as a gift for the director of the show I was doing back in October. Lisa, being the passionate artist that she is, would have I felt, gained a great deal from Mr. Garabian's work. His prose style is a bit verbose but very immaginative and informative.
His painstaking research is more than evident throughout. The specifics that he delved into aids in taking the reader back into the early 50s. They are not only informative but broadening...mind broadening!
The author goes through the very germination of "West Side Story". We learn about the composer Leonard Bernstein. Not only about his creative contributions to the whole piece but also what he was going through creatively. That is also especially true of the librettist Arthur Laurents and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. Mr. Garebian carefully details the struggles these men went through even before they had a finished copy.
Director/choreographer made the production took a very interesting, albeit dangerous approach to get what he wanted from his cast. Since these dancers were suppose to be rival NY gangs, he pitted these guys and gals against each other. So animosity reigned on that rehearsal stage. While I'm not a big fan of tension within large groups of people I would have loved to have been there for this historical production. That proverbial fly on the wall while Lenny concieved of those lucious, unforgettable melodies.
This is a must read for anybody who loooooooooooooooooooves the theater.
