麻豆淫院

Puerto Rican native Ernesto R. Acevedo-Mu帽oz has his eyes set on the next era of West Side Story

Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim鈥檚 classic musical听West Side Story听has played a pivotal role in the life of Ernesto R. Acevedo-Mu帽oz, professor and chair of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts听at the University of Colorado Boulder, ever since his father introduced it to his children.听

鈥淢y 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,鈥� Acevedo-Mu帽oz writes in his 2013 book,听West Side Story as Cinema: The Making and Impact of an American Masterpiece.听

鈥淔irst, I was intrigued by the words, 鈥楶uerto Rico 鈥� my heart鈥檚 devotion鈥� 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 鈥楶uerto Ricans鈥� represented onscreen, however inaccurate or stylized the portrayal.鈥澨�

Acevedo-Mu帽oz even says the Oscar-winning 1961 film version of 鈥淲est Side Story鈥濃�攁 retelling of Shakespeare鈥檚 tragedy,听Romeo and Juliet, set in 1950s New York and replacing Capulets and Montagues with Jets and Sharks鈥攊s the reason he went into film study.

鈥淵ears ahead of its time, unlike any other musical film,听West Side Story听continues to explore ethnic, sexual and social anxieties and to underscore dystopian polyrhythms within a fantastically utopian genre,鈥� he writes.

These days, many of Acevedo-Mu帽oz鈥� introductory students have never seen the film, though many know it through the television show听Glee, which featured the musical in 2011.听

Which isn鈥檛 to say that听West Side Story听has become a relic. The show has been revived on Broadway several times, most recently in 2009. Perhaps more significant, says Acevedo-Mu帽oz, 鈥渋t has been produced thousands and thousands of times by regional, high-school and amateur companies.听West Side Story听has never disappeared.鈥�

This year, the beloved鈥攁nd to some, controversial鈥攃lassic 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.

鈥淭his is not quite the same as the little summer-stock theater company doing it out in Horseballs, Nebraska,鈥� says Acevedo-Mu帽oz, who is widely considered one of the nation鈥檚 experts on the film and has recently been听听on public radio about the coming revival and remake.听

That new versions arrive at this particular point in American history is no accident, he says.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a direct consequence of current political tensions having to do specifically with immigrants,鈥� Acevedo-Mu帽oz says (though he鈥檚 quick to point out that technically, Puerto Ricans are not immigrants, since they had citizenship鈥攂ut crucially, neither voting rights or representation鈥攊mposed upon them in 1917).

He also notes that just two years ago Hurricane Maria鈥攊ronically, the name of the female lead in听West Side Story鈥攄evastated Puerto Rico, highlighting the second-class status of the island鈥檚 residents. The federal government was slow to respond to the disaster鈥攖wo weeks after the storm hit, 89 percent of the island still had no power鈥攁nd the Trump administration cut promised relief funds.

鈥淥n top of all that was the public humiliation of Donald Trump throwing rolls of paper towels鈥� in a photo-op, Acevedo-Mu帽oz says, 鈥渁s if that鈥檚 what was needed or useful.鈥�

Though widely acknowledged as a Hollywood classic,听West Side Story听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 鈥渂rown-face鈥� by using white actors to portray Puerto Ricans.听

Dutch director听Ivo van Hove鈥檚听Broadway revival reportedly seeks to redress some of those issues, jettisoning Maria鈥檚 鈥淚 Feel Pretty鈥� and using Puerto Rican actors to play Sharks, among other changes.听

Spielberg鈥檚 version鈥攕et, like the original, in the 1950s鈥攚ill 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听Romeo and Juliet.

鈥淎nd 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,鈥� Acevedo-Mu帽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.

鈥淭he 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,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut theatergoers responded negatively to this change, and eventually dialogue and lyrics were changed back to the original English.鈥�

Regarding the Spielberg remake, Acevedo-Mu帽oz says he is 鈥渃autiously 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.鈥�

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.

鈥淲ho asked to see a remake of听Dirty Dancing? Who asked to see a remake of听Fame? Who asked to see a remake of听West Side Story?鈥� he asks. 鈥淣obody.鈥�

Acevedo-Mu帽oz praises听West Side Story听for its 鈥渞evisionist approach, political commentary and social satire鈥� and 鈥渧isual and aural elements,鈥� calling it 鈥渢he musical film equivalent of the great American novel.鈥� But he鈥檚 not blind to its faults.听

鈥淭he plot is really silly. Tony and Maria know each other for all of 24 hours!鈥� 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 story鈥檚 implausibilities: 鈥淭ony runs through the Puerto Rican neighborhood yelling 鈥楳aria!鈥� and only听one听girl comes to the window.鈥� Ba-dum-tsss.

Even so, Acevedo-Mu帽oz has little patience with the contemporary propensity to judge art out of context.听

鈥淚t appears that Maria doesn鈥檛 start existing until Tony notices her,鈥� he says about 鈥淚 Feel Pretty.鈥� 鈥淭hat鈥檚 problematic. But it鈥檚 also perfectly in tune with the 1950s context of the play.鈥�

In general, he鈥檚 no fan of hindsight sensitivity.

鈥淟et鈥檚 not burn听West Side Story听because it doesn鈥檛 get a lot of things perfect; there鈥檚 no such thing as perfect,鈥� he says. 鈥淣o work of art deserving of attention is听not听controversial. 鈥� It鈥檚 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.鈥�