As many of you might know, recently there has been a Broadway revival of "West Side Story." Interestingly enough, in this version, much of the dialog and the songs are conducted in Spanish. Although this appears to be a gimmick at first, it prompted me to think about the motives behind this decision.
Certainly, it serves as a reminder that here in America, despite what many would like to believe, we are multicultural and multilingual. Although many people still support the "One Nation" and "One Language" ideology (including the "Thomas Paine" imitation we watched a while back), just hearing the songs performed in Spanish reminds us that we cannot ignore the numerous facets of American culture. Hearing the songs spoken in Spanish gratifies those who have taken the time to understand it, and reminds others that they cannot focus on one version of America at the expense of others.
Do you believe that it was a good decision to change parts of the play's lines into Spanish? Does it actually serve any real purpose, or is it just an artistic gimmick designed to freshen up the play?
-Eric Wei
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5 comments:
I think it WAS a good decision to change parts of it into Spanish. It certainly should catch the attention of the audience as well as, like you mentioned, give off a multicultural vibe, which I personally think is most reflective of the American society. Yes, surely behind the "artistic gimmick" is a deeper meaning or purpose. If the characters are to be accurately represented, then having the actors playing their roles speak in Spanish would only buttress the musical's authenticity.
Perhaps varying audiences would react differently, however. While Spanish-speaking audiences may enjoy and appreciate the fact that parts of the musical are conducted in Spanish, those who lack a Spanish basis may be annoyed or frustrated because they cannot understand those particular parts. On the other hand, they may still enjoy the play if they appreciate the multilingual aspect. This brings me to a question which the Madrigals could answer for me: was there any such "subtitling" or "translating" during the performance which allowed non-Spanish speakers to understand?
(Janet Lee)
I agree that the Spanish was a good to convey the idea of our multicultural country. However, I don't think that it was the best way to do it, especially if there wasn't a translator, which I doubt they would have at this type of show, or if the actors continued to speak Spanish for a long time. I think this might frustrate the audience greatly. It reminds me about last year when we had to read Jane Eyre. There was that one character, the little girl, that always talked in French. The book didn't even provide some translations. It was just so frustrating.
Also, would this really be enjoyable to Spanish-speaking audiences? I would think that this might anger them, especially if the actors weren't that good at speaking Spanish. To some people, the actors may seem to be speaking the Spanish well, but to others, they could be butchering the words.
From someone who saw the show I felt that the parts in Spanish were intersting. You didn't have to know what they were saying in order to understand what was going on. Body language was a huge factor. Speaking in spanish really added a whole new level to the show. The Puerto-Ricans who wanted to go back to Puerto Rico spoke in Spanish but the ones who liked America spoke in English. When someone was really excited or angry they spoke in Spanish because that would be what came most naturally to them. Maria sang "I Feel Pretty" in Spanish and even though I didn't understand all of it I thought it was better than the English version. We had a workshop with one of the cast members and she said that the original lyricist didn't even like "I Feel Pretty" originally and he was so much prouder of the Spanish version. One of the main purposes of switching some parts to English was so that the Puerto-Ricans didn't seem so much like the bad guys. You could understand where each side was coming from.
Anita loved America but when (spoiler alert) Bernardo died she went back to speaking in Spanish in honor of him. Lastly, the Spanish actually added some comedy to it. Janet, there were no subtitles or anything but they would speak in Spanglish when you really needed to know what they were saying so you understood.
Take it for what you will but I don't think it was just a gimmick.
(Kelley Volosin)
The translating was far from a gimmick. When we went to see the show (I was wearing my shirt today!), we were worried that we'd miss out on the essence of the scenes. But like Kelley said, the acting made up for it..and it didn't hurt to already have seen the movie a few times! Think about it: if the whole show had been in English, would you have felt connected to the Spanish culture at all? By adding some of their native language into the mix, we were forced to observe the Jets and the Sharks on an equal level, no longer assuming that the Sharks, the foreigners, were the root of the problem. Had the whole production been in English, would you have absorbed every line, anyway? I think not. Although I take French, I made sure to listen extra carefully during the Spanish scenes and songs to make out as much as I could from the dialogue.
The most interesting contrast of languages in the show was when Anita sang to Maria in Spanish (following Bernardo's death). Maria sings back to he, in English, in defense of Tony, even though he had killed her brother. The clash of languages represents their outlooks on America. And let's be realistic. New immigrants wouldn't drop their native tongue just like that.
When Tony falls in love with Maria, he learns and speaks lines in Spanish such as "Te adoro, Maria." In these scenes, it is evident that he is willing to sacrifice his culture to embrace her own, by professing his love for her in Spanish, Maria's native language. This illustrates the power of language, and something tells me that Hayakawa would have appreciated the breaking down of language barriers between the two protagonists.
Some of the members in the cast actually come from Hispanic backgrounds, therefore making it easy to recite their lines in Spanish. Whether it was the best way to do it or not, it truly conveyed the essence of the story: two lovers torn between different cultures, different languages. It had the perfect effect on the audience.
(Sam Maliha)
I certainly think that, on one level at least, making much of the dialogue in Spanish is a way to attract a new audience. I would be much more interested in going to see West Side Story in Spanish than I would be in going to see the English version because I am a Spanish student. I agree with Janet that making parts in Spanish makes the musical seem more authentic.
I also agree with Janet, though, that those who do not understand Spanish might have a completely different perspective. I would imagine that it might get frustrating and irritating that you go to a musical and then can't understand what's going on. To some people this might seem like a waste of time and money.
Emily T.
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