Revitalizing Bye Bye Birdie, Hair, and West Side Story
Right as the slinky, tie-dyed curtain rose for the Broadway production of “Hair,” the hippies took over. They sat in small groups with their feet dangling off the edge of the stage, moved around the audience perusing the crowd, and hung from ladders leading to the side mezzanines. They came in peace, of course, with love, youth and funny antics. Their hair was wild; they wore patterned sundresses, fitted bellbottoms, loincloths, vests and fringe…lots of fringe.
When the production first opened on Broadway in the spring of 1968, most of the audience didn’t look much different. I myself would have probably been wearing bellbottoms, some flowing, eyelet blouse, and maybe a feather sticking out of the headband positioned across my forehead. The times have changed, but what’s so compelling is that “Hair” looked as fresh and modern as ever.
Officially opening this month, “Bye Bye Birdie” brings back the twisting and hip shaking of classic rock n’ roll; and back for the fifth time, “West Side Story” remains one of the most immortal pieces of musical theater.
All revived once again, these productions are anything but old and dated. Sometimes, you can be most progressive by looking back to our masterpieces. There are many ways to breath in new life.
With these shows back on Broadway, a whole new generation is in the audience. So why not invigorate and update your performances and choreography, and turn to the originals for some inspiration?
Before you even start, it is important to get the proper permission. Choreographers reserve the rights to their work and it’s important to contact the organization or individual who’s in charge. For example, The Jerome Robbins Trust and Foundation owns the rights to all of his choreography and sends repetiteurs to restage them properly. When reviving, recreating and reinventing original work it’s important to seek proper licensing.
Once you have the license, one way to approach a revival is to take something old and make it into something new. “Hair,” which won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, and “Bye Bye Birdie” are both back with brand new choreography. The trick is to recreate the movement on stage, while also staying true to the spirit of the original production.
“The Telephone Hour, ” in “Birdie” would not be the same without teenage chitchat and swinging hips. But what’s different are the rotating, colorful phone booths and a group of teenagers twisting, clapping and gyrating with all new movement. In a sneak peek of the production, I saw choreography that was seeped in early 1960s rock n’ roll with touches of contemporary innovations, and not the other way around.
It’s important to envision the production with contemporary eyes, while working within the original intentions. “I saw ‘The Telephone Hour’ in my head. It played like a movie in my head,” says Robert Longbottom, choreographer and director of “Bye Bye Birdie.” “Once I cast the group of teenagers, I could push the envelope with the amount of dancing steps I could put in.”
While “Birdie” has a lot of choreographed dances, “Hair” honored the original by utilizing an improvisational atmosphere. “I wanted to capture that feeling of expression, spontaneity and freedom,” says Karole Armitage, choreographer of “Hair.” The essence of the musical was expressed with large groupings and patterned formations.
One thing these two musicals have in common is that both choreographers started from scratch. Neither Longbottom nor Armitage even saw the originals. “I have never seen ‘Hair’ so I had no preconceived ideas. I knew nothing coming in,” comments Armitage. “So that was actually liberating.”
Both approached their work with ideas influenced by their own reflections on the time and music. “It’s my needing to find my own way,” Longbottom mentions. “I’m not preoccupied with what the original choreographer did.” Longbottom wanted to play into the era. “The 1960s was the 1960s,” he says.
In “Hair,” Armitage was also working with the mood of a particular time in history—love, rebellion and the Vietnam War. “They wanted to reinvent how society works,” she explains. Armitage goes on to draw the parallels in today’s current events (with our war, and the fury and passion it drags along). “That was the most important common thread.”
With an understanding of where the words and music are coming from, the next step is translating that into movement with a current vibe. For the cast of “Hair,” Armitage wanted to steer clear of formal dance steps. “I wanted to have them linked by a common thing, but not have to be doing the same thing…Within great disorder there is order.”
The audiences of today are more capable of following dynamic staging and rapid movement. Armitage credits this to the Internet, videos and the multi-media we absorb. “There are many different groupings, there is movement all over the stage, and there are many different levels that we can now appreciate and understand,” she points out.
Acknowledging who you are as a choreographer is a launching pad for reviving something with honesty and integrity. “All the choreography was filtered through my dance sensibility, which has a contemporary bend to it. I’m a storyteller first,” explains Longbottom. He looks for a beginning, middle and end, finds the progression of the story, and then builds.
When looking at the story it’s important to recognize the characters’ intentions. Longbottom didn’t want to make the dancing too analytical. “It has to look like it was done by teenagers,” he exclaims, “and there’s something about that energy of wanting to burst free of parental tethers.”
The youth and emotive spirit of teens permeates the entire musical. Even, the adults have a buoyant, energetic quality. In “Put on a Happy Face,” Albert Peterson (played by John Stamos) cheers up the girls with playful tap moves, and leads them in kick line formations and up-tempo footwork until they are all smiles.
While the choreography in “Hair” did not include any show-stopping dance numbers, there was a togetherness and unity lying beneath. “I wanted there to be personal expression. In a quiet way everyone knows what they are doing,” says Armitage. “It’s a different way of being conscious of the music and interpreting it their own way.”
One of the most important elements of musical theater is the music. Choreographers must be mindful of how they incorporate the production’s flow and lyrics. “It’s about being in love with the music, its subtleties, accents and melodies,” Armitage asserts. However, she warns that recreating the music and words in a literal way can be exceedingly boring.
For Longbottom, a show’s music is an intricate component. “I listen to it endlessly,” he says. “It’s my barometer. ‘Do I really belong as a part of this?’ ‘Does it speak to me?’ The success of every choreographer, in musical theater at least, depends on the music.”
The narrative is also important to take into consideration, to ensure the body’s movement does not inhibit the delivery of the lines or lyrics.
So, how do you draw inspiration from the original to create something new and exciting?
-Armitage insists upon forming a bond with the subject and essence of the show. “You have to actually feel it and care about it. Have a personal relationship to the material so you have something to say.”
-Steer clear of simply recreating something that already exists. Do not get hung up on what it should look like. “You will end up with something dead,” exclaims Armitage. “You have to really care about it.”
-Trust what you know about the production and let that carry your creativity. “I follow my instincts,” says Longbottom, who finds inspiration in the musical life and condition of the characters. “You need to make it true. ‘Does the piece speak to the audience?’ You need to make it fresh so it doesn’t feel like a museum piece.”
When Armitage was working on “Hair” it was a long process, executed in several phases. “I sit and listen to the songs over and over to get images. There is a lot of private thinking to get a structure in my mind of how people move. Once I go into the studio I throw it away, but it’s there in the background. It’s so personal. I wanted to release the potential of each person doing it. Make each person feel liberated, free, expressive and alive.”
However, when reviving something as recognizable as “West Side Story,” your job as a choreographer takes on a different spin. In the 2009 production, the music begins and the Jets saunter around the stage snapping, throwing in breezy turns, and jumping with their arms stretched up. In 1957, they did exactly the same.
“‘West Side Story’ is particularly unique because it’s so iconic,” explains Joey McKneely, the reproduction choreographer. “For me the primary goal is to pass on all of the information I received from Jerome Robbins. The main responsibility is to maintain the choreography. This can also be the most challenging aspect.”
McKneely has restaged Robbins’ work before, and when bringing back some of the most beloved dancing in musical theater he keeps two things in mind: do the research and be very respectful.
“It was a challenge because we are in a new era,” he comments. “His choreography was created 50 years ago, so dancers were different 50 years ago. Moves and certain steps that felt dated, I had to try to give them a contemporary flare—not changing, but manipulating the steps.”
The dancers in the current production perform the same kicks and jumps, but their legs stretch higher. They jump over each other’s heads, using the shoulders to spring to incredible heights.
“There was a pressure not to mess it up,” McKneely laughs, recalling the first time he restaged “West Side Story.” “I worked on ‘Jerome Robbins’ Broadway,’ so I felt secure in a good portion of his choreography. Things I didn’t do, like the girl steps, I had to do my research.”
In “West Side Story,” the dancing is the dialogue of the production, McKneely notes. For a reconstruction, McNeely stresses the importance of staying as specific to the original choreography as you can. Also, it’s imperative to understand where the original steps came from. “You can do the exact steps, but they will not look like the original. ‘What is the meaning behind the steps?’ Understand where steps come from out of the character.” This is how the steps become three-dimensional, this is how you “get that essence,” he says.
McKneely mentions that 85 percent of the show is the same. When Arthur Laurents, the director, wanted to approach the production from a new viewpoint, it was McKneely’s responsibility to see how he could adapt the choreography.
In “America” performed by Anita (played by Tony Award winning Karen Olivo), the order was changed and some of the choreography was moved around. Originally made for Chita Rivera, some of the choreography had to be updated to fit. “Karen Olivo is Karen Olivo,” McKneely exclaims.
The Jerome Robbins Estate, who is in charge of maintaining his choreography, was excited to see the show go in a new way. “It’s not 1957 anymore,” he explains.
There are some important tips McKneely suggests when reconstructing a masterpiece:
-“First and foremost—research. Do as much homework as possible,” He says. “Being a slave to research, if it exists.”
-“Work with someone who has done the original before.”
-“It’s not my job to put my signature on the step. It’s someone else’s signature, so be true to that.”
With videos and records available, the research is there to be discovered. “Even if you think you know, go and do your research,” he laughs. “Your memory will play tricks on you.”
So, take a new choreographic approach and be inspired by the past. There are so many ways to be creative and refresh your performances. Next time think outside the box. Whether it’s a timeless love story, a retro ‘60s rock n’ roll flashback, or a Mick Jagger lovin’ tribe of hippies, there’s a way to be modern and different.