![From Stage to Screen: Three Groundbreaking Musicals](https://millertonnews.com/media-library/ariana-debose-ana-isabelle-and-ilda-mason-make-a-compelling-case-for-watching-the-new-west-side-story-made-in-2021-by-steven.png?id=50283098&width=1200&height=806)
Ariana DeBose, Ana Isabelle and Ilda Mason make a compelling case for watching the new “West Side Story,” made in 2021 by Steven Spielberg, with new choreography by Justin Peck. Photo from IMDB
If you love musical theater or want to introduce it to your kids or grandkids, here are three landmark shows that can be streamed.
“Oklahoma”
Rodgers and Hammerstein reinvented the musical in 1943 with “Oklahoma,” the first show to integrate the book — and a rather dark one — with the songs.
The 1955 film stars Gordon MacRae as Curly, a cowboy whose romance with a farm girl, Laurey (Shirley Jones), is violently interrupted by a disturbed farmhand, Jud (Rod Steiger).
Rodgers and Hammerstein oversaw the film, and few changes were made from the stage version. This was almost certainly a bad thing. What works on the stage can look oddly unnatural on the screen. Fred Zinnemann’s hands were tied and he never directed another musical.
There is also a 1999 film of the Royal National Theatre production directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Susan Stroman. Watch this one if you can find it; it’s grittier and Hugh Jackman as Curly is a better actor than MacCrae.
While this book doesn’t match the brilliant plots of the other shows covered here, the songs are pure joy and all probably embedded in your mind. My favorite is “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top.” Ask YouTube or Spotify to play the covers by Jackman or Mel Torme. Stream on Disney, rent on Amazon and others.
“Cabaret”
It’s hard to think of a musical more inventive and ambitious than “Cabaret,” which opened on Broadway in 1966, about a singing star in a Berlin club during the beginnings of anti-Semitism and Nazism in 1931. The book is by Joe Masteroff (who also wrote the musical “She Loves Me”) with songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb.
Bob Fosse directed the 1972 film, and many changes were made from the stage version, all to the film’s benefit. The side romance between Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz was dropped, and Kander and Ebb added new songs including “Money Money” and “Maybe This Time.”
Although many talented actresses have played Sally Bowles, it’s hard to think of anyone in this role except Liza Minnelli, who won an Academy Award, as did Joel Grey as the master of ceremonies. The movie won eight Oscars but missed Best Picture; it was the year of “The Godfather.”
If you have only seen stage versions of “Cabaret,” this very different film offers an enjoyable surprise. Stream on HBO Max, rent on Amazon, Apple, others.
“West Side Story”
At age 25, Stephen Sondheim saw himself as a composer and did not want to write lyrics for this show. He was encouraged by his mentor, Oscar Hammerstein, who said, “You’ll learn something.”
And so Sondheim got together with composer Leonard Bernstein. They wrote “Something’s Coming” in one day in Bernstein’s apartment. Both were baseball fans: “Catch the moon, one-handed catch.” When the show opened on Broadway in 1957, their reimagining of Romeo and Juliet on the streets of Manhattan became an instant landmark musical.
The 1961 movie, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, won many awards, but it might be hard to watch today, with a miscast Natalie Wood, the Sharks in brown-face, and most songs dubbed by ghost singers.
You should watch the 2021 film, in which Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner update this classic in spectacular fashion. Rachel Zegler made her film debut as Maria; she won the role at age 16 in an open casting call. She looks lovely and has a thrilling voice. Ariana DeBose won an Oscar for her role as Anita.
The dance numbers are stunning and more realistic and suitable to the action than the choreography in the stage versions. In short, a great play renewed as a great movie. Stream on HBO Max.
Elm Drive Elementary School in Millbrook.
MILLERTON — The beginning of September is quickly approaching, which means that summer is coming to an end for many kids in the Hudson Valley.
Webutuck, Millbrook, and Pine Plains schools are looking forward to the first day of school next week. On Wednesday, Sept. 4, children enrolled in the Millbrook or Pine Plains school district will start their academic year. The following day, Thursday, Sept. 5, students in the Webutuck district will have their first day of school. These school districts are starting the year with a short week for students, allowing the children to get a sense of routine without overwhelming them.
According to the Weather Channel, the school week starts Wednesday and Thursday will be slightly cloudy and in the low 70s, with a chance of rain later Friday evening.
Fairgoers at this year’s Dutchess County Fair from Aug. 20-25 enjoyed thrilling rides on the Midway, including on this flying chair ride. The annual fair in Rhinebeck is one of the largest attractions in Dutchess County with 12 acres of fairgrounds and barns showcasing livestock, along with three show arenas, free entertainment and plenty to eat.
RHINEBECK — The Dutchess County Fair has ended for the season, which ran from Aug. 20 until Sunday, Aug. 25.
The Dutchess County Fair designated 12 acres of the fairgrounds to showcase local livestock. This included 12 barns housing dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, and rabbits, three show arenas with daily scheduled events, and workroom demonstrations.
Besides offering dozens of themed gardens, waterfalls, and ponds filled with koi and colorful flowers, the fair also travels back in time with the “turn of the century treasures.” It features a century museum village, the firefighters’ museum, a working blacksmith shop, and a gas-powered engine show.
Classic treats like candy apples and cotton candy fed the masses at the Dutchess County Fair. The annual fair in Rhinebeck is one of the largest attractions in Dutchess County with 12 acres of fairgrounds and barns showcasing livestock, along with three show arenas, free entertainment and plenty to eat.Photo by Olivia Valentine
Free entertainment included live music, frisbee dogs, a stilt circus, racing pigs, a petting zoo, dock dogs, a fishing tank, and a VR tractor ridealong. Musicians who performed included Tracy Byrd, Kameron Marlowe, Conner Smith, Kissnation, Bluffett, and Grammy-winning artist Rick Springfield.
Agencies represented included the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, Medical Reserve Corps, Animal Response Team, and more.
A major partnership with the fair is ThinkDifferently, implementing accommodations for individuals and families with disabilities.
“ThinkDIFFERENTLY Thursday was born half a dozen years ago with the understanding that institutions like this and places like this often are difficult for individuals with any amount of disability to access,” U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-19) said.
Elizabeth “Tilly” Strauss’, the Town of North East’s clerk, and her father, Julian, won two blue ribbons at the Dutchess County Fair for his maple syrup. From a third-generation farm in Dutchess County, Julian started making maple syrup about 14 years ago, naming it Home Farm Maple Syrup. This was his first year competing at the fair, winning four ribbons. To learn more about Julian’s syrup, visit @homefarmmaplesyrup on Instagram or email homefarmmaple@optonline.com
Photo by Olivia Valentine
The ferris wheel at the Dutchess County Fair ran all week, taking visitors high into the sky. The annual fair in Rhinebeck is one of the largest attractions in Dutchess County with 12 acres of fairgrounds and barns showcasing livestock, along with three show arenas, free entertainment and plenty to eat.
A. Gregg Pulver
POUGHKEEPSIE — Dutchess County Comptroller A. Gregg Pulver filed an audit request of the New York Department of Public Service Commission Thursday, Aug. 15.
Pulver sent the letter to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli over concerns about recent rate hikes by electric and gas utility provider Central Hudson. Pulver said the utility has practiced bad corporate citizenship by hiking rates and refusing to address problems in its billing department despite soaring corporate profits.
As of Friday, Aug. 23, the state comptroller’s office has not responded to Pulver’s audit request. “Tom DiNapoli is very responsive to needs, I’m sure we will hear something shortly,” Pulver said.
Pulver’s concerns center around the approval process for the rate increase. He said he wants more information about how exactly the PSC balances customer concerns with the financial materials supplied by Central Hudson.
The PSC requires utilities in New York to file regular rate plan approvals. That process takes 10 to 12 months to complete. “It was a litigated case,” Central Hudson Director of Media Relations Joe Jenkins said. “Which means it was essentially put on trial.”
During that process, interested parties, industry experts, employees of Central Hudson and concerned customers give their testimony and recommendations to the PSC. In this case, the Office of Investigations and Enforcement conducted an investigation of Central Hudson’s billing issues and PA Consulting was hired as an independent monitor to verify Central Hudson had rectified the issues and to make further recommendations to the PSC.
After that deliberative process, the PSC issued a rate plan that allowed the utility to increase revenues from electric by 5.5% and from gas by 7.3%. The average customer would see an approximate $12 increase on electric bills and a $9 increase on gas as a result.
Pulver also raised concerns over Central Hudson’s billing practices. “People were getting billed for three or four or five times what they used to do,” Pulver said. “It was an atrocious time.”
Jenkins said Central Hudson has ironed out these issues. In July PA Consulting, the independent monitor hired by the PSC, issued a report stating Central Hudson had resolved its billing issues and that bills were accurate moving forward.
As part of the approved rate plan, the PSC mandated Central Hudson must make recommended investments in billing and customer service, including implementing monthly meter readings, and that ratepayer funds could not be used to pay for those investments.
MILLERTON — The Town of North East’s planning board is holding a public hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 28, to consider the Bank of Millbrook’s site plan application.
The Bank of Millbrook applied to open another branch on Route 44, where Elizabeth’s Jewelry and Fine Gifts is located. The Site Plan is seeking approval to have the bank contain a drive-through within that location. With the relocation, Elizabeth’s Jewelry announced they are not closing and are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year.
The location of the building caught the Bank of Millbrooks’ attention, and they have been applying for approval since April. When they were looking to move their Amenia branch, it took the bank about 30 days to get approval.
The public hearing will occur at 7:35 p.m., Aug. 28, at the North East Town Hall. The application is open to be looked at. To request a copy, email pb@townofnortheastny.gov.