Vocal Coach Reacts West Side Story - A Boy Like That/I Have A Love (1961 VS 2021) | WOW! They were.

[@SongsFromASuitcase]

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[@straak]

FUN FACT: Prior to her role as Maria in WEST SIDE STORY (1961) Natalie Wood had never sang professionally. Her work on SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (1961) the film she shot before this, prevented her from getting adequate rehearsal time. She still persevered and was determined to actually sing the songs, but in post production the musical director and Robert Wise threw out not only Natalie's tracks, but Rita's as well. Natalie was replaced by famed soprano, Marni Nixon, and for "A Boy Like That", Rita was replaced by Betty Wand. So when you're critiquing the performances, know that you are critiquing singers who were locked into a performance that was already laid down in terms of pacing, with little room for broad inflections or changes in tempo. They were trying to match a performance, and the lip sync. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpiriKWlpJp5bpY

[@rachelestep]

In the new movie doc’s wife was the original Anita west side story 1961

[@denisfl04]

The fact you don’t even have to watch the movie to feel for Anita’s character just shows that Ariana really deserved that Oscar.

[@lonniegabbie]

Ive already seen her in the movie but she had me crying again

[@happenstoberican]

Another thing that made this scene so powerful in 2021, is the fact that, in the previous scene, we see Anita identifying Bernardo"s body at the morgue. For her to come back home and find Maria with Tony, that's just brutal.

[@Rosannasfriend]

So another words the actress had more of a build up to make this scene even more powerful. She had that advantage over Rita Moreno.

[@jamieshell3232]

@@Rosannasfriend Except they don't typically films in order, and this scene certainly didn't get filmed just after the other one

[@kath5834]

The crazy part is in the 2021 version, Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose said in interviews that they sang that song live! In the 1961 version both Rita Moreno and Natalie Wood were dubbed! I’m so happy Ariana and Rita won supporting actress for Anita.

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

Even better, they were dubbed by the same person, Marni Nixon.

[@Jeremyluis38740]

are u sure rita moreno was dubbed, I know natalie wood was edit: rita was only dubbed for this song by Betty Wand but she sang everything else.

[@Jeremyluis38740]

@@jessehutson768 yea, in the 2021 version

[@jaybonn5973]

Just the idea in my head that bith if them are shouting at each inherent but nothing is coming out and in the back room these two woman are singing rounds around each other with no context is hilarious.

[@andreaschwabe3102]

@@jessehutson768 they said in the interview that this was the only song COMPLETELY live from start to finish. Everything else was live, with dubs to improve quality/fix any missed notes

[@kev121]

Ariana ripped my heart out. She’s devastatingly good. She needed 3 Oscars: 1 for singing, 1 for dancing, and 1 for acting.

[@hamdialihassan1586]

It’s really not fair. No one should be allowed to be SO talented and stunning. It’s just too much 😂

[@brosb4hoeskinderbueno]

@@hamdialihassan1586 FRRRRR like save some for the rest of us

[@shradhachawan4569]

She is literally a triple threat

[@phillipmccauley7744]

The slap transition to the song is just so damned perfect. Spielberg out did himself with this film in so many ways.

[@juneil-b]

Fun Fact! Rita Moreno didn’t actually sing all of Anita’s song in WSS, A Boy Like That was one of the songs dubbed by Betty Wand for Rita’s Anita. But don’t worry America was fully Rita’s 😉

[@mammac4333]

Neither did Natalie Wood!

[@asavides]

@@mammac4333 Right. Marnie Nixon sang for Natalie Wood.

[@juneil-b]

@@mammac4333 Yeaaah but the difference is Rita still sung in the 1961 movie while all of Natalie Wood's songs were completely dubbed by Nixon.

[@williamrowley2019]

@@asavides except when she’s holding Tony at the end and sings to him, that is Natalie!

[@joeyjosephs]

Rita sang the solo part of the song , Betty ward took over when the duet started

[@harrisonknights8169]

Fun fact: this was the only sequence sung live on set for the 2021 WSS, so they could just act the hell out of it without having to match emotion to a pre-recorded playback

[@rosalinacl22]

It wasn't the only one! One Hand, One Heart, Somewhere and La Borinqueña were also completely live. Then parts of Maria, America (and I'm not sure if any other one) were live as well. But this song still completely takes it away, it's amazing ;)

[@esh4412]

Something’s Coming was sung live aswell

[@thehopeofeden597]

Somewhere is completely live and it’s the first and only take while Rita was sick.

[@Lana-dw6pp]

What is amazing is that Rachel and Ariana sang that LIVE. It is why you feel that emotion while you don't with the 1st movie which was lip-synced and it wasn't even Natalie Wood's voice it was dubbed. Ariana deserved that oscar she just won. They didn't sing the whole movie live as some like America were lip-synced but most of them did both ways with the pre recorded version and live and then they chose which one was better and with this song Speilberg chose the live version. It is also the live version from the movie on the soundtrack

[@kcorpora1]

You had no idea they were not singing. Come on! You read about it. You sound very silly. You did not feel the emotion. Not one person knew that the actor was not singing a certain part. Just stop it!

[@CAwildflowers]

@@kcorpora1 You’re misreading it and, PS: chill. You don’t know what @Lana read. I haven’t read a thing about, nor have I seen, the 2021 film. The clips just happened to appear on my YT feed today. Stop making broad assumptions about other people you know nothing about. It’s you who’s being silly and mean. Just stop it!

[@kcorpora1]

@@CAwildflowers who are you?

[@imjayhime]

I’m surprised that you’ve never seen West Side Story! It’s a classic. I do love the original, but the remake is mind blowing. I’m so happy that Ariana got her time to really shine after being in Hamilton and other shows. She and Rachel are both fantastic

[@KhailSOLO]

I think she meant the new version 😅 she was glad with Tonight not being disappointing where she heard Rachel for the first time ever.

[@imjayhime]

@@KhailSOLO Ah okay. From her reaction, I assumed that it was her first time seeing the original clip

[@goldenclaw_]

@@KhailSOLO Maybe she never saw the first movie and only knows the original Broadway musical

[@ilsaramos379]

There should've been more physical strength, more of an accent in some parts of the words when Maria was singing. Meaning more emphasizes on certain words rather than going soft, when she's trying to get the message across.

[@thepinkelephant2520]

She was in Hamilton?! Who was she? Edit: just remembered that she was “The Bullet” in Hamilton! Awesome performance!

[@neutralman9124]

Ariana Debose's performance is the best of last year and completely deserved her Oscar. What phenomenal work. Rachel Zegler's performance was also amazing. A star-making turn if I ever saw one.

[@Starcraftghost]

As much as I like Rita Moreno, I LOVE Ariana more. She was sassy in WSS and her acting made me cry. She was sooooo goood and totally happy she won an Oscar for that performance.

[@RizzoF21344]

One important thing to remember is in the new one everyone sang their own part. In the original Maria had a dubber for all of it and even Anita had a dubber for the higher notes.

[@GraciesMom]

Yes that’s so important to know. The current WSS has much more vocal integrity than from the principal actors from 1961.

[@antlersnelson2955]

Yes, marni nixon literally dueted herself in the older version because she dubbed Maria and Anita for the higher version

[@alexrybeck2649]

The only notes of Anita that Marni covered were a few short, high phrases in the “Tonight” Quintet. The reason: they were a bit too high for Rita to sing comfortably, and on the day that the dubbing took place, Betty Wand had a cold. Do they asked Marni to take those high spots, and she obliged!

[@kcorpora1]

@@GraciesMom what? What does it matter if they were dubbed? It changes nothing. It is a movie, not a concert.

[@GraciesMom]

@@kcorpora1 if that’s what you value in a movie, that the actor’s did not do their own singing, then there’s no problem. However the pure talent it takes to not only act but to also sing their songs in real time makes it much more interesting….and is also more much more honest. For me personally it’s much more appealing … it elucidates the pure talent it takes to do a live recording. Also If you’re the person dubbing you don’t get the pay and recognition that the “A” list actor gets.

[@nothudanasir]

reminder rachel was only 18 when she filmed west side story i'm so blown away by her!

[@bvnnylody]

i’m still not over the fact that rachel zegler and ariana were singing this scene LIVE on set, which add so much more emotional and omg

[@qu3va.r210]

The way they interact with each other is completely different in 1961 vs. 2021. The choreography of the scene changes the characterisation of the characters and how we feel. It's AMAZING!! Anita chasing Maria through the house it's so intimidating even though Ariana is shorter than Rachel she is absolutely over powering her. And when Maria is on her knees begging Anita to understand she is so vulnerable. (edit) As Anita chases Maria through the fabrics it is a beautiful and tragic call back to her and Bernardo's (Maria's brother) kiss through them earlier in the film. It makes it all the more emotive!

[@lissascorner]

This is the first vocal coach reaction that actually comments on how their singing in detail instead of just watching it and not doing anything/just saying things like “she has a very beautiful voice”

[@thehopeofeden597]

Singing emotionally while staying on key is hard. Singing while crying or directly after crying, is even harder because your throat is filled with phlegm. Singing live onset rather than lip-synching to your own pre-recorded audio, can sometimes be a nightmare. Singing while keeping an accent that is not naturally the way you speak, is nearly impossible. Doing all four at once is freaking superhuman. The fact that Rachel and Ariana pulled that all off is insane. Ariana earned that Oscar with every fiber of her being.

[@jonparis2890]

Marni Nixon was the voice of Maria in the original. She also dubbed Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.

[@Leishafan1985]

She dubbed Deborah Kerr in The King and I too as far as I know xx very talented woman xx

[@mymakeupnonsense]

Yes!! She’s my great aunt and she also played Sister Sophia in sound of music :)

[@ctidd]

She came to my university and did a master class nearly 30 years ago. I was an instrumentalist not a singer, but it was great. That was one event that our professors encouraged everyone to go to!

[@hoessandrea]

Marni Nixon is a legend!

[@iwasglad122]

@@mymakeupnonsense How wonderful that she was your great aunt. I'm sure you meant to say that she played Sister Sophia in the movie version of TSOM. Julie Andrews was Maria! In her later years she also played the Mother Abbess in a stage version, which was posted on YT.

[@carrienelson9087]

Even knowing that a lot of the characters didn't do their own singing I still hold the original close to my heart. My first introduction to wws was in middle school in music appreciation. But knowing that in the new one they actually have people with Hispanic backgrounds makes the story feel more authentic

[@aishaalamoudi599]

I watched this recently ... truly a masterpiece. Ariana Debose won an Oscar, Rachel Zeglar won a Golden Globe. The former is Asha in upcoming animated film Wish, the latter is Snow White.

[@emmarosegraddy3014]

what I will say, is that in the Spielberg version, they did this part of the movie live, which I think is incredible.

[@gregyear201]

What’s remarkable is that Arian DeBose and Rachel Zegler sang this live for this scene. Even though the scene is completely sung, their acting is the best I’ve seen in years in any musical. This song and scene rips your heart out. The intense and moving emotions they display is incredible.

[@CWazBroadwayBandGeek]

OSCAR WINNER ARIANA DEBOSE! 👏🏻👏🏻 Also Ariana and Rachel did this LIVE. Rita and Natalie had to be dubbed in 1961.

[@landoncox875]

I love the palpable rage Ariana brings to the role

[@lumity3415]

The vocals in this song are just so good 😊

[@rissamartinez]

Please do One Hand, One Heart because as a WSS fan, I never connected with the song until Rachel Zegler’s version! I think it may be my fave from the remake.

[@zorahoffish]

That “ah, crap!” was kind of funny because of that emotion you started feeling about Maria! I love that so much

[@IngenuousSoprano]

For those emphasizing that the new one was done live, that only emphasizes how solid these singers have to be in their technique. The only solid singer in the film version of Les Miz (in which everything was sung live) was Samantha Barks. Everyone else was patchy (not a typo) at best. Judy Garland, Jeanette MacDonald, and Kathryn Grayson (three famous movie star singers) never sang live in their films. They always pre-recorded. Pre-recording is the most reliable choice. Dubbing comes in when your actors can't sing the score (which should have been done for half the cast of Beauty and the Beast 2017). These new singers are phenomenal. Filming anything means long days of hurry up and wait, dealing with multiple takes of things. Berstein's score isn't easy. I don't know how many days this sequence is filmed over, but they clearly had the vocal stamina to sing this multiple times regardless of whatever call times or wrap times they had. Class acts, both of them.

[@dianaaljadeff2983]

Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway are good singers in Les Miserables too.

[@IngenuousSoprano]

@@dianaaljadeff2983 compared to Barks, they are not solid. Jackman can generally sustain 8 shows a week (starting with his run as the original Australian Gaston back in the 90s, through his run in Sunset Boulevard, and currently in the revival of The Music Man). That said, his technique is rocky. He's even said himself that all he really knows how to do is basically do an impression of his teacher (rather than learning and training the body mechanisms and really giving us his own sound). On top of that, Valjean is not an easy role for baris. You should really be solid in what you're doing. Les Mis is not an easy score and it just gets harder when the tessitura and dynamics aren't ones that you're most comfortable with. Lower tenors/baritenors seem to have a real sweet spot with this role especially. Jackman is a baritone and clearly struggled. Hathaway, while capable, would not be able to sing Fantine on stage. Her control over her mechanisms (breath and laryngeal) aren't solid enough for her to be able to process her character's emotions /and/ sing the score well at the same time. Based on the tremolo, it seems like a breath control problem. I'm not her teacher, I couldn't tell you for sure. She would have really benefitted from pre-recording in-studio, using that track as something to have a baseline to sing along with on set, and possibly re-record post shooting. So much has to go so right (borderline perfect) to record vocals live in a movie musical that it's /generally/ not worth it. Like with most artistic things, it's okay to break the rules, you just have to know how, why, and when. The whole point of doing a film version of a musical is to create the ultimate, the most ideal performance possible at that time to preserve for posterity. Granted, that has to be tempered by the need to make /some/ profit (it /is/ a business). If that means having film actors on screen and dubbing them with people who really know how to sing and can sing the score, fine. I'm sure we would all prefer for the actors to do their own singing, but not if they can't sing the score well. An example, would you rather listen to the movie soundtrack of Les Mis or any of the stage-cast recordings? I go for the stage ones every time (original London, Broadway, or the 10th anniversary in particular). No question. However, if we're talking about stage vs movie for Chicago, I really enjoy the quality of the movie cast of Chicago.

[@DRaymore44]

Rita Moreno said she could not sing "Boy Like That/I Have a Love" as Anita from the 1961 version because the vocal range was written too low for her. As a result, the studio hired a trained singer, Betty Wand, for that song. Unfortunately, Rita did not like Betty's vocals. Rita felt Betty did not sound angrier enough for that song, especially after her character Anita's boyfriend Bernardo was murdered by Tony. The studio had to hire another singer for Natalie Wood's vocals as Maria because Natalie was not a singer. The studio hired a soprano named Marni Nixon, who did all the songs for the 1961 release. Marni was also the singing voice for Audrey Hepburn in 1964's "My Fair Lady." She also dubbed Deborah Kerr in the 1956 movie version "The King and I." Marni Nixon was also part of the film version of 1965's "The Sound of Music" as one of the nuns that starred Julie Andrews. Interestingly, Marni was worried that Julie would be upset with her since Marni was part of the "My Fair Lady" project. Julie originated the role of Eliza Doolittle on Broadway and the West End for those theatrical productions. When Warner Brothers decided to do a movie version of "My Fair Lady," the owner, Jack Warner, wanted an actress with a lot of star power. As a result, he hired Audrey Hepburn to play the part of Eliza instead of Julie. Since Julie was a newcomer to Hollywood at that time, she did not have the clout to get that part. While Audrey was an excellent actress, she was not a trained singer, so that's why Marni Nixon got the ghost singing part. When Marni did get to meet Julie for "The Sound of Music," Julie was not angry with Marni because she knew that it was strictly business. Both of them became excellent friends. Lastly, Julie also became good friends with Audrey Hepburn for the same reason. It is interesting how Hollywood has changed and how these famous movies were made. If Julie did play Eliza for the movie version, she could not get the role of Mary Poppins for Walt Disney. Thankfully, she did play Mary Poppins, which led her to play Maria in "The Sound of Music."

[@KhailSOLO]

That’s a really interesting piece of history I wasn’t expecting to learn today 😂😅 thank you.

[@DRaymore44]

@@KhailSOLO You’re welcome. It’s one of my hobbies learning about movie history and the backstory how those films were made.

[@KACourtien]

You left out the best part! When Julie won her golden globe for MP she thanked Jack Warner. She has the best/cheekiest sense of humor 🤣

[@kcorpora1]

All this means nothing. That is what they had to do back those days. Do not compare modern to 60 years ago. To be honest, this Anita could have been used by many other talented puerto Rican actors. She got the part and great. Back in 1961 when there were not many puerto Ricans acting and singing, the producers found the talent they needed. If a singer needed to be brought in, that is what they had to do.

[@KACourtien]

@@kcorpora1 There were plenty of talented actors who could have done the part. It was a huge snub at the time that they chose Rita over Chita Rivera who originated the role on Broadway. Rita was slightly more well known and that’s why they chose her. But regardless, Rita was fantastic. The really problematic role in that movie is maria being played by a white women who couldn’t sing. There were absolutely talented women who had a Hispanic background who could have played the role. They wanted natalie’s star power and back then they truly didn’t care about equity or authenticity in casting. We’ve come a long way since then as the current film was cast with relatively unknown actors, chosen for their enormous talents instead of their star power.

[@jaybonn5973]

PSA: Singing live does not mean the finished product uses the live vocals. At most, it would be some mixing of the studio recording and some live parts when the live sounds better.

[@citizenerased1439]

I feel like your reaction here basically sums up perfectly why (in my opinion, anyway) the 2021 movie is better than the original… the acting and singing (and directing!) are just so much better! (Too bad the story can’t also be better… 😬🤣 I love WSS for the music, but I’m definitely not a Romeo and Juliet fan 😜)

[@lonniegabbie]

also the 2021 version doesn’t have white people in brownface

[@citizenerased1439]

@@lonniegabbie Yes! How could I forget? It’s nice to finally have some real latinx representation! (Also I love your avatar/The Owl House!)

[@lonniegabbie]

@@citizenerased1439 yes! 💛

[@ZacBrzuchalski]

@@citizenerased1439 Exactly! Rita Moreno is Puerto Rican and she HATED having to wear that dark of makeup.

[@Breqz]

I liked the original version of “Cool” better with the Jets. Didn’t like the duet and choices they made to integrate that song. Also, the original Jets actors were better singers. Everything else from the new version was great.

[@redramen4709]

The new one is phenomenal, I loved it

[@charlescoleman5509]

As is mentioned in the comments below, Ziegler and DeBose sang this live on set, whereas Wood and Moreno lip synced other people’s vocals. Plus, in the 1961 version, the middle part of the duet is cut. No middle part when Maria and Anita sing off each other. But in 2021, they do the whole thing, as it should be. Very much enjoyed your analysis here. 😊

[@brpaulandrew]

The 1961 was sung by ghost singers in the studio The 2021 was sung LIVE on set.

[@gillest7836]

Oddly enough, the 1961 film doesn't include the agitated duet section where both voices duel (see 3'58" in this video) - though extremely dramatic and meaningful, it was cut from the original score.

[@rockstar4evah]

Loved the in-depth singing analysis in this! I also agree with many of the comments below regarding the live singing vs dubbed singers. I'm glad that Hollywood has realized that dubbing the singing is just not as powerful as casting an actor that can actually sing the part when it comes to musicals. If I were Natalie Wood, I would have found it very difficult to act while lip synching to someone else's singing.

[@Amanda-kd1zr]

One of the best scenes in the whole movie! Love to see more comparison reactions!

[@bellavitagirl4]

Rachel was 17 during this. Blows my mind.

[@joewhitehead3]

18

[@paulnagle7017]

Great breakdown. The differences are crystal clear

[@jimleveilleur2510]

just say that this music is simply magic and genius ! full of emotion ! i am a 56 yo man, and i cry listening it

[@SoulKnightKing]

This is a double Golden Globe award winning performance 👏 👌🏻

[@drieuxkoeppel8152]

Honestly. You can have NO COMPARISON. The original had the singing voices DUBBED. The characters of Maria, Tony, et Al WERE NOT SUNG BY THE ACTORS, with the exception of Rita Moreno singing “America”. That was a time when just SUGGESTING a romance between a white and a non-white was SCANDALOUS. The powers behind the scenes of the 1961 film chose to use the voices of other singers to eliminate the need to extensively vocally train Natalie Wood and the others. The 2021 film had Steven Spielberg searching for actors who were Latino AND could act AND could sing AND could dance. They hit it with unknown Rachel Zegler as Maria (this was her first film!) and Broadway veteran Ariana DeBose as Anita. Ariana DeBose is a powerhouse. She DESERVED the Oscar she just won for Best Supporting Actress. In 1961, the studio cast Natalie Wood as Maria, banking on her star power-and not on her singing ability. In 2021, Spielberg cast as he wished-and the studio banked on his reputation and prowess as a filmmaker-and not on individual actors. It worked. Precisely because the 1961 film was dubbed, the comparisons between the two films are like comparing apples and oranges-it’s NOT THE SAME THING!!

[@brianrodriguez8643]

Definitely react to Carole Burnett and Julie Andrew's rendition of A Boy Like That/I Have A Love

[@danielisguzman4238]

That was my reaction literally. This scene is sooo good and the cracks in her voice is SO greatttt, I really felt it. Makes me maddd😂 this was great. I listen to this song for fun. It's so good.

[@isabellacani0102]

And they did the new version live. THEY SANG THAT SHIT LIVEEEE

[@rhyanshelby6572]

2021 Anita's voice *sounds* like a slap in this song

[@amayas570]

I like how with Rachel and Ariana’s version you hear how desperate the other is to get their point across. Ariana adds in a sense of devastation to her voice that beautifully showcases Anita’s heartbreak over losing Bernardo and now having to deal with Maria still choosing to be with Tony after killing Bernardo. And Rachel beautifully expresses Maria’s desperation to get Anita to understand where she’s coming from. The choices they’re making vocally make their performance of this song my personal favorite out of all of the different renditions.

[@axelosterberg9954]

Rita Moreno is beyond compare, and in the first version she was amazing. IN the remake, she was so far and away heads above everyone else in the cast. And I adored BOTH versions, but it was Rita Moreno in the remake that blew everyone out of the park. And FYI, poor Natalie Wood's vocal part was dubbed in, using Marni Nixon's voice

[@sophiebowns]

2021 was so gritty but stunning and the acting was incredible. 1961 was dubbed, so it doesn’t even deserved to be compared with the superb remake.

[@elizabethpower7897]

You should actually watch this movie, it’s great! Also, did you know that Anita in the old version is also in the new version, she’s an old lady who owns a store and helps the other characters! And she has her own song too!

[@filo4854]

She plays doc :)

[@lolanightingale3420]

Your faces make me feel so much better at how I react to musicals and vocals 😂❤️

[@fredbronaugh7954]

When you watch the whole new version, You will see and Hear Rita Moreno as a supporting character, Valentina

[@dmnemaine]

Rita Moreno (in the 1961 version) was extremely disappointed with this song. The intention was that she would sing the song herself, and Rita had a specific idea in her mind for how she wanted to deliver it. She intended to angrily growl it out at Maria. Unfortunately. when Rita tried to hit some of the lower notes, nothing came out of her mouth. The decision was made to dub her with a singer named Betty Wand, who didn't put nearly as much emotion in it as Rita intended. I think had Rita gotten to do the song the way that she had wanted to, it would have been a lot more like the newer version.

[@saberthecoolest]

I wish there had been a duet of some sort between Rita Moreno and Ariana DeBose, it'd be LEGENDARY - one Anita singing with another

[@joewhitehead3]

Rachel & Ariana absolutely blew me away with their singing & acting in that scene!

[@PS-DLMA]

Can tell the age of the vocalist.....Rachel (2021) is 17 can feel the innocents. Marni Nixon (dubbed Natalie Wood in 61 version - infamously dubbed Hepburn in My Fair Lady) has a more mature sound.

[@paulnagle7017]

I am learning so much from watching reaction videos by vocal coaches. I am 63 and my notes are higher and cleaner than they've ever been. Working on Marry Me a Little, which I've always been afraid to try publicly. Which of your coaching offerings do you think would work best for me?

[@ricardobufo]

Audrey, how can you miss out commenting on the ending "When love comes so strong" duet in the 1961 version? This whole scene is one of the greatest in all of Western Music. Bernstein outdid Puccini, Verdi, Wagner and Mozart. I can't hear this without weeping.

[@SongsFromASuitcase]

Don’t want to wait??? Watch this video RIGHT NOW on my Patreon account: www.patreon.com/SongsFromASuitcase

[@jissmol8738]

I seriously love Maria's part, Rachel totally slayed that role !! she's such an amazing actress and has an angelical voice ❤❤❤

[@Itsrichythatsit]

My favorite number from the musical.

[@ambercloud]

If you love this song def check out the miscast gender flipped version with Lin Manuel Miranda as Anita and Raúl Esparza as Maria. So good, RE's voice us exceptional as always

[@Cristobels-Green-Boots]

It always helps to have Maestro Dudamel as music director! 🙏🏽🌹🙏🏻

[@jaybonn5973]

What makes this scene worse is when you do know the context that Anita quite LITERALLY just saw Bernardos body in the morgue.

[@shannonmitchell167]

FYE: Ariana and Rachel sang this live onset for this scene.

[@OrterMinat]

this is probably my favorite video of yours. great stuff, you should do longer vids more often! i think it could be really cool if you did this same thing with Somewhere because both versions are sooooo different.

[@angelasingletary1436]

I enjoyed your commentary! Your clear articulation of how the timbre of each voice is amazing!

[@charlfitzy]

In the 1996 version Rita Moreno was dubbed by Betty Wand and Natalie Woods was dubbed by the fabulous Marni Nixon who also did the vocals for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. I loved this video, I just wanted to make sure these two amazing singers are recognised for the amazing work they did back in the day.

[@rachelfishbein1478]

I know some people like to drag the movie adaptation of Les Miserables for the quality of some of the singing (cough cough Russell Crow cough cough), but I must say it really did change the game with what can be done in a movie musical and I am absolutely loving it. Now we are seeing more movie musicals incorporate live singing for some of these more emotionally intense songs. Andrew Garfield did it beautifully with "Why?" in TTB, and now Ariana and Rachel absolutely killed it with the live singing here WSS. Bravo.

[@pauloalmeidda9427]

You say it like Les Miserables invented live singing in movies. The only thing LesMis did was record ALL THE SONGS live, but mixing live and pre-recorded vocals in musicals, especially in key emotional moments (as West Side Story and Tick Tick Boom did) is extremely common since the 60's. Watch Barbra singing My Man live in Funny Girl and A Star is Born or Bette Middler singing all of her songs live in Gypsy. Not a rare thing.

[@jennifer5512]

Yeah, the modern version is way better. It felt more authentic plus Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose are actually singing.

[@larissacury7714]

😍😍😍 I wish you could analyze more clips of Ariana such as in The Prom and Scmigadoom 😍😍 she's amazing

[@hilarywinters2283]

Please watch both if the entire movies! You'll love it

[@EmEmEmuhlee]

Rachel and Ariana did such an amazing job

[@Thepopcornator]

What I find so incredible about Ariana DeBose's version of this song is that, if you didn't know the context of the scene, the first half of the song would just seem like a straight-up villain song about a xenophobe who doesn't want the races to mix. She brings an absolute horror and rage to Anita here in addition to her grief.

[@djarasene3973]

2021 Up ❤

[@uofc57]

I read an interview in which Rita said she didn’t agree with how Betty Wand sang this song for her - she thought Anita should sound fiercer - “growling” was the word she used

[@reginaserrano1205]

Yeeeesss i was waiting for this!!

[@amybackster6096]

Btw in the original, Natalie wood doesn’t sing Maria’s part she was dubbed over

[@kcorpora1]

Lol...You read that, now you know.

[@dianaaljadeff2983]

Yes by Marni Nixon(1930-2016)

[@moniquelacosta5170]

Thank You for this Masterclass. I learned so much by watching you analyze this scene. In the 1961 film Natalie Wood did not sing this role so the emotion was not there with the lady who did the recording. Natalie Wood had the facial expression but not the expression of the voice. You hear great interpretation in the new version because the actresses are acting and singing from their own voice. The 1961 version had an older woman with an operatic voice sing and the newer version was more youthful. To me, the energy and vibe from these 2 young ladies are refreshing, new, authentic and energizing view of revamping an old classic.

[@GraciesMom]

Well said!!! 😊

[@stacyourique8368]

Would love to see reactions to the show The Masked Singer! Not only to try to guess who you think is under the mask but also to critique their singing style and if they are a professional singer or not! Just an idea!

[@Caprizonica]

I suggested this once

[@juneil-b]

They (2021) also sang the whole song LIVE 😉 If that does not define TALENT then I dont what does.

[@garylife5320]

As someone mentioned below, in the original, Natalie Wood was lip synching to someone else's voice (Marni Nixon, who was incredible). However I would say as a result, in the original there is an emotional disconnect because Natalie is not singing or even synching to her own voice. It must have been terribly disconcerting to try to act to someone else's voice. Also, without the actual vocalist singing AND emoting back to you, it must have been horrible for Rita Moreno to try to connect with her emotionally. I am thankful that BOTH Anitas won the Oscar 60 years apart. That speaks volumes about how folks connect with this character.

[@aimiemcphee7333]

That's why she won the Oscar. 😭😭😭

[@lumity3415]

Love your channel love west side story

[@beachstar10]

You should check boy like that Glee version Naya and Lea did great too...

[@xandrea13586]

I got goosebumps!!!

[@TheatreLover-c3r]

Ariana is such an amazing singer, she 100% deserved that award!

[@thegibsonsva]

Thank you for confirming what I've been telling anyone who would listen. Ariana took complete control of her role, and that song! She is just amazing! BTW, you are an amazing vocalist too, and I love the way you broke this down for us. Great job!

[@CAwildflowers]

WOW. Beautiful analysis. Thank you. I grew up on the ‘61 version (same yearI was born). I wanted to hate the 2021 film, really I did, so much so that I haven’t even seen it yet, but - you are so right- when a single scene can bring one to tears, there is just no way it can be wrong. I’m going to watch all your WSS videos and then see the entire film uninterrupted. Can’t wait!

[@janthonyhart9153]

I'm assuming you know both Anita and Maria were voice dubbed in the original.

[@ROBYNMARKOW]

I think the Anita in the orginial movie was more like a big sister towards Maria then in the newer version. Both choices are legit ( though the newer one was more raw emotionally which was awesome) Look how many times it's source material ( "Romeo & Juliet" ) has been interpreted in the 500 yrs since it was written..

[@unhash631]

I wish you could also do a comparison of the orginal Broadway cast's performance and this 2021 remake

[@melaniemallozzi3851]

And that my friends is why she won an Oscar

[@sadem1045]

I loved both of them, but of course, the casting in the 2021 version was much more appropriate. Despite the very serious casting and production issues, the original West Side Story is a classic for a reason, though.

[@emmaandrews5269]

I believe Marni Nixon dubbed for Natalie Wood on the original 60’s version

[@dianaaljadeff2983]

Y és she did

[@raffiesgirlq2468]

Bernstein made "Leonard Bernstein Conducts West Side Story" - a recording of West Side Story performed by Opera singers, which was his wish for the original musical. Here are two clips: 1) Tatiana Troyanos as Anita and Kiri Te Kawawa as Maria singing "A Boy Like That:" kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHPJnIx8hKmXaq8 (poor quality) and 2) if you want to be knocked out, José Carreras singing Maria (1:51!!! & 2:42!!!): kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYuzcmucrNVqhqc.

[@karelvandervelden8819]

Fabulous music

[@loferx]

Ariana. DeBose. Is. A. Gift. From. Above.

[@jarlinsky_28]

Please more videos of west side story. I love west side Story 😊

[@drieuxkoeppel8152]

Oscar WINNER Ariana DeBose!