West Side Story – A Tale for the Ages
A Review By John Benton
Staff Writer
It’s been over 50 years since its
debut and Sacramento is abuzz with anticipation.
Award winning West Side Story plays
this week at the California Musical Theater. This timeless love
story has captivated audiences in every major city, and we here in
the Sacramento area can’t wait to see it. If you’ve only seen the
movie, you are in for a treat. We are all familiar with William
Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. West Side Story, written by
Arthur Laurents, follows the tragic plot of the two feuding
families being forced to see the destruction of their differences
when their children unwittingly fall in love with each other.
Photo by Carol Rosegg, The First
National Tour of West Side Story.
Set in New York City in the 1950’s, a
gang of American hoodlums and their working class families have a
powerful rivalry with Puerto Rican families. Set against each other
in a war for turf, the Americans (Jets) are intolerant of the
presence of the Puerto Rican Sharks. The rivalry comes to a
respected member of the Jets, Tony, meets and falls head-over-heels
in love the Maria, the baby sister of Bernardo, the leader of the
Sharks. Two lovers attempt to transcend the violence of their
families, hoping to escape the hatred so that they can forge a life
together. The racial differences prove to be more powerful than the
lovers’ wish to be together, and tragedy ensues. The score by
Bernstein and Sondheim is filled with familiar songs. We have all
heard "I Feel Pretty" and the famous duet between Tony and Maria,
"Tonight." The new Broadway cast album of these famous songs won
2010’s Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. It saw some changes to
the original.
In this revision the writer Arthur
Laurents has "infused [a] contemporary sensibility" to the action
and characters. They are a bit tougher and more "real" than the
originals. Another change that brought a more modern feel to the
story was the fact that quite a bit of the Puerto Rican dialogue is
spoken in Spanish. There were always a few key lines in Spanish,
but now the Sharks speak, and sing a lot more in their native
language. The racy scenes were also a bit more R-rated. The changes
were exciting to see and hear, but they did little to change the
overall story. From the opening, Riff (Drew Foster) brought the
meanness of the street to the theater. He shows the Jets’ loyalty
to former leader Tony in "Jet Song." Tony (Ross Lekites) looks to
the thrill of the unknown future in "Something’s Coming." When Tony
joins the boys at the community dance his world changes completely
as he meets Maria (Evy Ortiz) and throws all concerns about turf
wars out the window. The two young lovers see a possible future
together if they can thwart the plan of the Sharks and Jets and
stop the rumble before any-one gets hurt.
Photo by Carol Rosegg, from left: Gizel Jimenez,
Kathryn Lin Terza, Evy Ortiz and Lori Ann Ferreri.
Maria’s innocence and Tony’s drive to make her
happy blind them to the reality of the fight. As Tony tries to keep
Riff from fighting, Bernardo (German Santiago) escalates the rumble
to knives instead of just fists. With-in moments, the scene
dissolves and leaves Chino (Jay Garcia) to go to young Maria with
some horrific news. This cast brought a powerful energy to the
stage. Tony and Maria’s "One Hand, One Heart" and Maria and Anita’s
"A Boy Like That/I have a Love" were filled with emotion. In one of
the most powerful numbers, "Tonight" (Quintet), the Jets, Sharks,
Maria, Tony, and Anita (Michelle Aravena) foreshadow the upcoming
rumble from each of their unique perspectives. Aravena’s part
highlights her passion for what she looks forward to doing with
Bernardo after the rumble.
Photo by Carol Rosegg, Evy Ortiz and Ross Lekites
in the First National Tour of West Side Story.
The California Musical Theater’s
shows are always some of the best entertainment of the year. Arthur
Laurent’s re-tooling of West Side Story showed us the story of two
worlds being brought together through an unexpected romance. The
dances were amazing and music thrilling. You Do NOT want to miss
this show. Evening shows run Tuesday, January 24th through Saturday
the 28th at 8:00PM. Matinees run Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at
2:00PM. For more info, visit
www.westsidestory.com online.
Photo by Carol Rosegg, The First National Tour of
West Side Story.
For more info about the California
Musical Theater or for tickets,
www.californiamusicaltheater.com, or call the box office at
(916) 557-1999 or (916) 808-5181. The Community Center Theater,
1301 L Street, Sacramento, is now the region’s largest live
performing arts event with over 200,000 tickets sold annually,
Broadway Sacramento draws theatre lovers from the Oregon border to
western Nevada and the Central Valley.
For more information on any upcoming Sacramento Community Center
Theater shows, or for basic information, call (916)446-5880 or
visit their website at
www.californiamusicaltheater.com
Community Center Theater Box Office
for single-show tickets:
1301 L Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 808-5181
Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office for single-show and season tickets:
1419 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 557-1999,
(916) 557-1198 | group of 12 or more. FAX (916) 557-2775
Single show tickets for Broadway Sacramento presentations are
available online through services provided by going online to:
www.Tickets.com
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