The tour of West Side Story


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In September the Fox played host to an almost perfect production of one of the unquestioned classics of musical theatre, West Side Story. The term "classic" gets thrown around quite a lot in the entertainment biz, of course, and it usually winds up being a synonym for "old". In this case, however, it's fully justified. After all, the people who created West Side Story either already were or would soon become theatrical legends: music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (his Broadway debut, in fact), book by Arthur Laurents (lifted from Shakespeare, who lifted it from a poem by Arthur Brooke), and direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins. It didn't hurt any to have a cast that included Carol Lawrence, Chita Rivera and Larry Kert, either.

When the show opened in 1957, of course, its status as a classic was far from apparent, and many critics and audience members objected to its gritty story line of young love trying to overcome gang warfare in New York. The structure of the show is unusual as well, combining elements of ballet, modern dance, opera, the conventional Broadway musical, and even a touch of early rock. From our vantage point in the mid-90s, of course, it's now obvious that West Side Story is one of the crowning achievements of American musical theatre, and that its moving, complex, and energetic score is one of Bernstein's best efforts in the genre.

For the most part, this touring company did very well by this material. My only complaint, in fact, was with Ben Saypol's performance in the lead role of Tony, whose love for Maria, the sister of rival gang leader Bernado, leads to tragedy and death. Saypol had a strong, clear voice but seemed to lack either the experience or talent to make a equally strong physical impression. Most of his songs were sung "straight on", without any real sense of character. Fortunately his Maria, Sharen Camille, was a wonderfully charismatic actress, with a sweet, accurate soprano voice, and their duets were as moving as they should be. As Maria's friend Anita, Natascia A Diaz looked, sounded, and danced like the young Rita Moreno, who played the role in the film version. She was more than a match for the challenges of Bernstein's music and Alan Johnson's re-creation of the original choreography.

The real stars here, however, were the members of the ensemble who backed up the principals. West Side Story is a fairly strenuous show for the ensemble, since it makes major demands on both their singing and dancing talents; congratulations are in order for all of them. Their big dance numbers - especially the "Dance at the Gym" and "America" - were energizing, and they made the complex polyphony of the "Tonight" reprise as clear as it's likely to get in this era of amplified sound. Campbell Baird also deserves praise for his visually striking sets (apparently based on the 1957 originals, and Donald Chan (whose credentials are very impressive, by the way) for skillfully conducting Bernstein's rich and rhythmically tricky score.

In my view, West Side Story remains a jewel in the crown of American musical theatre. It's nice to see that jewel polished up and touring the country.


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