Review: West Side Story

Sumptuous Storytelling and Love at First Sight

By Lauren Yarger
I just met a girl named Maria and it was love at first sight and suddenly that name will never be the same for me—really.

She’s Josefina Scaglione, the charming actress from Argentina starring at Maria in the fabulous new revival of West Side Story on Broadway. She looks and sings like an angel and puts to rest an inability to buy into the “love-at-first-sight” plot device (among other less-than-believable things we’re asked to believe) to make this classic work.

If you don’t know the plot, it’s an update of the classic Romeo and Juliet story. Maria and Tony (Matt Cavanaugh), from two opposing families (in this case gangs and races) fall in love at first sight. There is a fight between the two rival gangs and Tony of the Jets kills Maria’s brother Bernardo (George Akram), leader of the Sharks. The couple plans to go away together, but are thwarted through miscommunication and Tony is killed.

Under the direction of Arthur Laurents, who wrote the original book, Scaglione personifies Maria in this updated version love and angst on New York’s West Side infused with the hauntingly beautiful music (Leonard Bernstein, score; Stephen Sondheim, lyrics) and original choreography by Jerome Robbins. While most of the story remains the same, one of the most notable updates involves incorporating Spanish dialogue. The Puerto Ricans converse with each other from time to time in their native language. Two songs, “I Feel Pretty” and “A Boy Like That” are sung entirely in Spanish.

Sumptuous sets designed by James Youmans paint a stark backdrop for the colorful costumes by David C. Woolard which combine ethnic purples, greens, oranges and swishing skirts with the oranges, browns, jeans and sneakers of street gangs. The underside of a bridge, the setting for the tragic gang rumble that seals the star-crossed lovers’ fate, especially impresses.

The choreography remains explosive and tight, guided by reproduction choreographer Joey McKneely, and expresses the lyrics of the songs in visual, yet subtle ways, so that we see and feel the emotions of the characters before we hear them expressed in the words. Young Nicholas Barasch leads off a moving rendition of “Somewhere,” a thoughtful ballet in which members of the rival gangs dance together in a place Tony and Maria dream might one day be real, where they can be together, some day.

Karen Olivo shines as Anita, the feisty girlfriend of Bernardo. Akram and Cody Green, who plays Riff, leader of the Jets, deliver solid performances. Cavanaugh, however, seems unsure of himself, singing in a thin high tenor with lots of vibrato which seems miscast for the oomph desired for classics like “Maria” and “Tonight.”

The large supporting cast and stage full of dancers is supported by an orchestra split between the pit and located in boxes above either side of the stage.

Overall, it’s a sumptuous production, with the kind of singing and dancing that make Broadway Broadway. And then of course, there’s beautiful Maria. Her rendition of “I Have a Love” will give you goose bumps.

West Side Story is at the Palace Theatre, 1564 Broadway, New York. For tickets, call (212) 307-4100/(800) 755-4000 or visit http://www.broadwaywestsidestory.com/.

Christians might also like to know:
• Lord’s name taken in vain
• Attempted rape
• Sex outside of marriage (although they perform their own ceremony…)
• One of the characters cross dresses
• Suggestive dancing