“West Side Story” opened Thursday night at the Duke Family Performance Hall on the Davidson College campus just north of Charlotte. The sold-out performance was GOOD.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some definite problems with the casting of this show. The story revolves around a bunch of young hoodlums in 1950s Manhattan, but the director clearly had limited options to cast from. The “Jets” are supposed to be the sons of a bunch of Italian and Polish immigrants, and the “Sharks” are supposed to be Puerto Rican immigrants… Let’s just say quite a few members of both gangs were not of an ethnicity that made sense for the role. And some were utterly unbelievable as tough-guy hoodlums from the streets. (To be polite, I’ll call them masculinity-challenged)
Leading the two gangs with machismo and charisma to spare were Steve Buchanan as Riff (the leader of the Jets, inspired by Benvolio in “Romeo and Juliet”) and Salvador Garcia as Bernardo (the leader of the Sharks, inspired by Tybalt in “Romeo and Juliet”) Both actors did a great job setting the example for their respective gangs, demonstrating what a Jet and a Shark should be.
Riff was delightfully smug and arrogant. Watching him with the boys (who all seem younger and less mature, despite many being around the same age as Buchanan), he exudes bravado and charm… But when the cops show up, you can catch a glimpse of the uncertain teenager hiding underneath. And in one memorable scene, where Riff tries to convince his best friend (who has left the gang) to help him, his quiet vulnerability is a stark contrast to the face he puts on in front of the other boys.
Bernardo came across as the most mature (and cynical) of all the hoodlums. Not as boisterous as Riff, he doesn’t try so hard to show his authority over the Sharks, but their deference is obvious. There’s a clear sense of resentment in Bernardo, disenchanted with the cultural divide that seems to keep the American dream out of reach for the PRs (Puerto Ricans) in Manhattan. You can imagine him arriving, with open arms as he says, only to be treated like a second-class citizen by the “natives” with lighter skin. His skepticism towards the Jets and the cops is palpable, as is his protectiveness towards his sister.
I adored Abigail Pagán as Anita — depending on the scene, she cycled flawlessly through fun and flirtatious, frightened and vulnerable, angry, grief-stricken, and so on. She’s a beautiful actress with a great emotional range, and her vocals were strong. (I could’ve done without the music in this show insisting on occasionally pushing Anita and Bernardo into deep bass tones, but that’s no fault of the singers.) She’s one to keep an eye on any time she’s on stage.
Grace Kidd was perfectly cast as Maria, the WSS equivalent of Juliet. A striking and talented young lady, her performance was a real pleasure. The pipes on this girl are amazing, and while I don’t usually enjoy the kind of operatic-style singing she excels in, I can certainly appreciate the power and talent of her voice. It’s sort of like how I don’t tend to enjoy watching football, but I can be very impressed by strength and speed and agility of star players. It may not be my cup of tea, but a good cup of tea nonetheless.
This really brings me to the crux of my hesitance about “West Side Story.” I hated the movie — ABSOLUTELY HATED IT — and was skeptical about the play. The choreography is phenomenal, and the dancing very well performed. It’s just not the modern, vibrant kind of dancing that I usually enjoy. Fortunately, I found I enjoyed most of the singing in this play much more than I did in the movie, which was a relief. I still don’t see myself rushing out to buy the album, but I liked it well enough.
I thought Spenser Bowles (“A-Rab”) and Isaac Josephthal (“Baby John”) were the stand-outs among the ensemble Jets, believable as Manhattan kids in the 50s trying to be tough hoodlums but nursing insecurities underneath. They were terrific together in the scene where they’re fleeing the rumble and hiding from the cops.
Gino Pietrantoni was INCREDIBLE as “Doc,” the harried business owner trying to be a good influence on these kids and frustrated by their shenanigans. Fountain Walker was a great “Officer Krupke” in a role that unfortunately had little stage time and few lines. And Kimberly Butler had a beautiful solo, coming onto the stage and cooing a song at the audience during a very strange scene.
Speaking of strange scenes, I do have a few complaints. First, due to the ethnicities of the cast (diversity is a good thing in a show, but not when your characters are supposed to be either Puerto Rican or white!) the dance scene was totally unbelievable. The notion of white and black kids dancing cheek-to-cheek in the 50s, without anyone batting an eyelash, was absurd. (I’m sure most of the actors’ PARENTS were in diapers in the 50s if they were even alive, so it undoubtedly didn’t feel strange to them at all)
Frankly, I struggled with this casting issue during most of the show. I wonder if the show might’ve been better with a more modern interpretation, rather than sticking to the 50s era. Of course, that would undoubtedly offend people who love the original, and may not even have been permissible with the rights to the script, but it’s still a curious thought.
I thoroughly despise the dream-sequence (“Somewhere”) where they imagine a world in which everyone gets along. The cast comes out dressed in white, moving slowly and fluidly, silently dancing around the stage together. Kimberly Butler glides across the stage, singing her beautiful (and random, as she calls it) solo. The music is serene, the dancing is elegant and complex… but I hate the whole scene. It just feels so jarringly out of place in the show.
The rumble at the beginning of Act Two (oddly placed, as it normally concludes Act One) is another scene that I struggled with. Several of the ensemble cast lurking around the sidelines of the duel just seem bored, lackluster in their cheering and jeering. This is supposed to be an epic battle, with huge consequences for them, but many don’t have a sense of enthusiasm towards it. You’d expect them to be all pumped up, adrenaline flowing, ready to leap into the fray, but no. Granted, some did a great job in this area, but not all.
I mentioned how much I enjoyed the brief interchange between A-Rab and Baby John after the rumble… The unfortunate thing is the musical number that immediately follows. ”Gee, Officer Krupke” is pure camp, cheesy and silly, and frankly just awful. These boys just saw their leader stabbed to death, and they’re worried about their friend who avenged him, and they’re hiding out from the cops… and singing and dancing in a goofy, effeminate, childish way. Nothing in the characters at that moment shows their tough-guy bravado, or the pain and fear they’re feeling at the moment. It feels like a handful of boys being silly, and I was thankful that there were no beds or pillows onstage for a pillow fight.
Lest I make it sound all doom-and-gloom, let me emphasize that I ENJOYED last night’s performance. The opening prologue was terrific, Riff and the Jets’ performance in “Jet Song” was outstanding, and “Mambo” was stunningly performed. I may have had a hang-up about the interracial dancing, due to the historical era, but the scene itself was amazing. The Shark girls put on a fun and smile-inducing “América” number, and the “Tonight Quintet” at the end of Act One was absolutely inspired.
“West Side Story” is playing this weekend, and Thursday-Saturday of next week. It’s a flawed production, with some unfortunate casting issues, but is nonetheless very enjoyable. For a cast of this size, and located way up in Davidson, I think it’s incredible that the director and producers were able to find so much talent (and in such a very young cast.) Grab some friends, have a drink or two, and sit down to enjoy a fun performance.
EDIT: In my first publication of this, I referenced a dress-rehearsal “preview” I had the opportunity to see the night before opening. I’ve removed that reference — what matters is the public performance, from which the commendations and criticisms of this review are based. No other portions of the original entry have been removed.
I think you raised some legitimate points about the production on both sides of the coin, and your review is much more honest than the ones published in the newspapers so far, which I appreciate a lot. I would have to disagree about the “Somewhere” scene — the play has a classic tragic structure, which, in Greek models, often involved a Parabisis where the author, through the chorus, directly addresses the audience about a contemporary social topic. Sondheim continues this trend in many of his other musicals, namely with songs like “Ladies who Lunch” right at the end of COMPANY. The song doesn’t forward the plot, but acts like a Parabisis by engaging the audience on an issue (in Company, the facades of the upper class) and helps clarify the world of the play. I think “Somewhere,” though perhaps not fully realized in this production and thus “random,” does just that, showing us a paradise which did not (and still does not) exist and asking, or perhaps showing, why these two young loves cannot be together. It takes a well-structured and boldly performed storyline to pull off that kind of non-sequitor, yet I do believe it serves the play well. Just another viewer’s thoughts.
Also, just cause I’m nit-picky — Riff is based off Mercutio, not Benvolio (that’s Baby John).
Agreeing Viewer, thanks for such a thoughtful and detailed response. I think my perspective is somewhat limited in areas of classic theatre tradition, as I’m not an actor and haven’t formally studied theatre. Most of my theatre influences are modern “blockbuster” works (the sort that, lately, have been converted into movies) so I’m admittedly ignorant about nuances like this. Very kind of you to elaborate for me and future readers!
And thanks for correcting me on the Riff connection!
There tends to be a concern across the boards of the theatre world when it comes to the masculinity of young male actors in musical theatre. While it is great the young guys want to be a part of the theatre world, there is a duty that must be fulfilled when it comes to the ACTING of a scene, show, film, anything.
I was fortunate enough to see this production of West Side Story the closing night, where I did not see any obvious technical flaws. However, I must agree with you on the lack of masculinity. Whether they are gay, straight, whatever; that does not matter to me. When doing a show with so much MASCULINITY written into the script, it must be performed as such. It is imperative and it is a necessity. If West Side Story can not be done with male actors who can act like males, then where is the hope for all the other scripts in the world? EVERY script ever written, as a matter of fact, must involve men to have masculinity, unless we are talking about ‘La Cage aux Folles” or something like that.
To be frank, there is no room for this in musical theatre, except for those certain roles that require otherwise (‘The Producers,’ you get the picture).
Now, let me also say, this show is not the first, nor will it be the last, that we see a lack of masculinity. So for those of you reading that may be one of the male actors in the show, do not feel as though I (or the reviewer) is personally attacking you. We are frankly stating a concern that has arisen over the years.
-a theatre practitioner-
I also saw West Side Story a few times and for the most part I loved it! I do have to say thank you for writing an honest review, it seems most reviews are either positive or negative, you gave credit where credit was due and did not sugar coat what you felt were negatives. I have never understood a review that sugarcoats the negatives, why? In the end it’s still negative. Is this to buff the impact on the actors or production staff? My thoughts… if you can’t stand an honest (good or bad) review, don’t be an actor or member of production staff in live theatre.
Ok back to the show… I could see the hard work that each actor put in (some more than others) to make their character “real” on stage. I feel some had a hard time getting into character as soon as they stepped on stage; they eventually got to where they needed to be but let’s just say the strong / experienced actors really stood out. As for the casting issue… each gang having multiple races did make it less believable, like you said in the 50’s that simply would not have happen. It seemed as though they had enough boys to at least differentiate the groups by skin color… I do wonder the reasoning for not doing this? Although changing the time period to modern day would have solved that problem, I feel much more in the script itself would have had to change to make that work.
I do have to disagree some on the “Somewhere” sequence. Yes it was random and did not advance the show at all but I loved Kim Butler’s voice, it was perfect for that song! The dancing was graceful and I enjoyed watching the unifying connection between partners here. A part I did not understand however was during the dance scene. Apart from being very cute I did not understand why there was a 9-10 year old girl running around in the middle of a high school dance? Wouldn’t she have been home in bed? Or at least with two warring gangs at this dance, at home with a baby-sitter? Come on, it was the 50’s!
I also LOVED America and the Tonight Quintet they were my favorite, very strong and a complete joy to watch, all of the actors involved in both songs seemed to give their all during these. Over-all it was a fantastic show, like I said I saw it a few times and can see why it was such a successful show.
-Me-
I was at the auditions and saw many talented young people who were not cast in the show. While I believe this director is great I do agree with the point of incorrect casting. Saying that the talent was not available to them is incorrect because I saw the kids that auditioned and believe that many should have been on stage rather than some of the cast members. overall the show was good though
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