West Side Story: Almost a Masterpiece

Over the weekend, I flew down to Richmond, VA to spend some time with my old friend and colleague Phaedra Hise and her 13-year-old daughter, Lily, the latter of which is has been bitten pretty badly by the stage bug. In fact, she's so obsessed with musical theater that Phaedra's husband Bill has joked that I must be Lily's real father. (Hey, stranger things have happened, but I think Bill can sleep pretty comfortably with the knowledge that that's about as likely as a revival of Lestat.)

It was a lovely weekend all around, but of course we had to take Lily to see a show. Fortunately, the Pre-Broadway engagement of West Side Story was still playing at the National Theater in Washington, DC, so Phaedra and I ventured north to the capital to take Lily and a friend to see it. A good time was had by all.

There's been a lot of press and blog chatter about this production, particularly about how original librettist and current director Arthur Laurents was hoping to accomplish at least three things with this revival: 

1. To make the gang members credibly gang-like
2. To bring out the raw sexuality of two teenagers in lust
3. To successfully translate significant portions of the show into Spanish, particularly when there are only Latino characters on stage

So, has Laurents achieved these goals? In short:

1. Not at all
2. Sort of
3. Not really

But it's a testament to the quality of the original piece itself, to Leonard Bernstein's outstanding score, and to Jerome Robbins' brilliant choreography, expertly recreated here by Joey McKneely, that the production succeeds despite Laurents' unrealized ambitions.

Laurents starts the show off with a slow and sinister prologue, then seems to forget his directive to make the gang tension and violence believable. But the trouble here really starts with the casting: there's not a single member of the Jets or the Sharks whom I'd be a-scared of in a dark alley. Street hoodlums these are not. That's one of the constant challenges of West Side Story: you gotta have guys who can dance, but often the best dancers aren't exactly the most masculine or intimidating of men. Take for instance Cody Green as Riff, who's a terrific dancer, but hasn't a whit of street toughness, nor any spark on stage at all, for that matter. The only gang member who comes even close to the requisite grit is Curtis Holbrook as Action, although I couldn't help thinking of him in his skimpy tunic as Thalia in Xanadu.

Fortunately, the central pair of lovers are reasonably well cast. Matt Cavenaugh (A Catered Affair, Grey Gardens) is terrific as Tony, bringing vocal restraint and emotional honesty to the most important male role. Josefina Scaglione as Maria, a casting discovery from Argentina, seems a bit green. Her voice is sweet but thin, and her acting is at times quite touching, at other times phony and forced. As for the raw sexuality that Laurents promised, it wasn't in evidence at the performance I saw, although Cavenaugh and Scaglione had a frisky, playful quality, and were genuinely moving during the famous balcony sequence.

The strongest member of the cast was Karen Olivo as Anita. I wasn't a fan of Olivo's performance as Vanessa in In The Heights, but in retrospect it may have been the underwritten nature of the role that irked me. Here, Olivo is the best thing on stage, giving Anita the sass and grit that many of her fellow cast mates were sorely in need of.

And then there's the Spanish. Laurents brought in Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer, lyricist and star of In the Heights, to provide Spanish translations for quite a significant portion of the show. The songs and surrounding scenes for "I Feel Pretty" and "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love" are entirely in Spanish. I've gone back and forth on this, but ultimately I think this was a mistake. The Spanish works OK when it's woven into the dialog before "America," or as part of the big ensemble numbers like the "Tonight" quintet. But I found myself tuning out during the extended Spanish sequences, when, alas, my three years of high school Spanish failed to emerge from the depths of my long-term memory. Plus, Miranda's translated lyrics don't always scan well with the music, which is a huge pet peeve of mine.

But, again, the score and the dancing carry the show, which in its essential form is almost a masterpiece. Why almost? Well, I've never been a fan of the "Somewhere" ballet, which was wisely cut from the movie version of "West Side Story." It's basically a fantasy ballet in which Maria and Tony dream of a place where they can be happy together, and where the Jets and the Sharks and, yes, even Anybodys, can live in peace and harmony. I have always found it unbearably twee, and this production hasn't changed my mind. I must admit that, when the revival's ballet first started, I almost found myself buying into it. But here, Laurents has given the "Somewhere" solo to a young boy, a new character referred to in the Playbill as "Kiddo." I guess he's supposed to represent innocence, a sort of tabula rasa, before society has inflicted its stereotypes upon his psyche. ("You've got to be taught to hate and fear...") Whatever, it doesn't work, and it only made this sappy scene even more syrupy.

So, overall, this is a very professional production of a nearly perfect show. Laurents hasn't quite (yet?) achieved what he had hoped with this revival, but the quality of the piece itself, as well as the talent of the people on stage, make it a must-see event. West Side Story begins performances at the Palace Theater in New York City on February 23rd toward a March opening. I say, get your tickets now.

Comments

[Phaedra]

I defer to your judgment on Tony but only because you told Lily I have a nice singing voice. Let's do it again in February! By then Lily ought to have a few more musical scores memorized and can further duet with Ethel.

[Vance]

While the gang looking a bit too... healthy... to be an actual menacing gang didn't bother me (I saw it more as boys stupidly getting together to find acceptance than them being actually mean kids, as aren't gangs started that way?), I kinda figure that no matter how menacing the boys get, the Robbins choreography (SOOO GOOD!) sort of betrays it all anyways. Sorry, but the better the dancing and the more in unison, the less "gritty" it could ever be!

[Jason Modica]

Based on what I've heard about this production, I'm half thrilled, half dreading it. At least the material is strong enough that it's hard to ruin. I was just so looking forward to finally seeing the piece reimagined, but it looks like I'll have to keep waiting. Still, I can't even describe how happy it made me, walking through Times Square yesterday and looking up to see the logo of my favorite musical glittering on the Palace Theater marquee amongst the shining lights of Broadway. It's been far too long.

And the Tomorrow Ballet may be syrupy, but that Scherzo music is one of my favorite parts of the whole score. It's just beautiful.

[Justin]

I must say Chris, after about a year of reading your blog, this is personally your best review on a production. This is on my list of shows to see, however general census indicates by all that Karen Olivo is just fierce as all hell.

Side Note: Do you think this will be a South Pacific/Jersey Boys in regards to trying to buy tickets.

P.S. I'd like to verse this Lily, in a good old game of Musical Theatre jeopardy.

[Lily]

justin, ur on! musical theatre jeprody sounds fun
great review chris! i had a whole lot of fun seeing the show with you and even wrote a review of my own (it will never see the light of day) hope we can do it again

[Chris Caggiano]

Jason: Oh, yeah, the scherzo is gorgeous. I've actually had it in my head all day, and it's just such a lovely and interesting piece of music. But the scene just doesn't work for me. The ballet could be cut and not hurt the show at all. Tony and Maria could simply sing "Somewhere" together, which nicely sets up the heartbreaking reprise.

[stanley schweiger]

Am I missing something? Chris,your 'pre-view' of WSS mentions Bernstein, Robbins, Laurents, Joey McKneely, and the new cast -- all well & good. Why did you omit the lyricist? I realize his career was short-lived, and he disappeared quickly from the Broadway scene, but you really should have mentioned Mr. Solomon, or was his name Simmons, Stevenson, or Symington (I think THAT was it). Anyway, WSS' lyricist, Mr. Simington, deserved a little space in your 'pre-view.' In fact, I liked his lyrics and thought he might have a future in the business. Shows you how much I know about musicals!

[Chris Caggiano]

Stanley: Oh, how right you are. That Stuart Mondschein is going places.

Well, I kinda left him out on purpose. West Side Story isn't really his best work, a point that he himself has made on numerous occasions. And, I figured, if you can't say something nice... In retrospect, I could have worked in a mention when I trashed Miranda's translation of Sondheim's lyrics, but then they really weren't any worse than the originals. I've certainly made no secret of my respect for Mr. Sondheim, but let's just say WSS stands as a useful baseline measure for the exponential rise of one of the musical theater's all-time, uncontested geniuses.

Work for you?

[stanley schweiger]

Absolutely! But this is a good opportunity to air one of my "pet peeves" -- when a critic/blogger/columnist covers a musical and neglects, for whatever reason, to mention either the lyricist or librettist. Call me old fashioned, if you must, but these hard-working people are a vital part of a musical's creative process. Give them their due... and continue with the piece. Thanks, Chris, for allowing me to comment on something that should be 'automatic,' but isn't. ON WITH THE SHOW!

[SarahB]

I can't wait, I can't wait, I CAN'T WAIT! I have my first preview tickets tucked away in my Ticket Vault and am counting the days. I grew up with the movie musical so to see it LIVE is a dream come true.

And I'll chime in about the lyricist. While the lyrics may have only been a drop in the water of what was to come, it is extremely important to note him as part of this fascinating and legendary team. MR. SONDHEIM deserves shout out - wasn't he the youngest on this team of geniuses? Considering his inexperience, I think it's a most important contribution - even just to be a part of it. After all, so many songs from this piece - especially TONIGHT, SOMEWHERE and AMERICA - are not played outside of the context of musical theatre (commercials, sporting events, movies!) for the melody alone.

[Chris Caggiano]

OK, OK, Sondheim is the best, Sondheim is amazing, West Side Story wouldn't be the masterpiece that it is without his contributions, blah, blah, blah...

But consider this: Sondheim only came in after Bernstein took a crack at writing the lyrics himself. Apparently, much of his original work remains. To his credit, Bernstein gave Sondheim full credit for the lyrics, and neither gentleman has ever indicated which lyrics are whose. I'm not trying to demean Sondheim's achievement, I just want to put things in perspective.

Also, I reserve the right as a blogger/critic to mention or not mention whomever I choose in my reviews. I only include the names of the various creators in my write-ups when I have something to say about their contributions. I had nothing to add about Mr. Sondheim for my review of this particular production, so I left him out.

'Kay?

[Margo]

Man in Chair from The Drowsy Chaperone found dancers intimidating. ;-)

[1234]

i really don't see the point of kiddo - coz isnt that just supposed to be baby john - hence the 'baby' in his name.