THE ARTS ETC

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GRAMMY AWARD WINNING BROADWAY SMASH HIT

WEST SIDE STORY 

MAY 24-29, 2011

as part of The Hartford Financial Services Group Broadway Series.

AT THE BUSHNELL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

 

Ticket prices begin at $17 and are on sale at

The Bushnell Box Office, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford,

online at www.bushnell.org or by calling (860) 987-5900.

Discounts for groups of 10 or more are available by calling (860) 987-5959.   

Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents' Broadway direction is recreated for the

tour by David Saint, the Associate Director on Broadway. The original Jerome Robbins choreography is reproduced by Tony Award-nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz,

The Life).

Book by ARTHUR LAURENTS

 Music by LEONARD BERNSTEIN

Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM

 Entire Original Production Directed and Choreographed

by JEROME ROBBINS

 

REVIEWED BY DONNA BAILEY-THOMPSON

If you've never experienced West Side Story,

or if you're ready to again,

here's your opportunity to soar with

one of the finest musical stories ever created for the stage.

After all, it was good enough for Shakespeare.

Because of its celebrated originators and the respect this slice of Americana has enjoyed since its original debut, I anticipated this tour would embrace all the nuances of the revival that knocked Broadway upside its head. But, I didn’t expect West Side Story would be as close to perfect as it could possibly get.

The catalyst of what’s to come is foreshadowed on a gray curtain that represents city grime on the Upper West Side of New York City – graffiti chalked and spray painted on any available surface promoting two warring gangs – Jets and Sharks. When the curtain opens, the tension is in our face: the Jets leader, Riff (Joseph J. Simeon), planks himself at center stage and glowers at the audience. Standing stock still, he intimidates. One by one, the gang members congregate under a bridge. A ballet explodes. Surely, springs are embedded in their feet. They all but fly across the stage. They preen and pose. They are primed to fight. Their twisted thinking is supported by testosterone and anger fueled by emotions they haven’t thought through.

Arthur Laurents, who wrote the book also directed this very much alive, contemporary production. In an interview, he said, “I felt the gangs in the original production were sweet little things. And the truth is, they’re all killers – every one of them. I wanted to do a much tougher West Side Story.” He may have been in his 90s when he died (May 5, 2011), but Laurents’ direction suggests he didn’t have an old bone in his body. The first act ran about 90 minutes and seemed to whiz by. All the romantic beauty of the story remains but the immediacy and dangerous aspects are raw.

How effortless it is to fall in love with Tony, a former Jet (Kyle Harris) and Maria (Ali Ewoldt) sister of a Shark when they meet (across a crowded room) and fall in love with one another. Tony has had premonitions of “Something’s Coming” and Maria is excited about going to a dance, but she wishes the neckline of her dress was lower. The “Dance at the Gym” is a blur of flashing legs, split-second hand-offs, and color-filled costumes any garden would envy. Kudos to Costume Designer David C. Woolard.

All the dancing in this production is spectacular. Worth the reminder is the fact the entire original production was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. For this amazing revival, the original choreography is reproduced by Joey McKneely – and a cadre of well-trained dancers.

One is a girl with golden hair that falls below the nape of her neck. She wears a bright, clear yellow, tailored mini, and heels that enhance her shapely legs. She places her feet with the authority of a prancing mare. There’s no emotion in her face. She dances energetically with a partner as if she were dancing alone. Her posture radiates a power reminiscent of Deborah Yates who in 2000 originated the striking dance role of “Girl in a Yellow Dress” nominated for a Tony for her performance in "Contact: The Musical (a dance play"). Surely, the color of the dress is intentional. Even if it were drab, Graziella (Kristin Paulicelli) would draw eyes to her artistry.

Love and longing and gratitude suffuse Tony’s singing of “Maria” (...”the most beautiful name in the world”) followed by a duet of “Tonight” through which the young lovers spill their starry-eyed wonderment at finding one another. Witnessing the innocence of reciprocated first love is pure joy. As is their singing – clear, articulate, appropriately emotional. Maria’s glowing innocense delights.

But nothing can stop the countdown to a planned rumble, certainly not arguments promoting common sense and the entreaties of adults. This contemporary Romeo and Juliet follow Shakespeare’s star-crossed script appropriated from the Verona.archives. Director Laurents excised the maudlin touches from the original final scene and thus sharpened the tragedy – its finality. And the turf wars will continue.

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And lest that length of time might from our myndes remove
The memory of so perfect, sound, and so approved love
The bodies dead, removed from vaults where they did dye,
In stately tombs, on pillers great of marble, rayse they hye.
On every syde above were set; and eke beneath,
Great store of cunning Epitaphes, in honor theyr death.
And even at this day the tomb is to be seene,
So that among the monuments that in Verona been,
There is no monument more worthy of the sight
Than is the tombe of Juliet and Romeus her knight.
                                                    – Arthur Brooke, 1562

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The cast stars Kyle Harris as Tony, Ali Ewoldt as Maria, Michelle Aravena as Anita, Joseph J. Simeone as Riff and German Santiago as Bernardo. Also featured are Mike Boland as Krupke, Ryan Christopher Chotto as A-rab, Stephen DeRosa as Glad Hand, Drew Foster as Action, Alexandra Frohlinger as Anybodys, Jay Garcia as Chino, Grant Gustin as Baby John, Nathan Keen as Big Deal, Christopher Patrick Mullen as Schrank, John O’Creagh as Doc, Kyle Robinson as Diesel, Cary Tedder as Snowboy, along with Karolina Blonski, Alicia Charles, Lauryn Ciardullo, Beth Crandall, Dean Andre de Luna, Ted Ely, Lori Ann Ferreri, Ryan Ghysels, Tim Hausmann, Thayne Jasperson, Déa Julien, Kristen Paulicelli, Waldemar Quinones-Villanueva, Alexandra Blake Redelico, Michael Scirrotto, Jeffrey C. Sousa, Dani Spieler, Jessica Swesey, Kathryn Lin Terza and Kirstin Tucker.

The new Broadway cast album of WEST SIDE STORY won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album on January 31, 2010. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway’s finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as “Something’s Coming,” “Tonight,” “America,” “I Feel Pretty” and “Somewhere.”

The new Broadway production began previews at the Palace Theatre on Broadway Monday, February 23, 2009, opened to critical acclaim breaking box office records at the Palace Theatre on Thursday, March 19, 2009, and recouped its $14 million investment after running only 30 weeks. The Broadway production played its final performance January 2, 2011. The musical played 27 previews and 748 regular performances, making it the longest-running production of the groundbreaking musical in Broadway history. The original production, which had held the record, played 732 performances on Broadway.   

WEST SIDE STORY features scenic designs by James Youmans (Gypsy), costumes by Tony Award nominee David C. Woolard (The Farnsworth Invention, The Who’s Tommy), lighting by Tony Award winner Howell Binkley (Gypsy, Jersey Boys), sound design by Tony Award nominee Dan Moses Schreier (Gypsy, A Catered Affair) and hair by Mark Adam Rampmeyer (The Farnsworth Invention). 

WEST SIDE STORY is written by three theatrical luminaries: two-time Tony Award winner Arthur Laurents (book) and multiple Tony and Grammy Award winners Leonard Bernstein (music) and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) in his Broadway debut. 

WEST SIDE STORY is produced by Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander, Jeffrey Seller with Terry Allen Kramer, Sander Jacobs, Roy Furman / Jill Furman Willis, Robyn Goodman / Walt Grossman, Hal Luftig, Roy Miller and Broadway Across America.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

WEST SIDE STORY had a long journey to Broadway.  Six years elapsed between Jerome Robbins's first idea of a modern musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet and its actual Broadway debut in 1957.  Originally, the action of the musical was to take place on New York's Lower East Side with tensions flaring between Jews and Catholics during the Passover and Easter holidays.  The original setting left the authors uninspired and the project was put on hold.  Years later, when Arthur Laurents proposed changing the basis of conflict from religion to race, the show gained creative momentum and WEST SIDE STORY was born.

Originally directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, WEST SIDE STORY opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 26, 1957 and garnered passionate reactions from critics and audiences alike.  The piece has often been credited with changing the entire course of the American musical theatre.  Applauding the creators’ innovation in dance and musical style, TIME Magazine exclaimed “Robbins’ energetic choreography and Bernstein’s grand score accentuate the satiric, hard-edged lyrics of Sondheim and Laurents’ capture of the angry voice of urban youth.”  New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson described the show as “profoundly moving; an incandescent piece of work where theatre people, engrossed in an original project, are all in top form.”

The original production starred Larry Kert as “Tony,” Carol Lawrence as “Maria,” Chita Rivera as “Anita,” and won six Tony Award nominations including Best Musical of 1957.  Jerome Robbins won the Award for his groundbreaking choreography and Oliver Smith took home the prize for Best Scenic Design.  Also nominated were Carol Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress, Max Goberman for Best Musical Director and Irene Sharaff for Best Costume Design.  WEST SIDE STORY ran for 732 performances before launching national and international tours and a successful mounting at London’s Majesty Theatre in 1958.  The first revival of the musical opened on April 8, 1964 at New York City Center by the New York City Center Light Opera Company.  The production closed on May 3, 1964 after a limited engagement of 31 performances.  The City Center production was staged by Gerald Freedman based on Robbins' original concept. A Broadway revival opened at the Minskoff Theatre on February 14, 1980 directed and choreographed by Robbins with the assistance of Tom Abbott and Lee Becker Theodore.   The revival was nominated for a 1980 Tony Award for Best Revival as well as nods for Debbie Allen as “Anita” and Josie de Guzman as “Maria.”

The revival of WEST SIDE STORY on which this tour is based began previews at the Palace Theatre on Broadway Monday, February 23, 2009, opened to critical acclaim breaking box office records on Thursday, March 19, 2009, recouped its $14 million investment after running only 30 weeks. The musical played 27 previews and 748 regular performances, making it the longest-running production of the groundbreaking musical in Broadway history.

An exciting and innovative motion picture version, directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, was released in 1961 and starred Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as the star-crossed lovers “Maria and Tony” and Rita Moreno as “Anita.”  The film also received wide praise from critics, winning ten Academy Awards out of its eleven nominated categories (including Best Picture) as well as a special award for Robbins.  The film’s soundtrack grossed more than any other album before it.

About The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts

Celebrating 80 years, The Bushnell is Connecticut’s premier performing arts center, hosting more than 350 events yearly, including major Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, family presentations, local arts and community events.  The Bushnell is home to two theaters- the historic 2,800-seat Mortensen Hall, and the 907-seat Belding Theater, a state-of-the-art performance hall that opened in 2001.  The Bushnell’s nationally recognized, award-winning, arts-in-education program, PARTNERS® (Partners in Arts and Education Revitalizing Schools), now in its 18th year, continues to provide quality arts-in-education programs for schools and communities across Connecticut. The Bushnell opened in January 1930 and is a not-for-profit organization that is proud to serve Connecticut and its citizens. For more information, call The Bushnell at (860) 987-6000, The Bushnell Box Office at (860) 987-5900 or visit our website at www.bushnell.org.

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With support from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

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