BWW Reviews: WEST SIDE STORY at PACE Center

Saying West Side Story is a modern remake of Romeo and Juliet is like saying the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is a painting: it's technically accurate, but it doesn't encompass the scope and significance of the work. It is a tragedy of star-crossed young love, but it is also an examination of racism, immigration, sexual harassment, ineffectual authorities, alienated teens, and the resentment and violence that builds in the wake of social inequality and injustice-themes which will strike true to anyone who has scanned a news feed lately. Leonard Bernstein's music explodes with adolescent passion, and though Stephen Sondheim has since expressed dissatisfaction with his lyrics, they still display elements of his trademark dramatic insight: while "Gee, Officer Krupke" is on one level a group of kids razzing the adults in their lives, it's also a demonstration of how the system has failed them.

Inspire Creative's production of the seminal musical classic works best when the play focuses on these themes. The ensemble numbers are vibrant and energetic, punctuated by Liane Adamo's Jerome Robbins-inspired choreography. You feel the explosive passion of boys and girls surrounded by decay and despair and forced to grow up too quickly, turning their anger onto any convenient target: the "Americans," the "PR's," the police, each other. The familiar highlights are all here: the jazzy prologue, the vibrant "America" (led by Nancy Evans Begley's saucy, clever Anita), the simmering tension of "Cool" as Jets leader Riff (Kevin Goff) tries to get a lid on hot-headed Action (Ben Hilzer, a powder-keg of teen rage). When West Side Story focuses on the big picture, this production is the best I've seen from Inspire Creative thus far.

The love story, alas, is where the show falters. Senhica Klee (Tony) and Darien Raymond (Maria) are possessed of lovely instruments but sing by rote, making their earlier numbers like "Something's Coming" and "Tonight" beautiful but dramatically inert. (Their strong voices are also amplified far more than necessary.) Like the couple from fair Verona they spring from, are so carried away by their infatuation and innocent hope that they ignore or dismiss the stumbling blocks around them, but Klee and Raymond's first meeting in the gym is emotionally sterile. Ralph Newman's direction lets them down here as well: the two are positioned near the back of the urban rooftop set and only moderately lit, so that they get lost amid the throng of dancers in front of them. Later, during the haunting "Somewhere," Klee and Raymond all but entirely disappear, ceding the stage to an odd collection of dancers and singers clad in white nighties.

Things pick up as the two elements of the stories collide, with "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love" signaling a strong push towards the powerful, heartbreaking climax. Ultimately West Side Story is a strong enough work to withstand any production's weak points; this is a show that remains every bit as relevant as it was nearly sixty years ago-a fact which is testament to both the brilliance of the piece itself, and our unwillingness as a society to listen to the messages it tells us.

Inspire Creative's WEST SIDE STORY plays now through August 2nd at the PACE Center, Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm, with matinees on Sundays and Saturday August 1st at 2pm. For tickets, contact the box office at 303-805-6800 or visit parkerarts.org.