Review: Brilliant, Beautiful, Revelatory, MSMT's Monumental Revival of WEST SIDE STORY

Sizzling with sass & style, smoldering with passion, and searing the heart with timeless beauty, WEST SIDE STORY triumphs in a monumental new revival, directed/ choreographed by Marc Robin at Maine State Music Theatre. As groundbreaking as this work was when it first appeared on Broadway sixty-eight years ago, it retains its freshness and uniqueness today thanks to MSMT’s ability to approach a classic with both respect and a sense of relevance. This is a WEST SIDE STORY for all generations - brilliant ,beautiful, even revelatory. In fact, in an MSMT season marked by artistic triumphs, this new production is, quite simply, a theatrical masterpiece.

The convergence of so many inspirations accounts for making WEST SIDE STORY the masterpiece it is: Bernstein‘s inimitable score that fuses, opera, jazz, and Broadway traditions married with Sondheim’s stunning debut lyrics and the original athletic, balletic, jazzy choreography of Jerome Robins, together with Arthur Laurents‘ heartfelt book with its debt to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Add to these a fresh, young cast who tell the story with intensity, authenticity, and poignant realism.

Marc Robin brings years of experience to his role as director/choreographer (Jack Sippel, Fight Captain; Kelly Liz Bolick, Dance Captain), yet his genius is being able to refine and discover something new each time. In this case, it is an ethnic authenticity, a gritty realism that despite the darkness, cannot shut out the joy and light in the story. He helps the characters find meticulous details that make them all interesting & credible. He creates choreography that pays homage to Jerome Robbins without borrowing; his dances for the Jets and Sharks are original and eye catching, filled with daring leaps, muscular, thrusting raw energy and thrilling lifts, and he stunningly restores the full ballet in Act Two. No one does grand spectacle better than Robin when the work requires it, but when it requires realism, as it does here, no one tells the story with as much searing truth and heart as he does. Robin allows WEST SIDE STORY to be a tale of hatred and gang violence, but more importantly, also one about a massively beautiful story of young love flying in the face of all odds.

Music Director Jacob Stebly (Caleb Middleton, Associate Music Director) makes a strong impression performing in and conducting the eight other excellent musicians in Bernstein’s rich score with energy, elegance, and a compelling propulsive thrust. In their hands the groundbreaking music with its syncopation, percussive beat, unexpected dissonances, and soaring lyricism come vibrantly to life.

The look of the production strives for gritty realism. Scenic and Lighting Designer, Paul Black, captures the bleak world of the 1950s Upper West Side tenements with its fire escapes, chain link fences, and crumbling red brick buildings (which suggest the cityscapes of Edward Hopper), all bathed in the light of the graying urban landscape. These are enhanced by Luis Garcia’s video/projection design which fills in the visual picture with golden-lit windows, grungy painted street signs, and the occasional starry moonlit night. Shannon Slaton’s sound design is appropriately vibrant and well-balanced between orchestra and stage. Cody Von Ruden (Kevin S. Foster II, Wigs) supplies the 50s costumes - grungy streetwear, colorful party dresses, lovely, simple white frocks for Maria and the dream ballet.

Mark Johnson presides expertly from the Stage Manager’s booth.

Beautifully cast, the twenty-nine person ensemble dance, sing, and act their hearts out. As Maria, Lauren Maria Medina convincingly conveys the wonder and idealism of first love, and she uses her lovely soprano to create soaring lyric moments in “Somewhere” and “Tonight,” rising to the tragic depth the final scene requires.

As Tony, Coleman Cummings captures the sincerity of a first, all-consuming passion with a remarkable honesty and genuineness. His Tony is vulnerable, sometimes awkward, always endearing, and he acquits himself admirably in a vocally challenging role, delivering some lovely moments in “Maria,” the balcony and bedroom scenes.

Maria Cristina Posada Slye is a fiery, Anita, sexy, self-possessed, headstrong & maternal. An accomplished dancer, she entices in “Dance at the Gym,” is witty in “America” and fierce in “A Boy Like That.”

Yurel Echezarreta’s Bernardo is a bundle of white-hot anger and energy, waiting to explode. Moving with feline grace and dancing with a fierce athleticism, he is a force to be reckoned with.  Bobby Ellis gives Riff complexity, showing hints of vulnerability and misplaced gang pride together with a short fuse that defaults to violence. A fierce fighter and a persuasive vocalist, he reels his gang in in numbers like “Cool” and “When You’re a Jet.” Jaden Tai Martinez’s plays Chino as a quiet, gentle soul swept up in the swirling vortex of events, and he makes the most of the scene where he brings Maria the news of the rumble.

Beloved veteran actor, Ed Romanoff  takes on the role of Doc, making him an empathetic, kindhearted old man whose idealism is tragically destroyed. In his few short scenes, Romanoff packs a depth of emotion that is truly heart-wrenching. Darren Lorenzo plays the dual roles of Officer Krupke and Glad-Hand, while Jim Ballard makes a bitter foil to the gangs as the wise-cracking, jaded police officer, Lieutenant Shrank, mired in his own biases.

Jack Sippel as Action acquits himself strongly as he takes over the reins of the gang after Riff’s death, and gets his vocal moment in “Gee, Officer Krupke.” Austin Nedrow brings a youthful combination of innocence and street smarts to Baby John. The rest of the Jets (Todd Turner, A-rab; Kevin Ivey Morrison, Big Deal; Bradley Gibbons-Klein, Diesel; Dylan Stukenberg, Gee-Tar) form a dynamic ensemble that delivers riveting, thrilling dancing and perfectly etched characterizations.

Morgan Gillott plays Anybodys as perky, determined, and not to be dismissed as “just a girl,” while Brooklyn Bronson (Graziella), Kelly Liz Bolick (Velma), Payton Hines (Clarice), capture the sultry fire, street savvy, and provocative dancing of the gang’s girls. They are joined by Greta Cardoza (Minnie) who melts hearts in her solo reprise of the “Somewhere” during the ballet sequence.  The Sharks (Anthony Quintana, Pepe; Aaron Torres, Indio; Bryan Fortunato, Luis; Matthew Irani, Nibbles) and their girls (Rachel Alvarez-Robinson, Teresita; Camila V. Romero, Rosalia; Sabina Martin, Francisca; Erin Gonzales, Consuelo; Stemarciae Bain, Estella) sizzle with pent-up energy, bold vocals, and electric dancing.

As the curtain falls on the stirring final scene,  a silence falls over the house. The audience breathes in rhythm with the actors. The fourth wall falls away. We are all part of the catharsis - and the healing and forgiveness. Somewhere, somehow, someway a transformation has truly taken place.

Photos courtesy of MSMT, Jared Morneau, photographer

WEST SIDE STORY runs from August 6 to the 26th at MSMT‘s Pickard Theater on the campus of Bowdoin College, 1 Bath Rd., Brunswick www.msmt.org 207-725-8769