| New `West Side Story' gets life from its cast By Ed Siegel, Globe Staff, 11/5/2003 BEVERLY -- There are four musicals during which you can sense the audience's collective jaw dropping at the steady stream of one great number after another: "South Pacific," "Annie Get Your Gun," "My Fair Lady," and "West Side Story." Because of these classics' great scores, directors are tempted to let them speak (or sing) for themselves. The results can be flat productions that highlight period cliches rather than recapturing the spirit of the original. It may be impossible ever to recapture the excitement of 1957, when "West Side Story" debuted on Broadway, but the current production at the North Shore Music Theatre makes the musical live and breathe so that it seems as contemporary as gangsta warfare or prime-time drama. Barry Ivan, who directed a good "West Side Story" here in 1995, takes it to another level in 2003 by stripping it down rather than souping it up. The set borders on the nonexistent, with a walkway over the action and not much more. But Ivan has assembled such a talented group of dancers that the stage seems constantly full. These young men and women own the stage the way the Jets and Sharks try to own the streets of Manhattan. Or the way the Montagues and Capulets tried to own the streets of Verona. After all, "West Side Story" was born from Jerome Robbins's idea to update "Romeo and Juliet," for which he enlisted Hall of Fame talents: Leonard Bernstein to write the music, Stephen Sondheim the lyrics, and Arthur Laurents the book. Robbins himself directed and choreographed. Ivan has done a terrific job adapting that choreography to the round. He has also enlisted a pair of earthier, less operatic singers than in his earlier production for Tony and Maria, the star-crossed lovers. Ryan Silverman in particular so fully inhabits Tony that you want to tackle him to keep him from going to the rumble. His voice, his looks, and his bearing are all as smooth as you would expect from a character whose songs -- "Something's Coming," "Maria," and "Tonight" -- speak of unlimited potential. Elena Shaddow, fragile to a bit of a fault, isn't quite in his league as Maria, but her singing and acting are strong enough to carry the difficult part. Much of the vibrancy of this or any "West Side Story" lies in the supporting parts. David Larsen makes you forget all about the "daddy-o" lingo in making Riff the strong but flawed leader of the Jets. The dancing is particularly strong as he and his rival, Enrique Acevedo as Bernardo, keep all their characters' raging hormones in stunning synchronization. The Jets and Sharks under their sway -- the girlfriends along with the gang members -- also dance up a perfect storm. The orchestra started out sounding a bit thin in the opening "Jet Song," but once it got warmed up, Dale Rieling kept the 15 musicians humming. Roxane Carrasco as Anita doesn't have the strongest voice onstage, but she does have the strongest presence, except perhaps for Silverman's. Jay Woods's costumes are both colorful and sexy, as is the production as a whole. Everyone involved, in fact, makes this "Story" one that's worth retelling. Ed Siegel can be reached at siegel@globe.com. (West Side Story; Musical in two acts, from a conception by Jerome Robbins. Book by Arthur Laurents. Music by Leonard Bernstein; Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Based on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."; Directed and choreographed by Barry Ivan; At the North Shore Music Theatre through Nov. 23. 978-232-7200.) © Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company. |