Review: West Side Story (Paramount Theatre)

A gritty and realistic take on a classic

Though one of the best known and best loved musicals of the past half-century, West Side Story has taken its share of ribbing. Remember the in which a street gang wielding actual weapons meets a gang of West Side Story dancers led by John Leguizamo responding to the thugs' threats with kicks and pirouettes? 's mixing a story of street gang violence with musical theatre romanticism will always leave it at least a little vulnerable to such taunts, but for this production, director Jim Cortihas taken an uncompromisingly gritty approach. When we first see the Jets and the Sharks street gangs at the musical's opening, the boys have dirty faces and are in pretty rough looking clothes, courtesy of costume designer Theresa Ham. They're not wearing the pastels of the beloved movie version or worse yet, the fashion-on-a-budget togs you may remember from the Gap commercials in 2000 that used dancers performing Jerome Robbins' original choreography to model their t-shirts and jeans. And while accomplished dancers all, the boys look like teenaged street toughs rather than chorus boys - a challenge that has doomed many a West Side Story production.

Corti gives his show an edginess throughout. His Tony (Will Skrip) accomplishes the very tough task of creating a boy who could be both the hopeless romantic based on Shakespeare's Romeo as well as a kid you can believe was formerly in a street gang. Corti's gang members are tough throughout - Jeff Smith's Riff and Alexander Aguilar's Bernardo are hard edged and very aware of the dangers ahead as they plan their rumble. The direction gives the whole piece a tension that's alleviated only briefly by the romantic interludes between Tony and Maria (Zoe Nadal) and the comedy number "America." Even the second act song, "Gee, Officer Krupke," originally made to provide comic relief in the aftermath of the rumble's killings, is played here not without humor, but in a very angry tone that keeps the tension from the earlier scenes. And - jump to the next paragraph if the musical's ending is not known to you - Corti refuses to end the piece with even the slightest hope. He deviates from the stage directions at the very end of the musical by leaving Maria alone with Tony's corpse, rather than having the gang members carry the body off together. As Corti points out in his program note, "our contemporary reality is brutal." In Chicago alone, we've seen too much street violence and lost too many youth to it to romanticize or trivialize it.

As exceptional as this production is in its depiction of urban violence, it's equally fine with the considerable musical demands of the glorious Leonard Bernstein score. Readers may recall the 1985 symphonic recording conducted by Bernstein in which he used opera singers to "fully realize" his score by capturing its full operatic sweep. He might not have felt the need to make that recording if he'd heard singing "Something's Coming." Though he and his Maria, , list no opera among their credits, they both seem to have the training and discipline to sing at that level. They're so good, they sing the lead vocals in "Somewhere" which, due to its difficulty, is usually given to another female singer as a solo. This is probably the best sung West Side Story I've ever heard - and I've heard many. There's not a vocally weak link in the cast, and the 19-piece orchestra led by Music Director Tom Vendafreddo sounds even bigger and fuller in delivering Bernstein's symphonic jazz score. The score is certainly one of the best - arguably, the best score of a Broadway musical ever - and this company does it proud. West Side Story is also one of a handful of musicals (along with Oklahoma!, Carousel and On the Town) remembered largely for its use of dance in telling the story. Jerome Robbins' original dances are iconic - well known from his recreations of them for the movie version and usually used in stage revivals. Not so here. William Carlos Angulo has devised new ones - a thankless task in a way, sort of like being asked to improve on the Mona Lisa. Angulo doesn't improve on Robbins' choreography, but he does offer an alternative in the same spirit that is something new for those of us who have seen the originals so many times. And, Angulo's steps are true to the way the characters should move and are superbly executed by this company. As a side note, we should acknowledge that the Puerto Rican characters mostly all appear to be played by Latinos - an accomplishment in light of the controversy over the Marriott Theatre's recent announcementthat their Evita would include only one Hispanic in the cast of Argentine characters.

As Tony and Maria, Skrip and Nadal add a layer not always seen in portrayals of these lovers. We see their genuine fear at the violence around them,giving the action a rising line of tension that doesn't let up very much or for very long. One of the very few false notes in the production is that Nadal overacts just a bit in the climactic scene. She might find some subtler ways of showing Maria's grief. In the star-making role of Anita, Mary Antonini shines, and more than meets expectations. Without reinventing the role, she freshens it with line readings of her own that make this iconic character seem new again. Alexander Aguilar as Bernardo and as Riff both have the sex appeal and charisma to spare to convince they could be gang leaders and both are superb singers and dancers to boot. (True, we don't actually get to hear Bernardo sing, but I've heard Aguilar in other shows - and yes, he's a terrific singer as well). Tom McElroy is a standout as well for his Doc. As the owner of the drug store where Tony works, his horror at the violence in his community is palpable, particularly in his big scene near the end of the musical.

Kevin Depinet's set cleverly uses a catwalk that can be interpreted as a balcony or a bridge - facilitating Corti's brilliant staging of the "Quintet" sung by the company as the Rumble approaches. Depinet uses just a few roll-on pieces for Doc's drug store and the dress shop, and the settings are given a broader context by Mike Tutaj's projections suggesting, at various points, the city skylight, the tenements of the neighborhood and the walls of the gym. Along with Jesse Klug's lighting, the action moves swiftly among the various settings, keeping Corti's pace and rising line of tension moving.

In recent years, we've been treated to some fine stage productions of West Side Story , but this is the best. For newcomers to the musical, it's a must. And for the much larger group of those who have seen the musical many times before on stage or screen, it's well worth the trip out to Aurora.

West Side Story continues through April 24th at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora (map), with performances Wednesdays 1:30pm & 7pm, Thursdays 7pm, Fridays 8pm, Saturdays 3pm & 8pm, Sundays 1pm & 5:30pm. Tickets are $41-$56, and are available by phone (630-896-6666) or online through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com ). More information at ParamountAurora.com. (Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes, includes 15 minute intermission)

Photos by Liz Lauren

(Maria) (Tony), Mary Antonini (Anita), Alexander Aguilar (Bernardo), (Riff), Aubrey Adams (Anybodys), Kasey Alfonso (Francisca), Brittany Amoroso (Teresita), Francesca Arostegui (Consuela), Larry Baldacci (Gladhand), Alan Ball (Doc), Aaron Patrick Craven (Diesel), Joe Dempsey (Lt. Schrank), Jillian Endebrock (Pauline), Alejandro Fonseca (Indio), Joe Foust (Krupke), Samuel Owen Gardner (Snowboy), Allyson Graves (Graziella), Erin Kilmurray (Velma), Tiffany Krause (Clarice), James Lee (A-Rab), Ryan McBride (Action), Joe Musiel (Luis), Liam Quealy (Big Deal), Jorge O. Quintero-Troetsch (Pepe), Fernando Rodriguez (Toro), Elena Romanowski (Estella), Ashley Elizabeth Smith (Minnie), Jonny Stein (Baby John), Adrienne Storrs (Rosalia), Anthony Sullivan Jr. (Chino), Aaron Umsted (Juano).

Tom Vendafreddo (conductor), Kory Danielson (associate conductor), Brian Shannon, Matt Wifler, Jon Negus, Peter Brusen (woodwinds), Jonathan Saylor (bassoon), Victor Garcia, Larry Bowen (trumpet), Sharon Jones (French horn), Michael Joyce (trombone), Thomas Yang, Michael Shelton, Andrea Tolzmann (violin), Steven Houser (cello), Jeremy Attanaseo (bass), Scott Reed (guitars), Tom Hipskind (drum set), George Blanchet (percussion), Colin Welford, Tim Lenihan (keyboards)

behind the scenes

(director), William Carlos Angulo (choreographer), Tom Vendafreddo (music director), Kevin Depinet (scenic design), (lighting design), Adam Rosenthal (sound design), Theresa Ham (costume design), (projection design), Katie Cordts, (wig, make-up designer), Sarah Ross (properties director), Claudia Anderson (dialect coach), Ethan Deppe (keyboard programmer), Frank Honts (dramaturg), Roberto Rodriguez-Hammond (creative consultant), Geoff Josselson (NY casting director), R&D Choreography, Rick Gilbert and Victor Bayona (violence design), Erin Kilmurray (asst. choreographer), Kory Danielson (asst. music director, associate conductor), Deb Stevenson (orchestra contractor), Trent Stork (associate director), Amber Johnson (stage manager), Julia Zayas-Meléndez (assistant stage manager), Rose Marie Packer (production director), Kaylee Oost (company manager), Jason Piksher (Broadway technical director), Kelly Wilt (asst. Broadway technical director), Matt Guthier (costume shop manager), Alex Buholzer (lighting, sound & media supervisor), Jerome Robbins (original Broadway production director and choreographer), Liz Lauren (photos)

Tags: 16-0343, Aaron Patrick Craven, Aaron Umsted, Adam Rosenthal, Adrienne Storrs. Anthony Sullivan Jr., Alan Ball, Alejandro Fonseca, Alex Buholzer, Alexander Aguilar, Allyson Graves, Amber Johnson, Andrea Tolzmann, Arthur Laurents, Ashley Elizabeth Smith, Aubrey Adams, Brian Shannon, Brittany Amoroso, Chicago musical theater, Chicago Theater, Claudia Anderson, Colin Welford, Deb Stevenson, Elena Romanowski, Erin Kilmurray, Ethan Deppe, Fernando Rodriguez, Francesca Arostegui, Frank Honts, Geoff Josselson, George Blanchet, James Lee, Jason Piksher, Jeff Smith, Jeremy Attanaseo, Jerome Robbins, Jesse Klug, Jillian Endebrock, Jim Corti, Joe Dempsey, Joe Foust, Joe Musiel, John Leguizamo, John Olson, Jon Negus, Jonathan Saylor, Jonny Stein, Jorge O. Quintero-Troetsch, Julia Zayas-Melendez, Kasey Alfonso, Katie Cordts, Kaylee Oost, Kelly Wilt, Kevin Depinet, Kory Danielson, Larry Baldacci, Larry Bowen, Leonard Bernstein, Liam Quealy, Liz Lauren, Mary Antonini, Matt Guthier, Matt Wifler, Michael Joyce, Michael Shelton, Mike Tutaj, Paramount Theatre, Peter Brusen, post, R&D Choreography, Rick Gilbert, Roberto Rodriguez-Hammond, Rose Marie Packer, Ryan McBride, Samuel Owen Gardner, Sarah Ross, Scott Reed, Sharon Jones, SNL, Stephen Sondheim, Steven Houser, Theresa Ham, Thomas Yang, Tiffany Krause, Tim Lenihan, Tom Hipskind, Tom Vendafreddo, Trent Stork, Victor Bayona, Victor Garcia, Will Skrip, William Carlos Angulo, Zoe Nadal

Category: 2016 Reviews, John Olson, Leonard Bernstein, Musical, Paramount Theatre, Stephen Sondheim, Video, YouTube