Review Roundup: WEST SIDE STORY, Starring Jeremy Jordan & Karen Olivo, at the Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl has enlisted some top Broadway talent for the Los Angeles Master Chorale's concert presentations of WEST SIDE STORY this summer. Conducted by Gustavo Dudamel last night, July 14, through July 19, the cast features Jeremy Jordan as Tony and Karen Olivo, who won a Tony Award for her take on the role in the 2009 Broadway revival, as Anita.

The company also includes Solea Pfeiffer as Maria, George Akramas Bernardo, Matthew James Thomas as Riff, Drew Foster as Action, Kyle Selig as Baby John, Anthony Chatmon II as A-rab, Jennifer Sanchez as Rosalia, Brit West as Francisca, Julia Bullock as A Girl, and Jeff Smith as Diesel.

The poignant, provocative and emotionally powerful musical, based on the conception by Jerome Robbins, with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, takes us back to the mid-1950s and New York's Upper West Side, where racial and social tensions run high. Hear many of Leonard Bernstein's most famous songs: "Maria," "America," "Somewhere" and "Tonight."

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Arya Roshanian, Variety: Presented with minimal staging and costumes, and expressively conducted by L.A. Phil artistic director Gustavo Dudamel, the focus was primarily on the music...In a cast that mixed both seasoned professionals and debut artists, Jeremy Jordan makes for an ideal Tony, with a dulcet timbre that adds sweetness to the role. Karen Olivo...also makes a strong impression, adding depth and complexity to her character. On the heels of her college graduation, Solea Pfeiffer makes an impressive debut as Maria. Given her youth, some of her vocal imperfections are forgivable, especially considering her vivid dramatic interpretation. She and Jordan are charming in their scenes together, though their vocal blending sounds a bit strident at times. The strongest singing of the evening belongs to Julia Bullock, who filled the summer air with magic with a showstopping rendition of the song "Somewhere."

Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times: Of "West Side Story's" many Broadway musical innovations, the least noticed may be the role of the conductor. In the first of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's two performances of Leonard Bernstein's complete score at the Hollywood Bowl Thursday night, Gustavo Dudamel was noticed...What makes Dudamel's approach uniquely compelling is that he sees both sides of the musical and the social issues...Dudamel selected, with one exceptional exception, a Broadway cast of young singers. His Maria...is now an overnight sensation, but I don't think she would have been without the obvious guidance of Dudamel...Karen Olivo and George Akram brought rare, raw authenticity to Anita and Bernardo. The Italian gang proved an agreeable bunch; Matthew James Thomas was a particularly likable Riff. Jeremy Jordan's Tony put his heart on his sleeve far more than I would have liked, but the crowd disagreed, and he did sing well. The one import from opera was Julia Bullock, who sang "Somewhere" and stopped the show in every way.

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