BWW Reviews: Spanish Refreshes WEST SIDE STORY But Takes Away Nostalgia During National Tour at Hobby Center

The Jets and the Sharks have taken their turf war to the stage of Houston's Hobby Center in the US National Tour of the 2009 Broadway Revival version of West Side Story. West Side Story is a remarkable collaboration of two theatre geniuses: Leonard Bernstein who composed the score and Stephen Sondheim who wrote the lyrics. But this revived production is a sharp departure from the original musical which opened at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre back in 1957.

Simply stated, West Side Story is a modern version of Romeo and Juliet with dueling families replaced by American and Puerto Rican gangs, guns and switch blades replacing swords and the protagonists are named Tony and Maria.

When the show's book writer, Arthur Laurents, conceived the 2009 Broadway revival, he aimed to make the show grittier pushing the boundaries beyond what was acceptable in 1957. Thus Laurents and Sondheim sought the assistance of In the Heights composer Lin-Manuel Miranda to translate portions of the lyrics and lines into Spanish. Additional direction changes and small details were also tweaked to emphasize the violent tendencies of the two gangs further isolating Tony and Maria in their own idealistic world.

Throughout the first Act, I found the addition of Spanish lyrics and lines to be a successul adjustment breathing new life into the well-known musical. The small changes in expected lyrics caught my attention feeling refreshing as if I was seeing the musical for the first time. The Spanish is also intermixed with English such that no meaning is lost when the foreign words are spoken. Of course, Spanish also helps make the story more authentic as the Pureto Rican gang (The Sharks) would have talked to each other their native tongue.

However, Act II is a different story.

West Side Story was the first professionally produced musical I saw way back in Elementary school with my father, making the American theatre classic nostalgic for me. So when Maria broke out nearly the entire song "I Feel Pretty" in Spanish (or now "Me Siento Hermosa"), I couldn't help but feel betrayed. What had they done to the song? For me, drastically changing the iconic lyrics was crossing a line and more than I was willing to accept.

The second Act continues with Spanish coming fast and furious. Nearly entire conversations occur in Spanish to the point I felt I didn't always know what they were saying. Unfortunately, if you don't know the show well (and are not fluent in Spanish) I'm not sure the meaning of every Spanish conversation can be inferred.

In my mind, West Side Story and A Chorus Line share a bond as significant aspects of both plots are conveyed through dance. This National Tour production maintains the tradition of phenomenal dancing that is guaranteed to delight from the first finger snap of the Jet's gang leader Riff in the Prologue. My favorite part of West Side Story has always been the "dance fighting" between the gangs and the choreography is fantastically executed with high jumps, exciting acrobatics and a clever mix between dance and fighting motions. The ballet sequence during "There's a Place For Us" is also breathtaking.

Of course the dancing would not be as powerful it wasn't accompanied by Bernstein's brilliant score. But what struck me during the opening night's performance was how powerful the effect of ending the show in silence really is after two hours of brilliant music. Sometimes rests are truly the most effective musical note.

Along with dancing, the other standout of the production is the performance by Kyle Harris as Tony. A Broadway alumni from Sondheim on Sondheim, Harris sings with incredible emotion. I was impressed by his remarkable restraint and mastery of dynamics especially in the powerful delivery of "Something's Coming." Harris also pulls you in with boyish charms as he woos Maria played by Ali Ewoldt.

Ewoldt, who played Cosette in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables, is a spunky Maria and a delight to watch on stage - especially during the comedic direction of "I Feel Pretty". However her tone was too tight for my taste and prevents Harris and Ewoldt from ever achieving a great vocal blend.

Having been indoctrinated with Karen Olivo's version of "America" that seems to be featured in every Broadway-themed special recently on television, I felt Michelle Aravena's performance as Anita (the head gal of the Shark gang) does not measure up. Aravena (A Chorus Line, Jersey Boys) was also the only lead I thought was not believable as a teenager and unfortunate hair styling certainly does not help. However, at the end of the show Aravena won me over with powerful acting when Anita confronts the Jets in the Drugstore.

With Berstein's beautiful melodies and Sondheim's clever lyrics, I was pleased this production had wonderfully balanced vocals with the orchestra which has seemed to be a growing problem with recent productions at the Hobby Center. However, I am becoming frustrated with resistance of Hobby Center audiences to sit themselves in their seats in time for the beginning of Act two. Be sure to get back to your seat in time so you can judge the Spanish version of "I feel Pretty" for yourself.

West Side Story plays at The Hobby Center for two weeks January 12-23, 2011. Tickets are available at www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/Houston or by calling 800-982-ARTS (2787).

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

 

 

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