BWW Previews: WEST SIDE STORY at Dos Pueblos High School

The beloved and moving musical, West Side Story, is coming to the stage at Dos Pueblos High School. West Side Story's tale of two star-crossed lovers, Maria, a Puerto Rican immigrant, and Tony, a New York City native and member of the Jets gang, includes well-loved songs like "Maria," "America," and "Somewhere."

West Side Story re-tells Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in modern musical form. Like Shakespeare's poignant drama, West Side Story is fundamentally a story of young love. Its thematic focus on strife between rival groups, one immigrant and one native, resonates with America's current, widely-acknowledged cultural divisions.

I spoke with the show's director, Clark Sayre, who identified West Side Story's pertinence to today's world as a reason for selecting it this year. Fortuitously, performers at the school had the vocal ranges to match Leonard Bernstein's technically demanding score. In addition to the vocal virtuosity of Tony (Nolan Montgomery), Maria (Neveah Harrington), Bernardo (Isaac Hernandez) and Anita (Klarissa Neumann), the show requires a multitude of performers to sing, dance, and act as the Jets, Sharks, and adult authority figures.

To open up musical theater to more students on campus, Sayre reached out to many for whom theater productions are not on the radar. This effort encouraged participation from students who more accurately match the cultural make-up of Dos Pueblos High School. With a diverse cast, the production respects the musical's characters who are people of color. All in all, there are around fifty members in the cast--"the most diverse cast in the school's history." A commensurately extensive orchestra will perform the score's richly textured and powerful sound.

Cast member Maya Samarasena sums up the spirit of the production: "I'm so proud to be a part of such an enlightening show that calls attention to the many social conflicts faced by young people yesterday and today." Having seen and heard many of these talented students previously, this production ofWest Side Story promises to delight and move audiences.

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