Palace High School Gets "Cool" with West Side Story!

 

    

      The Palace High School's production of West Side Story, directed by Mrs. Kathleen Marshall, was performed last night with such terrific zest!  As soon as the young cast appeared on stage, it was obvious you were in for two and half hours of pure, delectable fun.  It was adorable how the two groups danced the difficult choreography of the great Jerome Robbins, while at the same time pretending to hate each other.  It was obvious that the two months of rehearsal after school paid off.  Sophomore Matt Cavenaugh did such a nice job with his sweet-voiced Tony.  It was very smart of Mrs. Marshall, Palace School's Theater Arts director, to give him no movement during "Maria."  It reminded us of all the times we've seen him in his voice recitals singing "This is the Moment" and "Anthem."  Who doesn't love being reminded of that?  Other highlights included Karen Olivo, now a senior, stepping back from playing the lead in last year's production of Bye Bye, Birdie, to playing the show-stealing supporting lead of Anita.  Also featured was George Akram, finally stepping out of the chorus during his junior year, as Bernardo.  But the true highlight was our exchange student Josefina Scaglione, playing the sweet Maria.  She simply stole the show whenever she held out those nice notes written by the great Leonard Bernstein.  If only Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents were able to see this!  They would have been so proud to know that there are still high school theater programs that can handle their challenging work.  There are still a few more nights to catch West Side Story.  Tickets are only $7 at the door, but $6 if you are a student or if you buy them in advance!  See you at the theater!  

     I'm so sorry.  I got confused.  I knew I wanted to write a review of the production of West Side Story at the Palace Theater in New York, but I got confused as to what I was actually watching.  Now that I've come back to my senses and I remember that I was not at a high school production last night, here is my review of the highly anticipated Broadway Revival of West Side Story.  

    When the original production of West Side Story opened in 1957, audiences were terrified.   The first line of the New York Times review stated that play was "horrifying."  I would say the same thing about this production, but I doubt for the same reason.  What horrified me was the lack of conviction in any of the movements originally created by the legendary Jerome Robbins.  Instead of providing the exposition information about the hatred between rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks, this cast simply danced.  Granted, they danced well.  If I was watching a high school dance recital, I would have been blown away.  But I wasn't.  I was watching professional Broadway dancers and actors performing West Side Story.  With no sense of intensity or drive, these young (and I mean young) performers executed timeless choreography without giving a shred of the timeless story behind the moves.   

    

    Rumors flew when 91-year-old Arthur Laurents (writer of the book) announced his plan to revive the musical after his hit production of Gypsy, for which he also wrote the book.  The two big rumors were that he planned on having the Puerto Ricans speak Spanish and that it would be a contemporary, updated version.  Both had the theater world curious what the theater icon had up his sleeve.  Though the idea of updating the show went out the window, someone forgot to tell the actors who carried themselves as if they were hanging outside the mall in North Jersey on a Friday night.  While "giving the finger" has been a gesture since the ancient Romans, I am pretty sure that it was not the most popular gesture circa 1957 (please feel free to correct me if I am wrong).  I counted about fifteen can only hope there are directors more deserving of a Tony this year.   

    As for the other rumor, Laurents did have the dialogue of the Sharks translated into Spanish, which was both distracting and effective.  While I know the show inside and out, I felt that some people were lost, especially in Act II.  It also did not help to put the English translations of "I Feel Pretty" and "A Boy Like That" in the program, causing multiple people to have to open their cell phones to provide reading light.  However, at times, it helped show the struggle of living in America for these characters and demonstrated the ethnic tension.  Was it worth it?  Probably not.  

    While it's hard to accept the love-at-first-sight scenario, audiences have learned to accept it for years.  But one of the reasons it usually works in West Side Story is the obviousness of Maria's attraction to Tony.  He's just a great guy.  Who would not want to be with him?  Well, in this production, it would probably be because Maria wants a man and not a boy.  Matt Cavenough, from Grey Gardens, performs the leading male as a youthful sissy who would be more appropriate as Freddy in My Fair Lady.  Tony should be a man who strongly announces that "Something's Coming" and that he is in love with a girl named "Maria."  Mr. Cavenaugh seemed like he was calling Mr. Hankle requesting to speak to Penelope Ann (theater people know the reference).  It did not help that Mr. Laurents gave him absolutely no movement for either song.  The first was done on a ladder and the second was done downstage, just off center.  In fact, a good majority of the action happened downstage, practically on top of the floor lights.  I'm pretty sure that Mr. Laurents knows that there is some power upstage.  It's not just for the chorus people.   

    Karen Olivo of In the Heights fame played the role of Anita.  While I did not see In the Heights, I am going to assume that Ms. Olivo simply took her role in that and brought it to this show of a completely different generation.  Olivo seemed completely out of place and did not provide any of the spitfire attitude that Anita requires to make her lovable.  It did not help that I could not understand a word that she said most of the time.  There were moments were I assumed that she was speaking Spanish, but I later found out I was incorrect.  One must wonder what has happened to Broadway when we've gone from Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno to a one-hit wonder such as Karen Olivo.  What is sadder is that she is the front-runner for the Best Featured Actress Tony Award.  

    Ms. Olivo was not the only one who was hard to understand.  The cast sped through the dialogue as if the half-priced appetizers ended at 10:00, rather than started.  There was not a sensitive moment sustained throughout the whole production, ending with Maria's monologue of murder and hatred where Ms. Scaglione held the gun to the temple of Action (a 2009 skinhead who I assume had a Nazi sign tattooed on his back).  Eventually, Maria finished her speedy monologue while holding the gun to the back of Action's head execution style.  Further, her reason for dropping the gun was not so much her realization of the rage inside her, but the fact that Lt. Shrank appeared and would have seen her eventually shoot the young, hatred-filled gang member.  Once she was back crying over the body of doomed Tony, the curtain could not have come down faster, eliminating any sense that these gang members learned the lesson that was taught to them.  

    Many moments have been left out of this review, but I feel I have said enough.  Of course, I can't help but mention the attempt at youthful symbolism when the creepy red-headed kid who lurked in the background sang "Somewhere," then disappeared.  While the idea that their childhood has been destroyed (I would think a lot earlier than this play) is a pathetic tug at our heartstrings, Nicholas Barasch did have the nicest voice in the production.  But why listen to a little boy sing "Somewhere" when I already listened to a little boy sing "Maria"?    

    I leave you with one question:  How easy is it to get a standing ovation on Broadway nowadays?  Especially on a Friday night  Well, this production left the audiences in their seats for the entirety of curtain call, which was also rushed.  I hope the cast enjoyed their potato skins more than we enjoyed West Side Story.