By Ruth Ross
Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents may have written West Side Story back in 1957, but its driving rhythms, energetic dancing and beautiful melodies remain fresh today. And it is a testament to the mega-talent of the New Jersey Youth Theatre singers and dancers that we care about these characters and events in a way we would not expect to feel about young men who are, essentially, hoodlums and their girls waging race war on the streets of New York.
Yes, the gang members today are older and more violent, but the juvenile delinquents who made up the gangs of New York were every bit as terrifying then as the Crips and Bloods are now to urban dwellers. Unfortunately, the themes of prejudice and hatred continue to resonate today in inner cities here and abroad. (Left: Miguel Urbino, Lawrence Dandridge, and Derek Colon—Shark trio in the Prologue)
The basic story of West Side Story is Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet translated to the streets of New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen of the 1950's with Montague-Capulet strife replaced by gang warfare: the Puerto Rican Sharks vs. the white Polish-American Jets. Caught in the crossfire of hatred are Tony, a former Jet, and Maria, sister of the Shark leader Bernardo. We watch their forbidden love grow and root for the couple as they dream of finding “A Place for Us” where they can live in peace. Like its model, West Side Story doesn’t end on a hopeful note; Maria’s anguished cry at the end chillingly reverberates through the Bickford Theatre auditorium. It’s a sobering moment and great theater in the most classic dramatic sense.
From the first strains of the orchestra and some snapping fingers, the entire stage explodes in a whirlwind of movement. It is a marvel of synchronization, as is “The Dance at the Gym” (right) with its mélange of dance styles and rhythms. The male dancers portraying the Jets and Sharks leap across the stage as they engage in mock combat, and their girls shake their skirts and move in intricate formations at the Mambo competition at the dance in the gym. Choreographer Sherry Alban has provided these young performers with challenging dances very reminiscent of the originals choreographed by the great Jerome Robbins, and they perform with great energy and skill.
Director Cynthia Meryl keeps the action on the money; scene changes were effected smoothly and effortlessly by the cast via rolling scaffolds, tables and chairs, a bed and dressmaker forms. And the orchestra directed by Gonzalo Valencia provided remarkable accompaniment for the singers and dancers; Leonard Bernstein's music is notoriously difficult to play, and these young musicians rose to the challenge. They sounded like a Broadway orchestra!
The huge cast is to be commended for their ability to perform as an ensemble. Every one of them turned in a top-notch performance, but several deserve to be singled out for excellence. Of the Jets, Ben Chavez (Riff, left, center) and Travis Przybylski (Action, left, second from right) are especially fine; the former, for his voice and the way he puts across a song, and the latter for his voice and lithe dancing ability, given his height and physique. Of the Sharks, the wiry, tall Lawrence Dandridge is appropriately menacing and outraged that his sister would even look at a Jet. The rest of the gang members were also terrific. They moved well in the complicated dances and gave good vocal support to Riff and Bernardo.
Taylor Feldman as Graziella, Riff's girl, commanded the stage whenever she appeared, whether it is in the dance at the gym or the ballet sequence that accompanies "Somewhere." As Maria’s friend and Bernardo's love Anita, Julia Silva (right) is a real firecracker in “America,” and her duet with Maria, “I Have a Love,” is very poignant, considering what happens to that love. In the two main roles, Alex Corson as Tony and Angelica Staikos as Maria (below) are riveting. Both have magnificent singing voices, and the romantic chemistry between them is palpable. Silva and Staikos get the Puerto Rican accent just right, without sounding like caricatures. As Tony, 
Corson's earnest desire to distance himself from the Jets makes his involvement in the rumble even more touching. Staikos and Corson were especially heartbreaking singing “One Hand, One Heart;” I even found myself wiping away tears.
The adult roles are also played well. As Lt. Shrank Joe Schrank, Jonathan Wells was excellent; his imperious manner and his own prejudices made him part of the problem instead of part of the solution. Sam Rosalsky's Doc was appropriately ineffectual and frustrated in the face of raging teenage hormones
This frenetic action occurs on a set designed by Steven Mitchell, complete with a fire escape, a soda fountain and a chain link fence. Deborah J. Caney has provided costumes appropriate to the period (the 1950's) and to the different cultures. The Sharks' girls wear brighter colors than the Jets' women. Jay Ryan's lighting and Jay Spriggs' sound convey the urban environment and the passage of time very well.
The perfect blend of book, music, lyrics, staging and dancing, West Side Story is the epitome of American musical theater. The added tragedy of Tony and Maria reminds us that, despite improved communication between people, despite the interest in multi-culturalism and political correctness, sectarian strife continues to leave tragedy in its wake. And it all stems from, as one character puts it, fear.
West Side Story will be performed at the Bickford Theatre, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, through July 28, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM; Friday at 1 PM; and Sunday at 2 PM. Tickets are $32 (members and seniors), $35 nonmembers, $20 students 18 and under with IDs; and $28 for groups of 10 or more. For information and tickets, visit http://www.morrismuseum.org/main-stage-performances/ or call 973.971.3706.
The production moves to the Sitnik Theatre at Centenary College in Hackettstown, where it runs August 2-11, with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 PM, and matinees on Sundays at 2 PM and Thursday, August 8, at 12:30 PM and an evening performance at 7:30 PM. Tickets for NJYT’s West Side Story are $18.50 to $28 in advance and $23.50 to $33 for day of purchases, with discounts for seniors, students, and children under 12. Contact the CSC Box Office for GROUP rates available for the Thursday talk-back matinee at $16 and other show dates for $24 for adults and $18 for youth 17 and under. Tickets may also be purchased using the Secure Online Ticketing, or by calling the box office at 908.979.0900.
