RISE on Broadway's current show at the Columbus Theatre is the classic
1957 musical "West Side Story". Based on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet",
the story is as fresh and meaningful to contemporary audiences as it was in
1591 for the original play as well as in the 1950's. The 1961 film version
won 10 Academy Awards including best movie of the year. Hatred and violence
can't solve problems they create new ones while love and understanding are
the solutions in real life as it is in both shows. The well known story of
the star-crossed lovers, Tony and Maria takes place in New York City. The
outside forces of friends, enemies, gang members and adults keep them from
fulfilling their dream of everlasting happiness due to hatred and bigotry.
This 39 member cast under the insightful direction of Laura Perez-Westfall
delivers the goods in a powerful and moving presentation with outstanding
acting, singing and dancing to propel the audience to their feet at the
show's conclusion. Who could ask for anything more!
Director Perez-Westfall takes Arthur Laurents well written script and
makes it soar in both the tragic and comic aspects of the show. Just when
you feel your heart is about to break in half, the script has a comic moment
to brighten things up. Laura cast the show perfectly from the major roles to
the minor ones She is helped in this huge task by music director Jonathan
D'Amico and his fifteen piece orchestra. (The violins are phenomenal in the
ballads while the horn and percussion section excel in the upbeat
numbers.) The Bernstein and Sondheim score is rendered beautifully by the
musicians and vocalists. D'Amico's attention to diction and vocal training
shines through and the lyrics are heard to the back of the theatre. The most
difficult number in this show is the "Tonight" quintet and Jonathan has the
Sharks, Jets, Anita, Tony and Maria pull it off with ease. One of the most
important parts of this show is the choreography and the audience isn't
disappointed here either. Choreographer Angela Mendez owner of local Rising
Stars Dance Academy, makes this cast dance its feet off with ballet, jazz
and modern dance. It is an exciting mix of the original Jerome Robbins
choreography with mambo, salsa and slapstick. Her dancing expertise is seen
in "Prologue", Dance at the Gym, with the whole cast doing fantastic
work) "Cool"," America" and the breathtaking "Somewhere" sung by Elizabeth
Luca. Another standout is the choreographed "Rumble" leading to the death of
two of the characters and the dance, fight and nightmare section of
"Somewhere". The mixture of the movements and the direction of the fight at
the end of Act 1 leave the audience stunned but begging for more good things
to follow. The blending of these three ingredients as well as a talented
cast make this a must see show.
The two leads are a couple of the best Tony and Maria's I have seen
including the movie version. The handsome blond haired Stephen Pare makes
Tony, a strong hero you can relate to from the first time you see
him. Tony's first number is usually a throw away song since it is not as
well known but Stephen makes "Something's Coming" just as important as
"Maria" and "Tonight". His majestic tenor voice soars to the top of the
scale with every note as clear and strong as the other. The other terrific
thing is that Stephen can act as well as he can sing. His acting prowess is
seen in these various situations: love at first sight, the ensuing exuberant
pure love, the horror of killing someone , the anguish of thinking your
loved one is dead and finally making your own death on stage believable.
Stephen handles all these transitions splendidly. The stunning
brunette, Elizabeth Luca as Maria is Stephen's equal in every way. From her
first scene in the dress shop she shows the audience the spunkiness of
Maria. Elizabeth makes Maria into a strong character who stands up for what
she believes in. This helps to bring the character to fruition, making her
better understood to the audience rather than the wimpy ones of past
productions. Elizabeth has a gorgeous soprano voice which soars to the
heights of perfection. She and Stephen have such great chemistry together
that you cry with her when Tony is killed. Her final confrontation with
Chino and the crowd show the devastating effects of gang violence and send
chills down your spine when she waves the gun at them as her dramatic words
ring true. Laura has Velma (Courtney Pritt, Riff's girlfriend put her arm
around her before she exits and then Baby John puts his arm around her
escorting her offstage as Liz sobs.) Their duets are just as wonderful
especially the fire escape duet "Tonight" where they capture the naïveté of
Tony and Maria, making everyone remember their first love and in "One Hand,
One Heart" where they pretend to get married despite their different
backgrounds. Elizabeth and the girls have fun in "I Feel Pretty" which shows
she can handle the comic moments, too. Elizabeth. Chandler Cross, Chantel
Venkataraman and Bethany Bergeron show off their dancing prowess in this
number. Two outstanding leads make this a very memorable show. Bravo!
These two leads are strongly supported by 37 other performers. Gang
leaders Riff (Timothy Crepeau who is graduating in May from Worcester State
College) and Bernardo (Marcus Rivers who was a contestant on "So You
Think You Can Dance? on TV) are excellently cast. (Boy, can both of them not
only dance but do flips and other athletic dance moves.) Both deliver
strong performances especially in the confrontation scenes and the fight
scene leading ultimately to their deaths. This scene is handled beautifully
and is believable to the audience in its realistic presentation. Tim does a
great job in "The Jet Song" with his gang members and "Cool" where he exerts
his control over them especially the hotheaded, Action who is always itching
for a fight. Tim and Steve also portray the best friends as close as
brothers relationship perfectly with their credo from "Womb to Tomb". Marcus
shows his dancing expertise in the Dance at the gym and the rumble. It's
hard to believe that this is one of his first roles in theatre. Anita is
played by Erica Pasel with a wonderful acting ability that makes the
spitfire girlfriend of Bernardo come to life. She handles the comic
"America" sung and danced with the girls with Bethany as the dumb Rosalia
who wants to return to San Juan. My favorite song, the dramatic "A Boy Like
That"/ "I Have a Love" duet with Maria. ("When love comes so strong, there
is no right or wrong" are Sondheim's powerful lyrics) Anita's anguish, hurt
and anger are displayed perfectly in "A Boy Like That" as well as in the
final drugstore scene where the Jets have turned into the depraved
characters they just sang about in "Officer Krupke" which is a gem of a song
sung by the Jets who are in perpetual motion during it. After Anita is
attacked she turns on them , showing her strength by telling them Maria is
dead. Erica handles this scene by delivering a topnotch performance leaving
the stage in triumph over the hoodlums. She also sings and dances up a storm
throughout the show.
The usually underwritten adult roles are delivered with the right amount
of conviction by Craig Leonard who plays the hard-ass cop, Lt. Shrank, Chuck
Cross as the foppish school teacher Glad Hand,( Providence school
superintendent Thomas Brady plays the role on March 27 and Providence Mayor
David Cicilline on April 3) Sam Hood as the hysterically funny Officer
Krupke and Shelly Whittle as Doc, the weak drugstore owner who finally
develops a backbone by throwing the gang out after they attack Anita and
slaps Tony into reality when he tells him Maria is dead. Shelly usually
plays comic roles but this time he delivers the goods in this dramatic
part! The fantastic singing and dancing Jets are played by Michael
Maio as Action who frightens the audience with his intensity and angry
outbursts, sings the lead in "Gee, Officer Krupke" where he tells the story
of his life in it. This song is a hoot! Cameron Marcotte plays Baby John,
the youngest gang member and plays the female social worker (complete with
kerchief and falsetto voice) Michael Ferron plays A-rab who plays the German
shrink, Connor Wright as Diesel who plays the judge, Nolan Burke as Big
Deal, Michael Campbell as Snowboy who plays Officer Krupke and Kristen Fagan
as Anybodys who plays the tomboy with a lot of grit and heart who rescues
Tony after the rumble. The Sharks are as impressive as the Jets in their
singing and dancing. The shy Chino who turns into a cold-blooded killer by
the end of the show is played by Jhomphy Ventura who I last reviewed in
"Assassins" at URI nine years ago and he is the stage combat captain. The
impressive set is by Pat Ferron and includes a replica of the West Side
Highway overpass. Costumes are by Sharon Cross, Ashley D'Amico and Amy
Elsbecker. The historic Columbus Theatre was built in 1926. Why bother to go
to New York to see the revival on Broadway when you have Broadway right here
in Providence. So for a superb rendition of this classic show, be sure to
catch "West Side Story" before it's too late.
WEST SIDE STORY ( 27 March to 5 April, 2009)
Rhode Island Stage Ensemble, The Columbus
Theatre, 270 Broadway, Providence, RI
