REVIEW:

‘West Side Story’: The story, you’d recognize; the music — maybe not

By Joe Brown (contact)

Monday, July 13, 2009 | 2 a.m.

West Side Story

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What: “West Side Story”

When: 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday through July 25

Where: Spring Mountain Ranch State Park

Admission: $10 advance, $15 at the gate; 895-2787, www.supersummertheatre.com

Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes, without intermission

Audience advisory: Don’t sit too close to the speakers; Web site says performances are sold out throughout the run

Super Summer Theatre

I cannot in good conscience recommend the Super Summer Theatre’s staging of “West Side Story” at Spring Mountain Ranch, even as an excuse to wiggle your bare toes in the damp grass and enjoy the cool breezes and starlight and snacks at 1950s prices.

There is famously a big rumble at the center of the genre-revolutionizing 1957 Broadway musical, and in this outdoor rendition, there are few survivors. Casualties include composer Leonard Bernstein; lyricist Stephen Sondheim is in critical condition. Original director/choreographer Jerome Robbins limps away nearly unscathed. Characters who escape the carnage include Maria, Anita, Riff and Bernardo. Sadly, good-guy Tony is DOA.

As Maria says when her hesitant suitor Chino returns from the fatal gang fight to deliver some very bad news, “It will be easier if you say it very fast.”

So I won’t belabor this review.

The real rumble onstage should be between the singers and the musicians. Some of Bernstein’s most beautiful melodies — most egregiously the gorgeous duet “One Hand, One Heart” — were rendered nearly unrecognizable at Thursday’s opening performance by an overloud, unbalanced eight-piece ensemble, dominated by cheesy synth-strings and blatting horns.

These songs are so familiar, almost American folk songs by now, yet they often sounded like they were being reinterpreted by Philip Glass, or by an edgy, Eastern European avant-garde electro-jazz combo. If the band was doing this on purpose, I might applaud them. But no.

This is about as conservative a staging as this musical is going to get. Producing director Terrence R. Williams capably keeps the story and characters straight and choreographer Evan Litt comes up with a creditable evocation of Robbins’ exuberantly athletic and expressive dances. The show comes to life in the ensemble dances: “Jet Song,” the competitive dance at the gym, the balletic battle of the rumble and the bitterly comic slapstick of “Gee, Officer Krupke.”

Among the hardworking 30-person cast, Jennifer De La Torre is a standout as Anita, sassily tart-tongued and a terrific dancer. Janay Bombino makes a sweet-voiced Maria, trilling innocently like a Disney princess.

As Tony, Eddie Gelhaus is miscast, singing with a limited, goaty quaver that doesn’t suit the yearning tone of “Something’s Coming” and “Maria.” Litt, the choreographer, who plays hotheaded gang member Riff, might have been a better choice.

The musical is staged without intermission, which makes for a long-seeming evening. Fortunately, there is plenty of natural diversion at Spring Mountain Ranch: I could look up at the starry sky and watch the progress of the nearly full moon hanging low.

But I could still hear.

Discussion: 4 comments so far…

By maybevegas

7/13/09 at 6:18 a.m.

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Sorry to hear you thought it was so bad. We attended Saturday night with another family and we all enjoyed the show.
By VegasVeniceDude

7/14/09 at 9:38 a.m.

Suggest removal

Agreed. The entire performance was really bad summer stock at best. We were at the Saturday night performance with several friends and half of us wanted to leave after the first number.

At first, I laughed because I thought it was a musical satire. Yes, it was that bad.

Leaving my iPod at home was an optimistic mistake I won't make again with a Spring Mountain Summer Theater program. The acting/singing was shrill and uninspired. The staging was like watching trapped mice search for an old scrap of Limburger cheese. And the set design was completely devoid of creativity. The actress who played Maria's friend Anita (Jennifer de la Torre) is the only performer who showed even a glint of talent and she should remove this gig from her resume immediately or this "WSS" will be the Titanic of her career.

"The Buddy Holly Story" in June was great, as was "1776" last year. But now we're looking at the August and September productions with much more trepidation.

Beautiful venue though.
By LasVegasOwl

7/15/09 at 4:55 p.m.

Suggest removal

I have to disagree....I saw WSS last week and am going back again later this week. The outdoor venue is amazingly beautiful and very suitable despite some problems with the sound system last week. An outdoor venue is always a challenge.

Enjoyed all of the cast members and their portrayals of the timeless characters in the show. When the show ended, I was honestly surprised that over two hours had already passed so quickly.

I thought the dream sequence was beautifully staged and that remains my favorite number in the show. An easy second favorite would be the dance at the gym.

The music is so wonderfully familiar that I'm glad they kept so close to the original, and I'm equally happy with the choreography following what I recall from the awesome New York production some time ago.

Jennifer de la Torre (Anita) shines among the female performers. And Eddie Gelhaus (Tony)gives us a glimpse into a layered Tony who is trying to make a break with his past and enjoy the American dream. His interaction with Janay Bombino (Maria) is hauntingly beautiful.

I wish the run were longer. I think the remaining shows are already sold out according to what I have read in the newspapers. If you can get tickets, go see it!
By Ds_Gentle_Master

7/21/09 at 1:43 p.m.

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Is there any question at all that LasVegasOwl is affiliated with this Spring Mountain Ranch production.

Too much "inside baseball" to go with a glowing review of what seems to be a high school musical.

You wish the "run were longer"? Um, if you are not in this unfortunate troupe -- why?