It was almost a full house at the Betty Oliphant Theatre last Thursday for the opening night of the St. Michael’s College presentation of West Side Story, directed, choreographed, and designed by Shakir Haq. The much-anticipated production started slow with a lukewarm group dance number and powerless fight scene. I began to dread what would come next, but to my relief, the jitters wore off and the cast pulled through to make for a successful opening night.
The opening choreography was messily performed by both the Jet and the Shark boys, as steps were off-time and unclean, but they improved as the play went on. In “Jet Song,” Bruce Scavuzzo, who played gang leader Riff, showed great vocal and acting ability while staying true to his character (he even had to bleach his hair blond for the part). Alex Morrow, who played Tony, co-founder of the Jets, sometimes failed to reach those hard-to-hit high notes, but his talent and charm always prevailed, winning over not only the heart of his enemy’s sister, but of the audience as well. The voice of Amanda Indovina as the young Maria was often overpowered in Act I, but a simple microphone adjustment during intermission allowed for her to steal the show in Act II; her incredible vocal range and multi-dimensional personality was impossible to miss. Sharing the stage with Arianna Benincasa, who played Anita, in “A Boy Like That/I Have A Love,” the duo shared great chemistry. Both Maria and Anita eventually dropped their guards and conveyed real emotion, which continued on in the powerful “Taunting Scence” and “Finale.”
The set design throughout the show was very student-budget (read: minimal), but still managed to create an effect. The crate-box stacks were simple yet creatively incorporated in choreography, and I heard an “aww” from every female in the audience when the rack of dresses was lowered down to the stage.
Even though the Romeo and Juliet–inspired musical focuses on social problems and deals heavily with the themes of violence, death, and the hardships of love, the cast was able to explore West Side Story’s lighter side. The timing and personality behind comedic dialogue and lyrics were especially evident in the scenes “America,” “Officer Krukpe,” and “I Feel Pretty.” These scenes gave the supporting roles a chance to shine: Action (Colin Asunction), Rosalia (Carry Quigley), and Consuela (Hannah Rogal) definitely stood out among their gangs. Furthermore, the segregation between the gangs was shown convincingly through use of costumes, hair, and make-up along with consistent and realistic accents.
For such a long performance, I was impressed at the cast’s level of memorization: there were a few minor slips here and there, but no catastrophic mind-blanks. The only real problems were technical, ranging from mic’s cutting in and out to mic packs flying off of the characters. These setbacks were distracting at the time, but corrected as quickly and professionally as possible.
High praise belongs to music director Anastasia Tchernikova. Her live orchestra brought the show to life, producing a fun and sophisticated adaption of the original Broadway musical. All in all, the night was filled with music, dance, action, laughter, and tears. Having only had a few months to put the show together, and overcoming technical glitches on opening night, it’s a thumbs up for West Side.
