New ‘West Side Story’ lacks emotional explosion

New ‘West Side Story’ lacks emotional explosion

Strong lead performances in touring production cannot mask
non-effort of supporting cast members

By Jennifer Richmond

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Leonard Bernstein’s "West Side Story" can be a musical filled
with violence, passion and desire.

But not in this production.

None of these aspects could be found anywhere in the touring
show at the Pasadena Civic Tuesday night.

Tony, a member of the Jets, falls madly in love with Maria, the
sister of Tony’s sworn enemy Bernardo. Like "Romeo and Juliet,"
Tony and Maria must fight for their love and endure the
consequences of it.

Normally, their desire would give them the strength to battle
anything. The audience would be rooting for them all the way and
then feel heartbroken when their love is shattered in the last
scene.

But in Tuesday’s show, no one cares because the actors don’t
care. And by the time they do, it’s too late – they’ve lost the
audience for good (as was evident by the abundance of empty seats
after intermission).

The Prologue is the beginning of the fiasco. The original 1957
Prologue was described by Sheryl Flatow vividly in the program. She
said "the bodies started to move, first tentatively and then more
expansively, until the stage exploded with dance."

That explosion never takes place in the ’95 production. Maybe
the actors have done the show one time too many. The Prologue never
has the same kick one finds in the original or even in the movie.
The steps feel rehearsed, the actors look bored and the production
keeps this feel for the remainder of the first act.

The situation slightly improves very late in the first act with
Riff’s "Cool." The audience finally gets to see that these actors
aren’t just marionettes having their strings pulled; they really do
have a life of their own. This number proves to the audience that
the cast simply needed an hour to warm up.

Only Tony (Scott Carollo) and Maria (Marcy Harriell) show any
sort of spirit from the beginning. Their first meeting at the
school dance is genuine and their first kiss has all the gentle
tentativeness of a real first kiss. Carollo and Harriell really
make it seem like they’ve never met before, even though they
have.

Carollo and Harriell carry this emotion over into the heart-felt
"Maria" and "Tonight." So, this is where the cast has hidden their
emotion – they’ve given it all to Carollo and Harriell for his solo
and their duet. Too bad their benevolence left rag dolls to perform
the rest of the musical.

But even these two leads and their talented displays of
affection aren’t enough to save the production. Where Carollo and
Harriell show some glimmer of feeling, the other important
characters act like wet dish rags.

Both Jamie Gustis’ Riff and Vincent Zamora’s Bernardo
consistently feel as though they’re reading their lines. No matter
what the situation, lines are continuously uttered in a monotone
and with blank expressions. At times, it almost looks like a bad
school play with high-quality sets and costumes.

And Natascia Diaz, who is supposed to be a great talent because
she’s the daughter of opera singer Justino Diaz and has been
performing professionally since she was 9, showed no evidence of
her practiced background. Her big number "America" seriously lacked
the bite, both in song and dance, necessary to prove her devotion
to her new homeland.

There’s only one part of the show that’s worth anything and
that’s the finale. But for $50, it’s not worth the wait. Go rent
the movie instead. It’s cheaper and much, much better.

STAGE: "West Side Story." Music by Leonard Bernstein. Lyrics by
Stephen Sondheim. Book by Arthur Laurents. Running through Jan. 28
at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Performs Thursday – Saturday at 8
p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
TIX: $27.50-50. For more information, call: (213) 480-3232.

"West Side Story" plays at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium through
Jan. 28.

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