Sixty years ago, a remarkable collaboration of composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim, book writer Arthur Laurents and director-choreographer Jerome Robbins, took William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet onto the gang-dominated streets of New York City. The result was an enduring work of the musical theater, West Side Story, which kicked off the new year at Boca Raton’s Wick Theatre this week.
While the production’s cast and creative team are young, many of them are longtime veterans of the show. Typical is director Charles South, who has staged, choreographed and appeared in five different productions, including two years with the international tour.
Still, South says, “There’s always more to explore, because the actors are different and their interpretation of the material is always different. So you’re always sort of starting from square one, entering into the realm of ‘West Side Story.’ The more time you spend on it, the more in-depth analysis you can have from the piece.”
MaryJoanna Grisso will play newly arrived Puerto Rican immigrant Maria, a role she had in the Broadway national tour. She estimates she has performed it 550 times. She will be reunited here with Thaddeus Pearson, playing her lover Tony, a role he too has played many times.
“I have never grown tired of this show,” says Grisso. “It’s a magnificent piece in every way – as a singer, as an actor, as a dancer. It is a huge, huge project. It is so, so hard, but so rewarding. It’s everything you want as a performer, but it’s also for me what I want as a human being because the message is so powerful.”
And then there is the production’s choreographer, Ryan VanDenBoom. He has never worked on West Side Story before, but it has long been on his bucket list. “I think as a dancer, number one, the way the dance moves the story forward is something that has always been interesting to me. And no matter where I’ve seen it done, no matter the production values, I think that there’s a timeless essence of this show that comes through.
“It is a very difficult piece,” concedes VanDenBoom. “The music is very difficult, we’re asking these dancers to do a lot of really difficult material. I think this show really pushes the envelope of what can be done onstage, collectively and collaboratively.”
For director South, this tale of the Puerto Rican Sharks versus the Anglo Jets has personal meaning. “I’m first generation. My mom was from El Salvador and my dad was born in Mexico. I totally am a Shark,” he says. “I resonate with that lifestyle, with immigration, coming to a land of opportunity, not being viewed on the same even kilter. I’ve been fortunate to not be exposed too much to racism, but there have been times I’ve been a victim of it.”
“For me, the theme that’s been coming up – and I think it’s a parallel to our political climate right now – a lot of people are living in fear,” chimes in VanDenBoom. “I think there are a lot of fearful characters in this show. It’s that fear that leads to the tragedy. But with that being said, there’s also a deep well of love in this show and the love is what pierces through the fear.”
South and VanDenBoom are longtime friends, who are actually sharing the direction and choreography chores. Explaining their process, VanDenBoom says, “We certainly took the Jerome Robbins palette at every corner we could, and then from there we went to the text, we went to the music and we extrapolated what would best fit the actors we have here.
Veteran theatergoers can rest assured that all the iconic dance moves are in the Wick show. “You’ll see them, absolutely,” says VanDenBoom. “Everything that we’ve come to know ‘West Side Story’ to be from a dance standpoint – and really from every standpoint – it’s all going to be present in this production.”
What will not be present is a live orchestra, for the Wick is reverting to recorded tracks for this symphonic score. “It is challenging to work with tracks,” concedes Grisso, “however, we have a genius musical director who can really tweak the recording to change the tempo, measure by measure. There’s pros and cons for both. The pro of tracks is that it is consistent every night. You don’t have a sour trumpet that kind of throws everybody off. The pro of a live orchestra is that you’re creating on the spot.”
South, VanDenBoom and Grisso all agree that West Side Story is the greatest musical ever written. The Wick audience concurs, making it the most requested show of this season.
“It’s a show that can touch anyone’s heart,” concludes Grisso. “A show that can make you reflect, make you feel. It’s very emotional.”
WEST SIDE STORY, The Wick Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Ave., Boca Raton. Now through Feb. 26. $75-$80. 561-995-2333.