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Contact: james@jamesbeaudry.com
There is at least one production of WEST SIDE STORY
playing somewhere nearby every couple of years, and they
tend to have a few things in common. Sometimes, in fact, I
think when I’ve seen one I’ve really seen them all.
There is an unfortunate tendency for the Sharks and Jets to
be so pretty that you’d expect them to cancel their rumble
for fear of breaking a nail. There is a tall, generically
handsome Tony and a pretty Maria who usually does not
look or sound remotely Puerto Rican – both of whom have
those lovely voices that sometimes make the show sound
like a concert. There’s the Jerome Robbins choreography –
which was groundbreaking 50 years ago, but which I frankly
do not care for – and a Latina Anita who gets to do virtually
all the heavy lifting, ethnically speaking.
Those of you who have wearied of the same old WEST SIDE
STORY might just want to take a look at this one, because
there are plenty of differences here – virtually all of which
are improvements.
Danny Henning makes a slight, even slightly goofy Tony,
lending the role a gentle, almost angelic, sweetness that is
rarely found in a romantic lead. His vocals are nice – pretty
and emotional rather than grand – and he delivers them with
authentic feeling. When he’s not singing, he is just as
believable, delivering every line as though the words were
his own, and making the kind of connection with Colleen
Johnson’s Maria that is rare in almost any show.
Johnson gives her role a genuine innocence and a real
accent, playing an actual Maria rather than a stock ingenue.
Her singing also sounds really good... She and Henning
both actually sound amazing, but she emotes every lyric and
every line with such heartfelt directness, she ends up giving
a truly realistic performance.
The Johnson-Henning scenes, especially those surrounding
"One Hand, One Heart" and "Somewhere," are laden with
emotional richness that is a palpable thing. The latter
number – which is often delivered upstage on a platform
and in a very presentational style – is done completely down
center, just three feet or so from the front row. The impact of
this in-your-face staging, at least when acted so incredibly
well by these fantastic performers, is simply profound. We
can see their Tony and Maria clutching at each other in grief
and love, locked together and tearful, and every single
facial nuance is right in front of us. Director James Beaudry
took a fantastic risk by allowing the audience this kind of
intimacy, but Johnson and Henning come through for him in
amazing ways.
Other breaks with tradition include gang members (and their
"girls") that look like they could actually be part of ethnic
street gangs in 1957, a bullish Bernardo (Michael J. Yarnell)
who practically oozes machismo from every brooding pore,
and a Doc (Robert Maher) who isn’t so overtly kindly that
you have the urge to slap him. All these changes are also
improvements, and they help make the story engrossing ina
way it has never been for me.
Of course, some things are the same, too.
Shannon Boland makes a great Anita, who is plenty Latina
and smokin’ hot, and that is one thing I’m glad Beaudry kept
as a traditional element. Boland’s singing and dancing and
accented English are all dead-on, and she really knows how
to work a red dress and a pair of heels.
Another element that has not changed is much of the
choreography... Beaudry and Zachary Gray have adapted
the original dances without losing the signature style, and
the company does it well. Any small amount of precision that
is missing only reinforces the realistic presentation of so
much of the rest of the show.
Though I didn’t really want to see another WEST SIDE
STORY – which I didn’t, actually, since this project is a new
take on the classic musical – I am certainly glad to have
experienced the Timber Lake Playhouse production.
With only a few performances left, this WEST SIDE STORY
is well worth making sure you get to see it.
© 2008 – rubynancy.com
playing somewhere nearby every couple of years, and they
tend to have a few things in common. Sometimes, in fact, I
think when I’ve seen one I’ve really seen them all.
There is an unfortunate tendency for the Sharks and Jets to
be so pretty that you’d expect them to cancel their rumble
for fear of breaking a nail. There is a tall, generically
handsome Tony and a pretty Maria who usually does not
look or sound remotely Puerto Rican – both of whom have
those lovely voices that sometimes make the show sound
like a concert. There’s the Jerome Robbins choreography –
which was groundbreaking 50 years ago, but which I frankly
do not care for – and a Latina Anita who gets to do virtually
all the heavy lifting, ethnically speaking.
Those of you who have wearied of the same old WEST SIDE
STORY might just want to take a look at this one, because
there are plenty of differences here – virtually all of which
are improvements.
Danny Henning makes a slight, even slightly goofy Tony,
lending the role a gentle, almost angelic, sweetness that is
rarely found in a romantic lead. His vocals are nice – pretty
and emotional rather than grand – and he delivers them with
authentic feeling. When he’s not singing, he is just as
believable, delivering every line as though the words were
his own, and making the kind of connection with Colleen
Johnson’s Maria that is rare in almost any show.
Johnson gives her role a genuine innocence and a real
accent, playing an actual Maria rather than a stock ingenue.
Her singing also sounds really good... She and Henning
both actually sound amazing, but she emotes every lyric and
every line with such heartfelt directness, she ends up giving
a truly realistic performance.
The Johnson-Henning scenes, especially those surrounding
"One Hand, One Heart" and "Somewhere," are laden with
emotional richness that is a palpable thing. The latter
number – which is often delivered upstage on a platform
and in a very presentational style – is done completely down
center, just three feet or so from the front row. The impact of
this in-your-face staging, at least when acted so incredibly
well by these fantastic performers, is simply profound. We
can see their Tony and Maria clutching at each other in grief
and love, locked together and tearful, and every single
facial nuance is right in front of us. Director James Beaudry
took a fantastic risk by allowing the audience this kind of
intimacy, but Johnson and Henning come through for him in
amazing ways.
Other breaks with tradition include gang members (and their
"girls") that look like they could actually be part of ethnic
street gangs in 1957, a bullish Bernardo (Michael J. Yarnell)
who practically oozes machismo from every brooding pore,
and a Doc (Robert Maher) who isn’t so overtly kindly that
you have the urge to slap him. All these changes are also
improvements, and they help make the story engrossing ina
way it has never been for me.
Of course, some things are the same, too.
Shannon Boland makes a great Anita, who is plenty Latina
and smokin’ hot, and that is one thing I’m glad Beaudry kept
as a traditional element. Boland’s singing and dancing and
accented English are all dead-on, and she really knows how
to work a red dress and a pair of heels.
Another element that has not changed is much of the
choreography... Beaudry and Zachary Gray have adapted
the original dances without losing the signature style, and
the company does it well. Any small amount of precision that
is missing only reinforces the realistic presentation of so
much of the rest of the show.
Though I didn’t really want to see another WEST SIDE
STORY – which I didn’t, actually, since this project is a new
take on the classic musical – I am certainly glad to have
experienced the Timber Lake Playhouse production.
With only a few performances left, this WEST SIDE STORY
is well worth making sure you get to see it.
© 2008 – rubynancy.com
Finally, A 'STORY' That Deserves To Be Told by Ruby Nancy
West Side Story, 2008
“…a fascinatingly manipulative mindgame that's
reminiscent of the work of Edward Albee; each of
the men, though craving connection, is hiding bits
of himself. Music direction by Adam Wachter and
Direction by James Beaudry are both excellent.”
--Duncan Pfalster, broadwayworld.com
reminiscent of the work of Edward Albee; each of
the men, though craving connection, is hiding bits
of himself. Music direction by Adam Wachter and
Direction by James Beaudry are both excellent.”
--Duncan Pfalster, broadwayworld.com