On July 20, 2015, the San Jose Mercury News (
visit link) reported the following review:
"Review: 'West Side Story' sparkles at City Lights Theater
By Randy McMullenrmcmullen@bayareanewsgroup.com
POSTED: 07/20/2015 10:48:41 AM PDT1 COMMENT| UPDATED: ABOUT A MONTH AGO
"West Side Story" is generally thought of as one of those "big" musicals, with its quintessentially tragic romance, songs of heart-pounding angst and beauty and sprawling dance numbers full of youthful bravado, combat and sexual release.
It is in every aspect a Great American Musical -- so it's got to be larger than life, right?
Maybe not. San Jose's plucky City Lights Theater Company is making a pretty compelling case that the classic 1957 musical adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" can be played in an intimate setting while retaining much of its impact. In some respects, the intimacy even heightens the effect. When teenage gang members declare they're ready for a game-changing rumble ("Jet Song"), they end up practically face to face with the audience, their beads of anxious sweat as visible as the row of ramshackle tenement buildings that defines their endangered turf.
A TOP DRAWER MUSICAL
Of course, it doesn't hurt that "West Side Story," which runs through Aug. 23, remains one of the best musicals ever written. Arthur Laurents' story, Leonard Bernstein's music and Stephen Sondheim's libretto are unparalleled for their blend of musical sophistication and beauty, teenage urgency and social commentary.
But give City Lights credit. Director Lisa Mallette and her cast of 26 seem not the least bit intimidated by the scope of the work and tackle it with a winning combination of exuberance and efficiency that reminds you that great songs, an iconic romance and pointless tragedy on any scale can thrill an audience.
The story unfolds as the Jets, a gang of older-generation New York City immigrants (Italian, Irish, Polish) are being challenged for their Upper West Side turf by newer immigrants, the Sharks (Puerto Rican). When Tony, a Jet, and Maria, a Shark girl, fall hard for each other, the racial animosities between the two gangs lurch into a series of violent tragedies that no one, especially the few adults in the picture, can prevent.
SUSAN MAH/CITY LIGHTS THEATERDanielle Mendoza, as Anita, one of the Shark girls, is a standout in City Lights Theater Company’s production of
SUSAN MAH/CITY LIGHTS THEATER Danielle Mendoza, as Anita, one of the Shark girls, is a standout in City Lights Theater Company's production of "West Side Story." ( Susan Mah )
Ron Gasparinetti's simple set -- a row of brick buildings at the back of the stage divided by a metal gate -- employs a handful of props to create all the locations. It's just evocative enough and, more importantly, leaves most of the stage open for the ensemble numbers. And as choreographed by Jennifer Gorgulho (dance) and Kit Wilder (fight), the bigger numbers fill every inch of the stage and at times seem eager to spill into the audience.
TONY MEETS MARIA
For the most part, the bigger numbers lose little of their noisy grandeur. The one exception is perhaps the big dance scene, in which the crowded stage robs the momentous from-across-the-room meeting between Tony and Maria of some of its impact.
As it is, the chemistry between Tony (Max Jennings) and Maria (Katherine Dela Cruz) seems more endearing than sizzling, but it's enough to make you root hard for this bubble of compassion amid a sea of fomenting hostility. Jennings makes Tony a strong, likable hero. His vocal range isn't spectacular, but he delivers the romantic goods in the crucial ballad "Tonight." Dela Cruz delightfully plays Maria as both feisty and romantic, and her impressive, almost operatic delivery takes over almost every number she's in.
The rest of the cast is really youthful. And that's a good thing. This is a tragedy about young Americans, after all, and Mallette, who is executive artistic director at City Lights, has assembled a group of performers who look every bit like the brash, scared, rebellious teenagers they are playing. In an intimate setting where every character is visible, that is a big plus.
SUPERB ACTING
And there are several talented standouts. Chief among them is Danielle Mendoza as Anita, the girlfriend of Sharks leader Bernardo (a stoic Nick Rodrigues). It's a wonderfully meaty role (Chita Rivera debuted it on Broadway; Rita Moreno won an Oscar for it in the 1961 film version), and Mendoza simply owns every aspect of it, capturing all the fear, rebellion, sass and wisdom of the pivotal character. She is absolutely mesmerizing in the role.
Also, Josiah Frampton is riveting as the cool, finger-snapping Jets leader Riff, and Sean Okuniewicz as Action, another Jet, is the perfect embodiment of cocked-and-loaded teen angst. His leaping, tumbling dance moves help make a showstopper out of the number "Gee, Officer Krupke," a darkly cynical take on adult attitudes toward troubled kids that, like all of "West Side Story," still seems years ahead of its time.
And with a production favoring energy and exuberance over polish, City Lights does it justice.
'WEST SIDE STORY'
By Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein and
Stephen Sondheim,
presented by City Lights Theater Company
Through: Aug. 23Where: City Lights Theater, 529 S. Second St., San Jose
Tickets: $17-$32;
408-295-4200, "