The 2009 Tony nominations were announced this week, and West Side Story received four nods (for Musical Revival, Leading Actress, Featured Actress, and Lighting Design). It’s a modest haul, but nearly all of these nominations are well-deserved, and get to the heart of what makes this musical so enjoyable.
Compared with the original 1957 Broadway musical and its 1960 and 1980 revivals, this production of West Side Story is, according to director Arthur Laurents, supposed to be a meaner, more authentic depiction of American v. Puerto Rican gang wars on the once-gritty Upper West Side. It is, kind of: The Jets and Sharks certainly looked ripped, but many could only be so tough with boy-next-door features thinly veiled under fake, red-marker-like gash wounds. And while Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Spanish translations of selected songs and scenes didn’t take away from the show, it didn’t add much either (besides making me wish I took Spanish in high school).
For all these attempts to be realistic in its violence and dialogue, West Side Story still succeeds most as a soul-stirring love story. The undeniable chemistry between Tony (Matt Cavenaugh) and Maria (Josefina Scaglione), each with ties to rival gangs, breathes fresh life into this show, and combined with Leonard Bernstein’s timeless melodies and Stephen Sondheim’s witty lyrics, 2009’s West Side Story is able to achieve what all revivals should: Remind us why a masterpiece is worthy of being revived.
The innocence and idealism that Cavenaugh and Scaglione bring to their characters are what make Tony and Maria’s Romeo-and-Juliet romance look profoundly passionate and completely convincing onstage. It also helps, of course, that they look radiant together, and singing nose-to-nose on the balcony scene, they draw us like magnets into their intimate world. Scaglione’s Tony nomination is likely in recognition of her luminous, classically-tinged soprano and the light-hearted, ethereal, yet also subtly empowering quality she gives Maria.
An even more deserving Tony nominee, however, is Karen Olivo, hands-down the standout star of the entire production as Anita, the girlfriend of Maria’s brother Bernardo. Olivo’s Anita is a sassy, take-no-prisoners Latin mama, and when she commands the stage during “America,” I got (giddy) chills up and down my spine. It is an electrifying moment matched only by the zesty school gym dance-off in the beginning (phenomenally choreographed by Jerome Robbins, reproduced by Joey McKneely). Few moments onstage feel so iconic and classically Broadway as those pulsating trumpets blasting the West Side Story theme followed by everyone’s yell: “Mambo!”
That recognizable quality to the music is a testament to just how much Bernstein’s score of clashing harmonies and sweet lyricism have infiltrated pop culture. Even if you’ve never seen a single stage or film adaptation of West Side Story, you’re likely to say, “I had no idea this tune was from this show – but I know it!”
The only Tony nod I am perplexed about is the one for lighting design. Yes, the often dark, moody, atmospheric vibe of the show adds to the sense of a menacing, industrial backdrop for gang warfare. But is it remarkable? No. Likewise, the jagged and minimalist set is never particularly eye-catching, even if it does support the depiction of an environment that stigmatizes ethnic differences and breeds cyclical hate. (”You make this world lousy,” says Doc to a Jet in Act II. “We found it this way,” he replies.)
If West Side Story shows that there is sometimes no rhyme or reason to hatred, it also puts love on the other side of that coin. After Tony kills her brother, Maria tells Anita she still adores him. “When love comes so strong, there is no right or wrong,” they agree in song. Love can be just as illogical as hate, and it is this irrationality that drives the passion – and tragedy – so beautifully captured in West Side Story.
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West Side Story has an open-ended run at the Palace Theater ( 1564 Broadway, between 46th and 47th Streets). Tickets: $45-$120.
Last 5 posts by Pearl Chen
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