by Lizzie Albert - Montgomery Blair High School
November 17, 2005 - Montgomery Extra, p. 9
Put a bunch of surly teenage boys on the streets of Manhattan in the throes of gang warfare. Then add jazz sneakers and make them pirouette across the stage, and you've got "West Side Story," aptly performed by Winston Churchill High School last weekend."West Side Story" opened on Broadway in 1957 with a score by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and choreography by director Jerome Robbins. The story, loosely based on "Romeo and Juliet," traces the romance between Tony, a founder and ex-member of the Jets gang, and Maria, a Puerto Rican immigrant whose brother Bernardo is the leader of the Jets' rival gang, the Sharks.
Andi Voigtmann gave a sparkling performance as Maria, animated and believable as a girl on the cusp of womanhood longing for romance and excitement. Her inability to take her eyes (and often her hands) off Tony (Ben Hoffman) made the love story compelling and authentic. Hoffman sang beautifully.
Amy Tilles played Bernardo's girlfriend, Anita, with consistency and understated pathos. The talented Talia Gottlieb, as Jet wannabe Anybodys, was tough and fiery. Gottlieb raised the caliber of the Jets' group numbers with her precise and graceful dancing and, with Evan Howard, performed a beautiful pas de deux during the "Somewhere" dream ballet.
Throughout the play, the technique of spotlighting more gifted dancers helped to overcome imprecise dancing in the large ensemble numbers. The smaller group numbers, such as the Jets' comic song, "Officer Krupke," and the Shark girls' "America," were well staged and executed with great humor and precision. But some characterizations, though charming, seemed slightly too clean-cut for gang members.
The versatility of the simple set eliminated lengthy set changes. Makeup was occasionally a bit excessive, particularly after the rumble, and the stage crew was occasionally visible in the wings or during changes. The Winston Churchill Pit Orchestra played Leonard Bernstein's challenging score very well. The play's enduring popularity comes from its blend of jazzy dance numbers, provocative score and dignified treatment of powerful themes such as racism, love and loyalty. Churchill's production possessed all three elements in just the right proportions and featured a very gifted cast.
photo by Joel Richardson - The Washington Post
