A Wonderfully Sweet West Side Story

West Side Story, The National Theatre, Washington D.C.

recommended beverage to go with this show:

a hot Toddy at a nearby bar. I have a cold.

The American classic West Side Story will re-open on Broadway sometime this year, but first the show scheduled a one-month run at the National Theatre in Washington, where the musical had its world premiere back in 1957. The show is nearing the end of its run here (it closes this Saturday) and it's been a spectacular one. The singing, choreography, and orchestra were exceptional. The costumes and set put you squarely in the 1950s in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The gangs were fierce, the ladies dainty--except Anita, who was one tough chica.

There were at least two artistic liberties that added so much to this production. There was quite a bit of Spanish interweaved throughout in both speech and song, most notably in the second act, when whole segments were in Spanish, including the song, "I Feel Pretty." It gave an authetntic feel to the story. Also in the second act, a little boy sang most of "Somewhere," which the cast continued, and Tony and Maria finished. To me, the little boy symbolized future generations hoping to live in peace, and I thought it was a wonderful touch.

This new production was directed by Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents and the choreography was reworked from the original by Tony Award-nominee Joey McKneely. This show was a fine adaptation of the original Bernstein-Sondheim classic.