In the midst of inaugural festivities, West Side Story concluded its 5 week run at the National Theater over the weekend. During the run, nearly every performance was sold out.West Side Story originally debuted in 1957 where it's violent scenes and social commentary atypical to musicals of the time shocked audiences. Despite the early controversy, West Side Story has risen to become a cornerstone of musical theater and a milestone in American culture. Director Arthur Laurents sought to display grittier and more authentic characters in the most recent portrayal of the show, which coincides with the production’s 50th anniversary as well as composer Leonard Bernstein’s 90th birthday. The largest departure from the original musical was the introduction of Spanish to several songs and pieces of dialogue by the Puerto Ricans.
Josefina Scaglione, originally from Argentina, displayed her operatic training as Maria, although Karen Olivo’s depiction of Anita nearly stole the show. GW professor David Sciannella provided an undeniably virtuosic performance on the lead trombone part along with the theater’s world class pit orchestra. The dance choreography was noticeably more physical than earlier renditions, complimented by more subtle additions such as various exchanges of obscene gestures between the Sharks and Jets. The most graphic scenes, most notably when Anita is nearly raped by a collection of Jets, elicited a tangible feeling of shock and fear from the audience. Masterful stagecraft, seamless transitions, and intense contrasts in color and brightness through light effects truly brought the show to life.
Having departed Washington, West Side Story will return to Broadway on February 9th.
-Joe Lewis
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