WEST SIDE STORY
Asahi News Paper July 30th, 2009
“WEST SIDE STORY 50th Anniversary World Tour” has opened. Songs and dances performed by the young and energetic cast literally exploded on stage and were truly overwhelming proving the authenticity of this production. Moreover, I was totally impressed by the high level of perfection as a musical, having choreography, music and drama merged into one entity. Based on the opening night performance, I like to seek into the allure of this masterpiece.
The Supreme Performance Exploded on Stage
Unfading Excitement and Thrill Now Vividly Revived!
The Impact of Half a Century Ago
Still Sharply Touches Our heart Today
“Is this musical really created more than fifty years ago?” This is the first impression I had when I finished seeing the performance of “WEST SIDE STORY” this time.
In the West Side of New York City, there are two opposing gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. The Polish-Americans, the prior immigrants, and the emerging Puerto Rican immigrants come to hate each other because of the different skin colors and result in a tragedy. This tragic story still stabs deeply into our heart today. At the same time, reflecting upon the current state of the world where ethnic conflicts are still incessantly taking place, I felt terrified.
In the dark, finger-snaps by the boys ring through. The spectacular “Prologue” depicting the conflict of the Jets and the Sharks solely by dance leads to the meeting of the leading characters, Tony and Maria, and they fall passionately in love overcoming the racial barriers. Then, tragic events begin to happen in a chain reaction and the story develops in a stroke up till the end. Though I know how it ends, I always feel the heightening of tension and find it breathtaking every time I see it, which I believe is the proof how great this piece of work is. I was assured that it is an incomparable masterpiece and the impact of the original production in 1957 has not been lost even today.
Everlasting Allure of Dynamic Dances and
Diversities of Musical Numbers
When we say “WEST SIDE STORY,” we think of the dances. The dances created by Jerome Robbins, the genius, sublimating raw emotions to perfection in a dance form are absolutely overwhelming. A number of his choreographies also known through its film version now even give a sense of stylized beauty. But on stage, they reveal dramatic qualities more clearly and strike us hard with the sense of reality. “To express emotion through dance,” the principle of Robbin’s choreography, is alive in each and every dance numbers. Especially the confrontation dances by the two groups combined with the elaborate and dynamic choreographies in the aforementioned “PROLOGUE” and “THE DANCE AT THE GYM” are both breathtakingly superb.
And the music. The first act is pretty much “Masterpieces on Parade.” “MARIA,” “TONIGHT,” “AMERICA,” and “COOL.” The genuine musical standards come one after another. The composer is, of course, Leonard Bernstein. From a passionate love ballad, the Latin music, modern-jazz type, to a-la-opera, the wide varieties of musical numbers speak eloquently of his extraordinary talent. I could not help but being enchanted by the gorgeous sound of clear-cut melody lines. At the opening night performance, each and every musical number received impassioned applause.
Shifting drastically from the first act where one is intoxicated with the music, the tragic drama starts rolling quickly in the second act. I find the way this drama is structured truly skillful. The dance, music and drama are superbly allocated.
The Young Cast Show Their True Ability
The Classic Revives in the Present
The cast members of “West Side Story 50th Anniversary World Tour” in Japan are young and unknown chosen by audition, yet surely did fight a good fight. “Reckless act owing to youth” being the essence of this musical, the current cast added the reality to it. Especially, Ali Ewoldt who played Maria shone with her agile acting. After her lover, Tony, got killed, she went on to face the final scene with a firm stance, which I found admirable. Also, bold and lively songs and dances presented by Oneika Phillip playing Anita, the lover of the Sharks’ leader, were spectacular. (Both Tony and Maria are double-cast.)
The choreographies by Jerome Robbins were faithfully recreated by Joey Mckneely, who also directed the show. By his precise directions, he gave more depth to the dances putting importance on the dramatic elements. However, he did not keep it as a mere replica of the original production. Instead, he added a modern taste into the set and the costumes, and ventured to eradicate the look of the 50’s, which I found quite unique. By
trimming off anything unnecessary, he emphasized the seriousness of the drama in a simplified way. His straightforward direction supported by the good and straightforward acting of the cast proved to be successful. The veteran conductor Donald Chan presented the excellent performance by the orchestra, handling the changes of speed freely and beautifully. In its magnificent sound existed the real thrill of a musical.
This summer, a number of musicals have been invited to perform in Japan one after another, but this one proves to be truly “the Classic.” A half century has passed, yet its majestic presence still outshines all others. And when you see it live on stage, you will fully realize that the true value of this musical can only be appreciated when seeing in a theatre. It is the origin of the musicals. Don’t you dare miss it.
Written by Kaoru Nakajima (Music Critic)
Asahi News Paper July 30th, 2009
“WEST SIDE STORY 50th Anniversary World Tour” has opened. Songs and dances performed by the young and energetic cast literally exploded on stage and were truly overwhelming proving the authenticity of this production. Moreover, I was totally impressed by the high level of perfection as a musical, having choreography, music and drama merged into one entity. Based on the opening night performance, I like to seek into the allure of this masterpiece.
The Supreme Performance Exploded on Stage
Unfading Excitement and Thrill Now Vividly Revived!
The Impact of Half a Century Ago
Still Sharply Touches Our heart Today
“Is this musical really created more than fifty years ago?” This is the first impression I had when I finished seeing the performance of “WEST SIDE STORY” this time.
In the West Side of New York City, there are two opposing gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. The Polish-Americans, the prior immigrants, and the emerging Puerto Rican immigrants come to hate each other because of the different skin colors and result in a tragedy. This tragic story still stabs deeply into our heart today. At the same time, reflecting upon the current state of the world where ethnic conflicts are still incessantly taking place, I felt terrified.
In the dark, finger-snaps by the boys ring through. The spectacular “Prologue” depicting the conflict of the Jets and the Sharks solely by dance leads to the meeting of the leading characters, Tony and Maria, and they fall passionately in love overcoming the racial barriers. Then, tragic events begin to happen in a chain reaction and the story develops in a stroke up till the end. Though I know how it ends, I always feel the heightening of tension and find it breathtaking every time I see it, which I believe is the proof how great this piece of work is. I was assured that it is an incomparable masterpiece and the impact of the original production in 1957 has not been lost even today.
Everlasting Allure of Dynamic Dances and
Diversities of Musical Numbers
When we say “WEST SIDE STORY,” we think of the dances. The dances created by Jerome Robbins, the genius, sublimating raw emotions to perfection in a dance form are absolutely overwhelming. A number of his choreographies also known through its film version now even give a sense of stylized beauty. But on stage, they reveal dramatic qualities more clearly and strike us hard with the sense of reality. “To express emotion through dance,” the principle of Robbin’s choreography, is alive in each and every dance numbers. Especially the confrontation dances by the two groups combined with the elaborate and dynamic choreographies in the aforementioned “PROLOGUE” and “THE DANCE AT THE GYM” are both breathtakingly superb.
And the music. The first act is pretty much “Masterpieces on Parade.” “MARIA,” “TONIGHT,” “AMERICA,” and “COOL.” The genuine musical standards come one after another. The composer is, of course, Leonard Bernstein. From a passionate love ballad, the Latin music, modern-jazz type, to a-la-opera, the wide varieties of musical numbers speak eloquently of his extraordinary talent. I could not help but being enchanted by the gorgeous sound of clear-cut melody lines. At the opening night performance, each and every musical number received impassioned applause.
Shifting drastically from the first act where one is intoxicated with the music, the tragic drama starts rolling quickly in the second act. I find the way this drama is structured truly skillful. The dance, music and drama are superbly allocated.
The Young Cast Show Their True Ability
The Classic Revives in the Present
The cast members of “West Side Story 50th Anniversary World Tour” in Japan are young and unknown chosen by audition, yet surely did fight a good fight. “Reckless act owing to youth” being the essence of this musical, the current cast added the reality to it. Especially, Ali Ewoldt who played Maria shone with her agile acting. After her lover, Tony, got killed, she went on to face the final scene with a firm stance, which I found admirable. Also, bold and lively songs and dances presented by Oneika Phillip playing Anita, the lover of the Sharks’ leader, were spectacular. (Both Tony and Maria are double-cast.)
The choreographies by Jerome Robbins were faithfully recreated by Joey Mckneely, who also directed the show. By his precise directions, he gave more depth to the dances putting importance on the dramatic elements. However, he did not keep it as a mere replica of the original production. Instead, he added a modern taste into the set and the costumes, and ventured to eradicate the look of the 50’s, which I found quite unique. By
trimming off anything unnecessary, he emphasized the seriousness of the drama in a simplified way. His straightforward direction supported by the good and straightforward acting of the cast proved to be successful. The veteran conductor Donald Chan presented the excellent performance by the orchestra, handling the changes of speed freely and beautifully. In its magnificent sound existed the real thrill of a musical.
This summer, a number of musicals have been invited to perform in Japan one after another, but this one proves to be truly “the Classic.” A half century has passed, yet its majestic presence still outshines all others. And when you see it live on stage, you will fully realize that the true value of this musical can only be appreciated when seeing in a theatre. It is the origin of the musicals. Don’t you dare miss it.
Written by Kaoru Nakajima (Music Critic)
1 comment:
Wow, what a great review, congradulations, keep up the good work.
Love Ya,
Big Sis
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