Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutWest Side StoryThe Eagle Spotlight Entertainment Guide 21 July 2005 1 Dance steps tell the 'West Side Story' ByJIMBUTLER Eagle Staff Writer Theatre Company performances begin Friday The plot may have been stolen from Shakespeare, but when the curtain went up on West Side Story in 1957, Broadway witnessed the birth of a new kind of musi- cal. "Every dance tells a story," said Randy Wilson, director of The Theatre Company pro- duction of West Side Story that opens Friday. "The music, the dances and the story all came together in one of the most original musicals ever. And it almost never happened." Choreographer Jerome Robbins came up with the idea of a modern version of Romeo and Juliet, but he wanted a Jewish girl to fall in love with a Catholic Italian boy. He called it East Side Story, referring to that neighborhood in Manhattan. Robbins wanted Arthur Laurents to write the book, and he recruited Leonard Bernstein to compose the music. But all three were involved in another project — a musical based on James M. Cain's Serenade — so East Side Story never got beyond the talking stage. Five years later, Robbins ran into Laurents in Hollywood. As they dis- cussed the future of East Side Story, a newspaper headline about Hispanic gang warfare caught the eye of Robbins. So the story became about Puerto Ricans and whites in New York: West Side Story. Serenade, which earlier had been the reason the musical didn't get made, entered the picture again. Bernstein remembered a young composer who had pitched some songs for Serenade. He was hired to help Bernstein with the lyrics. His name was Stephen Sondheim, who went on to write Gypsy, Follies, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, Company, Sweeney Todd and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Serenade, by the way, never did get produced. In another little irony, West Side Story did not win the Tony Award for Best Musical that year. The win- ner was The Music Man, The Theatre Company's previous production. "The music is really diffi- cult," Wilson said of West Side Story. "This is Bernstein in his prime. I think he missed his calling. He should have written opera." The importance of dance in West Side Story has present- ed a special challenge to cho- reographers Khara Emmitte and Mandy Walker. "This score has been the hardest I've ever had to choreograph," Emmitte said. "The music is always chang- ing, which makes it almost impossible to count with the usual eight -count dance out- line. It's been a challenge to teach to 35 actors who may or may not have had any dance training. But it's also very rewarding, because the actors recognize the difficul- see WEST, page 9 `WEST SIDE' CAST THE JETS Riff — Rudolph Bauder Tony — Joe Shepherd Action — Nicolas Borski Arab — Michael Green Snowboy — Aubrey Bloom Big Deal — Andrew Colman Baby John — Randy Bauder Diesel — Taylor Holtzhauser Tiger — Sam Stegner JETS' GIRLS Graziella — Nicole Norton Velma — Amanda Van Roy Minnie — Stacy Howard Clarice — Kim Reynolds Anybodys — Roxanne Baker The Sharks Bernardo — Blake Whitaker Mari — Sally Rodgers Anita — Adrienne Dobson Chino — Joey Gomez Pepe — Paul Beeler Indio — Mufti Hassan Anxious — Cory McLaren Luis — Jesse Davidson SHARKS' GIRLS ''#tosalia — Julie Rice Consuela — Fatima Sauceda Francisca — Jill Lightfoot Maguerita — Carrie Owen Estella — Averi Yorek THE ADULTS Doc — Dan Bates Schrank — John Thompson Krupke — Will Davidson Glad Hand — Stacy Erskine CREW Producers — Clint and Amanda Compton Stage manager — Cesara Beeler Assistant stage manager — Katie Cross Stagehand — Megan Coleman Light designer — Carol Enloe Light operator — Caleb Stroman Spotlight operator — Sam Bergueno Set design — Randy Wilson Choreographers — Mandy Walker, Khara itte Acompanist — Becky Carlton Costumers — Amy Wise, Linda Bates, Janet Cross, Eva Benavides, Noel Kronke, Brianna Buth Hair, makeup — Robin Pierce, Sarah Thomas, Cassidy Henry, Aria Salon WEST from page 2 ty and respect Mandy and me enough to trust that we'll get them through it. Our goal is to give the actors the best choreography we can, and, above all, make sure that they look good doing it and that our dance moves convey a story to the Walker, who is expecting her first child within weeks, and Emmitte also choreo- graphed together for Annie Get Your Gun and Footloose. "I think the reasons Mandy and I work so well together is that we come from similar dance back- grounds, have the same dance technique and work ethic," Emmitte said. "We always work ahead, and we have our own rehearsals in addition to the already - scheduled theater rehearsals." Sally Rodgers, who made a stunning debut as Belle in The Theatre Company's Beauty and the Beast, plays Maria. "Sally is a consummate actor," Wilson said. "She always comes prepared. She challenges herself, and she challenges me. I love that relationship." Rodgers is returning to the spotlight after a chorus role in The Music Man. "I'm really enjoying Maria," Rodgers said. "It's more challenging vocally than any role I've had. And she undergoes such a big change, from naive little girl to widow." Maria also requires a great deal of dancing. "One number, I Feel Pretty, I have to dance and sing the whole time. I took dance for Eagle photo /Dave McDermand The Theatre Company cast of West Side Story will be ready to rumble starting this weekend. 10 years, and those lessons are paying off." • Tony is played by newcom- er Joe Shepherd, 17, a dead - ringer for a young Warren Beatty. His only theater experience was a small role in A &M Consolidated High School's production of Fiddler on the Roof. "I was completely sur- - prised to get cast as Tony, said Shepherd, 17. "This my favorite musical. I grew up singing these songs in the shower." Wilson said the audience is going to be impressed by all the new, young talent. "Every scene, I'm sitting there thinking, Wow, that's so good, "' Wilson said. Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday for two weekends at The Theatre Company, which is located in the Tejas Center at the corner of Texas Avenue and Villa Mafia Road in Bryan. Tickets are $10 for evening shows and $8 for matinees and can be purchased at the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, 2275 Dartmouth St. in College Station. Sellouts are expected, so attendees should get tickets well in advance and come at least 30 minutes prior to cur- tain for the best seat selec- tion. • Jim Butler's e -mail address is jim. butler©theeagle.com.