The Carson City Community Center was packed as my friends and I wiggled our way through the throng of people to the will-call booth. That was a good sign. By the time we’d left the theater, I had new appreciation for how talented a person has to be to perform in a musical.
West Side Story is Leonard Bernstein’s take on Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet but told 1950s style with two opposing gangs, the Sharks and the Jets. Romeo is Tony (Joshua Jessup), the former leader of the Jets. Juliet is Maria (Maria Arrigotti), a recent Puerto Rican immigrant whose brother Bernardo (Leoney Berg) is the leader of the Sharks.
The production got off to a slow start as gangs interacted in a series of altercations. Riff (Ryan Piece), the leader of the Jets, and Bernardo decided to rumble. The choreography led to some confusion for me, and when the Jets were singing and dancing, they looked somewhat goofy instead of cool.
The acting made up for these deficiences. Berg’s Bernardo seemed both intimidating and honorable. Piece brought energy to the role of Riff, giving a convincing rendition of a punk with a big mouth. As Tony, Jessup was likable as a young man looking for something meaningful as he tries to leave gang life behind him.
The play especially shines with the performance of Arrigotti as Maria. Maria works in a dress shop with Anita (Robin Kato), who is not only Bernardo’s girlfriend but also a mother figure to Maria. The two women work well together as they engage in lively, humorous banter. Arrigotti’s amazing and powerful voice was a highlight throughout, though the ending scene was particularly sad and moving.
The choreography is excellent during the scene at the dance when Tony and Maria first meet. The dancing was professional, fun, colorful and entertaining. Many cast members have impressive dance resumes, and their experience shows.
The number “America” is catchy and impressive. During the performance I attended, this number elicited enthusiastic applause from the audience. The sassiness and charm that Kato brings to the role of Anita really stood out. As she saunters across the stage, one friend and I decided she was our favorite character.
What really impressed me about the entire production is the amount of talent needed to pull it off. Not only did director Stephanie Arrigotti need to find people who can simultaneously act, sing and dance, but she needed to find quite a few of them. West Side Story is a long play with more than 40 cast members.
This talent didn’t stop when the actors left the stage, either. Several setting changes are pulled off seamlessly. The orchestra’s live music is fantastic, though technical difficulties occassionally affected the understandability of onstage dialogue. Some of the familiar lyrics were lost during songs, and at times, Arrigotti’s well-trained voice seemed to nearly overpower that of Jessup’s.
The stage’s space is used very well, and the actors even come down into the audience. The costumes are excellent, with bright colors for the Sharks and pastel, muted colors for the Jets. Producer and director Stephanie Arrigotti has pulled her crew into an outstanding production.
I was impressed with West Side Story. Overall, it was an enjoyable production that gave me an appreciation for the remarkable, young, talented people we have in the area.