West Side Story at Draper Historic Theatre

Last night I went to see West Side Story at Draper Historic Theatre and, since this is a favorite show that I have seen many times, I really appreciated some of the bold choices made by the production team. The story revolves around the forbidden relationship between Tony (Tanner Perkins) and Maria (Michelle Pichardo) and the animosity it stirs up between the Jets and the Sharks, two rival street gangs who are vying for territory. I really enjoyed both of the leads because they have beautiful voices and tremendous chemistry with each other. Perkins has an irrepressible energy in "Something's Coming" and a wide-eyed wonder in "Maria" but it is his affecting performance of "Tonight" that gave me goosebumps. Pichardo is incredibly appealing in "I Feel Pretty," impossibly romantic in her rendition of "One Hand, One Heart" with Perkins, and so devastating in her performance of "I Have a Love" that I was reduced to tears! However, my favorites in the cast were Ashley Murillo Coombs as Anita and Zaden Gates as Riff. Coombs has a lot of sass and I loved all of her facial expressions during her interactions with Bernardo (Warren Tharp) and during her exuberant performance of "America" and I definitely felt her rage during "A Boy Like That" and her terror when the Jets attack her. My favorite numbers in this show have always been "Jet Song" and "Cool" and Gates certainly delivered with both his singing and dancing in these scenes (as did the ensemble). The choreography is absolutely exhilarating and, in addition to the two aforementioned numbers, I also loved the "Prologue" because the hostility between the Jets and the Sharks is immediately established through movement rather than dialogue, "The Dance at the Gym" because the moment that Tony and Maria first see each other is so dramatic, and "Gee, Officer Krupke" because it is incredibly dynamic and the use of a scarf is very clever. As I mentioned, I was especially struck by the choice to have Maria sing some of the verses of "I Feel Pretty" in Spanish because this makes her seem even more guileless, the choice to have Anybodys (Sarah Bobby Hinckley) sing "Somewhere" while bringing the two groups together because this character more than any other truly struggles to find their place and it is incredibly powerful, and the choice to have Anita sing "A Boy Like That" in Spanish while Maria sings "I Have a Love" in English because it shows the difference between them very emphatically. Finally, the minimal set, featuring brick walls, chain link fences, and fire escapes, is very effective as is the lighting design, which features warm reds for the Sharks and cool blues for the Jets and mimics the costumes. This is a compelling production of a story that is still incredibly relevant today and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets). Performances run on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through September 12.