This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Feb. 16, 2011 - Hazelwood East made worlds collide between native New Yorkers and Puerto Rican immigrants with its performance of "West Side Story."
"West Side Story," a modern Romeo and Juliet, was written in the mid-1950s. The tragic story follows the conflict between two rival gangs, the Jets (Americans) and the Sharks (Puerto Ricans), and how two people from opposite sides of the tracks fall in love.
The show opened with a bang, with an instrumental in which the gang members demonstrated their awe-inspiring dance skills, as well as fantastic choreography. Overall, the choreography was probably the highlight of the night, as it should be with this musical. It continued this pattern with such songs as "America" and "Cool," where some of the more minor characters really shone.
However, the main characters were still the real stars. Romeo, aka Tony (Marc Williams) did a great job showing emotion in both his songs and the more dramatic scenes. His Juliet, Maria (Ashley Franklin) had a gorgeous voice, rivaling that of the movie version. Riff (Ronald Bell), Tony's right hand man, practically stole Act I, with his spot-on characterization and voice for the character. Another scene-stealer was Anita (Gabrielle Jean), who literally became her character, with an accent that was perfectly consistent throughout.
Other stand-outs include Action (Willie Newson), who made "Gee, Officer Krupke" one of the best numbers of the show. Plus, Doc's (Ernest Graham) performance was surprising, showing above-par emotion and portraying an old man very well. Finally, Rosalia (Kristen Jones) showed off her beautiful voice when she sang "One Hand, One Heart." However, some of the minor characters didn't seem to show enough emotion during some of the scenes and group songs, and other actors occasionally forgot some of the basics, such as not showing their backs to the audience. Also, an occasional character or accent wasn't very consistent.
The set was simple, yet efficient, and got the job done well. One does wonder, though, why they chose not to close the curtain during scene changes. It seemed to break the illusion sometimes, especially one instance where the change took up too much time.
The sound overall wasn't bad for a high school play, but there were many problems with mics cutting out, being turned off or sounding muffled. Also, while the orchestra sounded great during some songs, there were a few moments where they needed a bit more practice.
The positives definitely outweighed the negatives and made for an enjoyable night.
About the Cappies
The Critics and Awards Program for high school theater - known as Cappies - was formed in the aftermath of the Columbine shooting to celebrate writing and performing arts at America's high schools. It operates chapters across the nation.
St. Louis' program was launched in 2002-03.
This year, 16 schools are participating, producing 32 shows. Some 195 student critics will write nearly 1,000 reviews of the productions.
At the end of the year, the top performers, technicians and reviewers are honored during a Tony-style gala.
The Beacon is happy to help spread the word by printing some of the reviews.
Cody Dickerson is a student at Northwest High School.