THEATRE REVIEW: "West Side Story" at the Oriental Theatre (2013)

      During June of 2013, I saw a performance of the non-equity touring production of "West Side Story" at the Oriental Theatre (now called the Nederlander Theatre) in Chicago, IL.  "West Side Story" was conceived by Jerome Robbins with a book by Arthur Laurents; music by Leonard Bernstein; and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.  

     








     This production starred Maryjoanna Grisso and Addison Reid as Maria and Tony.  There were over thirty cast members in this production,  showcasing their talent, as well as Jerome Robbins' original choreograph, in such musical numbers as "America."  One noticeable difference about this production in comparison to those of the past (I assume) and the movie is that "I Feel Pretty" was sung in Spanish.  During intermissio,,  I first criticized the souvenir program for being printed on card stock paper, and then criticized the production for having one of its songs sung in Spanish.  "This is America," I said, then started laughing at the absurdity of my rant.





      In this production, the scene where Anita goes to give Tony a message from Maria was different then the movie.  Keep in mind, the Spielberg movie hadn't been made yet.  Anita didn't just get pushed around (which is bad enough).  In this production, her character gets sexually assaulted.  I think the same mambo music from the gymnasium dance scene was playing (which seemed inappropriate) but I can't be sure.  I've seen the Spielberg remake since then.  This was my first time seeing "West Side Story" live on stage.  Now that I have, I probably don't need to see it again.



     
Maryjoanna Grisso as Maria and Addison Reid Coe as Tony (photo by Carol Rosegg).




     The World Premiere Production of "West Side Story" was at the National Theatre in Washington D.C.  It was there that the production ran from August 19th through September 7th, 1957.  After the World Premiere in Washington D.C, the production had its Philadelphia pre-Broadway tryout at the (now demolished) Erlanger Theatre.  The Philadelphia Engagement ran from September 10th through 21st, 1957.  The Original Broadway Production of "West Side Story" premiered at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 26th, 1957 and ran until June 27th, 1959.  During its run, the production transfered to the Broadway Theatre and then back to the Winter Garden Theatre.  












     

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