Playwright: Arthur Laurents (book), Leonard Bernstein (music), Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), Jerome Robbins (concept).At: Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph. Tickets: 800-775-2000; www.BroadwayInChicago.com; $32-$95. Runs through: Aug. 14
Over the years, too many iconic Broadway musicals have suffered shabby revivals which diminish their originals with cheap sets, insipid staging, cut-down casts and thin orchestras. Sometimes these revivals have boasted the original star, now far too old for the role he/she is playing. To our good fortune, West Side Story makes none of these mistakes. This touring version of the 2009 Broadway revival is vibrant, moving and satisfying.
Corners have been cut, but not so much as to compromise the integrity of this seminal work of American musical theater. For example, the easy-to-tour scenic design is an old-hat wing-and-drop set. It won't win awards but serves its purpose. The 18-piece orchestralarge by touring standards todayis less than half the size of a show orchestra when West Side Story was new, in 1957. But it never sounds thin in delivering composer Leonard Bernstein's complex, colorful and emotionally-charged original orchestrations. The chromatics and jazzy, percussive contrapuntal rhythms of the instruments drive the music forward and build tension in number after number, while Bernstein's broad and melodious vocal lines soar high above as light as air.
As for the staging, co-author Arthur Laurents directed this revival (replicated by David Saint for the tour), emphasizing the story's tight construction and compressed action, inspired by Romeo and Juliet (as everyone must know). Joey McKneely has reproduced Jerome Robbins's legendary choreography, and it still dazzles with its explosive balance of ballet and jazz dance. This revival has the right cast, too, with a dancing-and-singing ensemble of 28 Jets and Sharks and their girls who more than fill the stage for the big production numbers.
Definitely easy on the eyes, the aggressively attractive cast is almost too handsome, pretty and athletic. In the principal roles, Kyle Harris (Tony) and Ali Ewoldt (Maria) will melt your heart, with feisty support from German Santiago (Bernardo) and Michelle Aravena (Anita). I quibble only with Tony (and Maria to a lesser extent) singing so much of his role sotto voce, in a whisper. Music director John O'Neill seems to have decided that loud is for aggression and soft is for love, but the exultation of love can be full-voiced as well, and that exultation is missing from the vocal interpretations.
The major difference with this revival is that Laurents and lyricist Stephen Sondheim agreed to have substantial spoken-word passages and song lyrics translated into Spanish, which would have been the first language of the Puerto Rican characters. It's a gimmick that fits, and maybe draws in Spanish-speaking ticket-buyers.
Despite its familiarity, West Side Story is fresh and exciting in this production. Bernstein's dying wishes notwithstanding, West Side Story lives on Broadway and not in an opera house.