Theater review: 'West Side Story'

“West Side Story” is doing its finger-popping, high-kicking thing in an Asolo Rep production. For all the artistry and technical razzmatazz involved, it’s still a story—and a familiar one.

As you probably learned in high school English class, the musical’s creator and choreographer, Jerome Robbins, lifted the story from “Romeo and Juliet.” Arthur Laurents supplied the not-too-shabby spoken dialog. Leonard Bernstein wrote the unforgettable tunes; a young Stephen Sondheim gave them words. So, what’s the story all about?

“Youth must go, ah yes. But youth is only being in a way like it might be an animal.”

- Alex, from “A Clockwork Orange”

Substitute a family feud between the Monatgus and the Capulets with a turf war between two gangs in New York City—one white, one Puerto Rican. Two crazy kids on opposite sides fall in love and come to a tragic end. But it’s really about the war between testosterone and estrogen: the tribal need for territory and dominance on the one hand; the lovey-dovey hunger for love and a happy home on the other.

Aside from a few anachronistic rude gestures, director/choreographer Joey McKneely sticks close to Jerome Robbins’ original choreography. Yes, it’s impressive and gravity-defying. But the threat of violence is the heart. People invade each other’s spaces and pepper the pretty dance moves with lunges, feints, jabs, uppercuts and kicks to the head. The swagger implies the beating you’ll get if you oppose these characters. It’s the territorial imperative, with a beat. Shadow-boxing or a balletic simulation of two street gangs of fine young human animals beating the living daylights out of each other.

Youth is an animal, to paraphrase the hero of “A Clockwork Orange.” And a dangerous one.

McKneely’s leaner, meaner approach keeps the danger in your mind in this fine production. The actors in the gangs actually look like they might do some damage. Ann Hould-Ward’s costumes and Lee Savage’s scenic design steer clear of any cute revival of the 1950s. The look is timeless; no greasy hair or poodle skirts. The danger’s not safely in the past or shrouded in a haze of nostalgia. Savage’s sets keep you deliberately off-balance. Everything’s canted in the brick tenement backgrounds—a Dutch angle, as they say in the movies. You get the sense the performers could fall off the world if they’re not too careful.

Those performers keep it real as well. As the all-American Tony, Marc Koeck is believable as a kid who tries and fails to break away from thug life. He avoids the goody-good caricature of lesser productions. Jenna Burns is an excellent Maria, who’s also not a plaster saint. There’s real chemistry in her scenes with Tony—especially in the blatant steal of the balcony scene from “Romeo and Juliet.” As the Puerto Rican gang leader, Andrés Acosta seethes with wounded pride from a million barbs of white disrespect. Mary Antonini’s Anita is a sexy young thing—but she shows her tough side when she has to. Kenn Christopher’s Officer Krupke is a good cop, if not the brightest tool in the shed. Lieutenant Schrank (Steven Sean Garland) is a racist cop you wouldn’t want to meet in the back room. He lets the white gang know he’s on their side.

This production grabs you by the back of the neck and takes you right to its tragic conclusion before you know it. Brutality aside, there’s warmth and street-wise, sarcastic humor. The “Officer Krupke” number is a standout. Sondheim’s lyrics get their licks in on everything from sociologists to shrinks.

“West Side Story” is a high level of difficulty—a height which makes for a very long fall if one tiny element fails. Here, story, dance and music all come together to make a great experience. It’s a compelling night of theater. Ordinarily, I’d say entertaining. But on the night I saw it, the truth behind the allegory hit home.

During intermission, I heard news of the damage that one particularly bloody gang had done on the streets of the Paris. This tough-minded parable of violence didn’t seem so abstract all of a sudden. I had a hard time keeping that reality out of my mind for the rest of the show. The danger the human animal is capable of …

Because that’s what’s really going on behind the song and dance.

IF YOU GO

“West Side Story” runs through Dec. 27, at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Call 351-8000 or visit asolorep.org for more information.