(This is the text of my review for KDHX-FM in St. Louis. "The Muny" is the St. Louis Municipal Theatre, a large outdoor amphitheater in Forest Park)

The Muny is closing its 1995 season this week with a first-class production of one of the unquestioned classics of musical theatre, West Side Story. The term "classic" gets thrown around quite a lot in the entertainment biz, of course, and it usually winds up being a synonym for "old”.

In this case, however, it's fully justified. After all, the people who created West Side Story either already were or would soon become theatrical legends: music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (his Broadway debut, in fact), book by Arthur Laurents (lifted from Shakespeare, who lifted it from a poem by Arthur Brooke), and direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins. It didn't hurt any to have a cast that included Carol Lawrence, Chita Rivera and Larry Kert, either.

When the show opened in 1957, of course, its status as a classic was far from apparent, and many critics and audience members objected to its gritty story line of young love trying to overcome gang warfare in New York. The structure of the show is unusual as well, combining elements of ballet, modern dance, opera, the conventional Broadway musical, and even a touch of early rock. From our vantage point in the mid-90s, of course, it's now obvious that West Side Story is one of the crowning achievements of American musical theatre, and that its moving, complex, and energetic score is one of Bernstein's best efforts in the genre.

The Muny's ensemble does very well by this material. I had a few minor quibbles about the casting, but they were rapidly swept aside by the sheer quality of the performances and direction. Lewis Cleale has the boyish charm and strong voice required for the lead role of Tony, whose love for Maria (Christine Toy), the sister of rival gang leader Bernado, leads to tragedy and death.

Toy is a wonderfully charismatic performer as well, with a big, accurate soprano voice. She's quite obviously Oriental rather than Puerto Rican, of course, but after a while I was so drawn into her character that I had little difficulty suspending disbelief.

Susann Fletcher is also impressive as Anita, although on opening night she wasn't quite up to some of the challenges of Bernstein's music or Kevin Backstrom's re-creation of the original choreography.

Luis Perez and Michael Gruber show some spectacular dance moves as rival gang leaders Bernado and Riff, as do all the members of the chorus. West Side Story is, in fact, a fairly strenuous show for the chorus members, since it makes major demands on both their singing and dancing talents; congratulations are in order for all of them.

And let's not leave out some fine work by two local favorites: Joneal Joplin and Tom Murray in the small but important roles of Doc and Lt. Schrank. Murray, in particular, managed to inject some actual humanity into a character who could come across as a one-dimensional bigot.

David Gallo also deserves praise for his visually striking sets, and Valerie Gebert for skillfully conducting Bernstein's rich and rhythmically tricky score. I only wish the Muny's sound system could do it justice.

If the heat and crowds have kept you away from the Muny this season, don't let them keep you from seeing this superior production of West Side Story. It's on stage through this Sunday (August 13th), and you can get ticket information at 314-361-1900.



main West Side Story 1995 page