{"id":34682,"date":"2019-05-09T08:00:44","date_gmt":"2019-05-09T13:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=34682"},"modified":"2019-05-08T22:45:04","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T03:45:04","slug":"lyric-delivers-with-energetic-vibrant-west-side-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=34682","title":{"rendered":"Lyric Delivers With Energetic, Vibrant \u2018West Side Story\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Peter Thomas Ricci<\/p>\n

When I was a kid, I was a big fan of the ESPN program \u201cSportscenter.\u201d In addition to the program\u2019s fun anchors and deep sports coverage, I also delighted in the \u201cThis is Sportscenter\u201d commercials \u2013 original ads that ESPN produced featuring its roster of anchors. Goofy and self referential, the commercials were also heavy on pop culture references, and in one, two rival factions of ESPN anchors were engaged in a street brawl, but rather than use weapons, they simply approached one another ominously, snapping their fingers.<\/p>\n

I mention that commercial because it is, for me, the ultimate example of how ubiquitous \u201cWest Side Story\u201d truly is, how the musical \u2013 with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim \u2013 has entered the zeitgeist; therefore, it is a testament to the Lyric Opera\u2019s new production of \u201cWest Side Story\u201d that the material still feels as fresh, vital, and exciting as when Jerome Robbins directed it on Broadway in 1957.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Although my introduction would, seemingly, undermine the need for a plot synopsis, it\u2019s worthwhile covering the basics: a modernization of \u201cRomeo and Juliet,\u201d \u201cWest Side Story\u201d focuses on the doomed love of Maria and Tony, two teenage New Yorkers from warring demographics. Maria, a recent immigrant from Puerto Rico, is the younger sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Puerto Rican gang The Sharks; Tony, meanwhile, is a lieutenant in The Jets, a Polish gang in the same Upper West Side neighborhood. Although deeply in love, Tony and Maria\u2019s romance is not to last, and is undone by the endless manifestations of the gangs\u2019 conflict.<\/p>\n

There are many, many positives to Lyric\u2019s production of \u201cWest Side Story,\u201d and I will begin with the casting. Lyric has always casted top-notch talent in its musical theater productions, and with \u201cWest Side Story,\u201d it has brought dynamic Broadway talents to the Lyric stage, many of them for the first time. As Maria, Mikaela Bennett is a gem, with a soaring soprano and plucky stage presence; as Tony, Corey Cott is effortlessly charismatic, with a strong, expressive tenor; and rounding out the leads is Amanda Castro as Anita, who is all fire and dynamism in a role originated by the legendary Rita Moreno. \u201cWest Side Story,\u201d though, is a uniquely ensemble musical, and the full cast is chockfull of wonderful performers, all of whom handle Jerome Robbins\u2019 legendary choreography with aplomb.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I also must praise Lyric\u2019s production talent, which effectively balance the sophistication of the operatic hall with the necessary urban authenticity. Peter J. Davison\u2019s sets are magnificent: towering high rises and chain-linked fences intermingle with neon signs and water towers, with all the elements switching and rotating to accommodate the shifting sets (the way Davison incorporates Maria\u2019s bedroom is particularly virtuosic). Mark McCullough\u2019s lighting is similarly masterful, with impressionistic shades of orange, blue, and purple capturing the night\u2019s skies and accentuating the themes of the music; for instance, I can safely say that \u201cSomething\u2019s Coming\u201d has never felt as magical as it did on the Lyric stage, with Cott\u2019s performance backed by a brilliant backdrop of orange and red.<\/p>\n

And then there are the show\u2019s politics, which director Francesca Zambello refuses to ignore. In today\u2019s political climate \u2013 when such questions as citizenship, identity, and immigration are being debated with a frightening fervor \u2013 it is downright thrilling to watch such issues play out through the exuberance of dance. Puerto Rico is, for all intents and purposes, a colony of the United States, one that is continually shafted in its position (the recent hurricane very much brought those issues screaming to the surface); and in the end, there is something delightfully radical about seeing Puerto Rican culture so unabashedly celebrated in a space as grand as Lyric Opera, and the talents involved are to be commended for doing so.<\/p>\n

Highly Recommended<\/b><\/p>\n

Playing through June 2 at Lyric Opera, 20 N Wacker Dr, Chicago IL, 60606<\/span><\/p>\n

Tickets can be purchased at lyricopera.org, or by calling 312-827-5600<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Peter Thomas Ricci When I was a kid, I was a big fan of the ESPN program \u201cSportscenter.\u201d In addition to the program\u2019s fun anchors and deep sports coverage, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":34683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,41,245,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-news","category-features","category-musical-theatre","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}