WEST SIDE STORY

by ed bruce edbrucevegas@yahoo.com

TA DA DA DA DA

What more do you need to know.....this the great American musical theatre ! ! !

I was running thru the list during the show last night...ANNIE GET YOUR GUN....CAMELOT...CAROUSEL...OKLAHOMA...SHOWBOAT....THE MUSIC MAN...SOUTH PACIFIC...
42ND STREET....CHORUS LINE...WEST SIDE STORY....there they are for me anyway, the greatest productions in history and I saw one last night.

Actually I last saw West Side Story at the Route 66 casino in ALbuquerque six years ago and I never tire of these classics....this one at the Spring Mountain Ranch Super Summer Theatre west Las Vegas 17 miles out from the city...... 21 minutes from where I live). This goes three weekends .....895 2787...big crowd picnicing and taking in the event Wednesday.

My first reaction (two minutes late- much better for them-still unaccapetable) its a BALLET. I guess I can't remember or at least this gives me reason to return to these productions many times. Dance and what a dance....it was super and especially the dance....well done...lots of youth, energy, numbers and choreography ! Nice big stage here giving them plenty of room to play around. Super night, slight breeze, full moon, great sunset....I was alone.

Issues.....still sound.....lots of head mikes with cutouts....lots of missed cues....and most of all they put Tony and Marie on big rise over the 6 piece band (it was a band....no strings) in front of a big speaker....awful construction theme here. Of course the cost of 20 violins prohibitive but I didn't like the way they used the canned orchestra with the live horns, piano and drummer ! More sound issues.....after the terrific opening dance number between the Sharks and the Jets you could heare the deep heavy breathing .....so I got audio I didn't want and missed some I did want.

What....the damn thing is just great....total picture...script, lyrics, dance, story, and it plays well and curent 50 years after the fact.

Can't get Natlie Wood out of my mind from the movie....however Janay Bombino as Maria was a terrific little songbird who looked right, could sing and was easy on the eyes. Rita Moreno who did her one woman shown here a year ago was classic as Anita and Jennifer DE LA TORRE held the standard very well......Tyson Croft as Action was wonderful...especially for Officer Krupke.....gee everyone must know the characters and story by now.....and if you don't there is still time.

What pieces of heaven this venue, this play and this night were my life.

HOW ABOUT THIS...BOOK BY ARTHUR LAUENTS....MUSIC BY LEONARD BERNSTEIN...LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM....BASED ON A CONCEPTION OF JEROME ROBBINS...BASED ON SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO AND JULIET. THE BAR HERE IS HIGH !

Can't figure out how far to kick their grade down for the audio...start at 100...lose two points for late on this mamouth production....and then the audio? I take it personal ! Sound design Katherine Gonzales....directed by Terrence R. Williams they must take the heat !

I LOVED IT...RECOMMEND IT TO THE WORLD !

C 74