'West Side Story' -- familiar and enjoyable

If opera can be compared to dinner, than five courses of weighty, monumental operas were certainly followed up by a tasty and easily digestible dessert. The composer was American, the libretto in English, the time set only 50 or so years ago, and the plot and music quite familiar.\nLeonard Bernstein's "West Side Story" is perhaps misrepresented as an "opera" in the strict sense of the word. It combines elements of music, song, dance and dialogue in such a way as to make elusive any attempt to put a definitive label on its genre. Perhaps it is best described as a musical theater production.\nEqually elusive is its character. The atmosphere constantly hovers between comic and tragic and the theme hovers between love story and social commentary. One side never prevails and the audience is left with a sort of amorphous work with muddled themes and subjects. However, this notwithstanding, the work is very delightful and enjoyable. Many of the viewers could relate to it better than to courtesans with tuberculosis or reality-TV billionaires.\nThe story itself is rather trite. It is another "Romeo and Juliet" production about an impossible love gone awry. The similarities to Shakespeare are so blatant as to make the plot predictable and the expressions of love sound almost like cheap pick-up lines. On the bright side, however, the story does bring to light a major issue in New York at the time, and the characters are very fully-developed. Even though plot is not a strong point of "West Side Story," it cannot be judged exclusively on that alone.\nPerhaps the most surprising and disarming feature that this production could boast was its music. Unlike many 20th century works (and indeed many previous ones), the music is easily accessible to untrained listeners. Much of the music is written in a big-band style with a jazzy feel to it. Other sections were given a blatant Latin rhythm to accompany the Puerto Rican characters. Listeners accustomed to heavier things are not to be disappointed either -- many of the arias and choruses had a definite grand opera feel to them and could rival many Verdi and Wagner pieces. Such an eclectic yet balanced blend of styles made the opera easily accessible to viewers of all tastes and lent a touch of originality to the score.\nThe performers were amazing. It is doubtless that the greatest job was done by Tiffany Rosenquist in her portrayal of Maria, the heroine of the story. Rosenquist's voice was her main asset. She lent an operatic air to a cast in which so many performers dropped depth in favor of a more "pop-like" tone. One must also be appreciative of the members who portrayed the Puerto Ricans by using realistic accents and singing with them, not to mention the well-executed New York accents the white gang used.\nAside from the accents, a great deal of dramatic acting had to be done since a great part of the dialogue was spoken. This fact was probably most overlooked since the work was presented as an opera, but the dramatic element was definitely prevalent in the work itself. \nYet a third element was necessary for the cast's success -- dance. The production was wonderfully choreographed, using graceful movements and beautiful positioning. It was obvious that a lot of work was put into turning brawls and fight scenes into beautiful dances, a strange feat that was done well. The cast did need a little more practice to synchronize the movements, but indulgence should be granted them in light of the vocal and dramatic burdens also placed on them.\nThe scenery was also cleverly done. Surprisingly little scenic elements were used -- only buildings along the side and on the background. Scene changes were conveyed by either inserting a room or dropping a partial background, which made transitions both quick and easy. The scenery was very well-made and was definitely reminiscent of New York's less attractive areas.\n"West Side Story" was definitely an enjoyable and entertaining work -- not too serious, not too heavy, and not too irrelevant. It is a good way to end the season, not on a grand or fantastic note, but on a more pleasant and familiar one.\n"West Side Story" is playing at the Musical Arts Center tonight and Saturday. Unfortunately, tickets are sold out.