West Side Story

B

I will confess that I groaned when I heard that hotshot European director Ivo van Hove was going to direct this much-beloved musical. Having disliked his videocentric versions of The Damned and Network, I shuddered to think what he would do when he got his hands on this Laurents-Bernstein-Sondheim classic. When I further learned that he would not be using the iconic Robbins choreography so critical to the show’s success, I grew even more fearful. Judging from today’s preview at the Broadway Theatre, most of my fears turned out to be unwarranted. True, this production depends even more on video than the two shows I mentioned, but the video projections are generally better integrated into the production. While Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s choreography is no match for Robbins’s work, it has lots of energy and suits the production well. The omissions (e.g. “I Feel Pretty”) and reinterpretations may offend those who are devoted to the original versions, but they serve the director’s darker and grittier vision of the show. The young, diverse cast are excellent dancers, good actors and at least adequate singers. The two female leads, Shereen Pimentel as Maria and Yesenia Ayala as Anita had strong voices. Two of the male leads, Isaac Powell as Tony and Dharon E. Jones as Riff were out for the performance I attended, but their understudies, Jordan Dobson and Ahmad Simmons respectively, were fine. Amar Ramasar was strong as Bernardo. The costumes by An D’Huys were eclectic and not much help in distinguishing the Jets from the Sharks. The excellent lighting by Jan Versweyveld, who also designed the set, was important in that regard. The tattoos by Andrew Sotomayor are excessive and mostly unattractive. The set consists mainly of a video screen that covered the entire back wall that opened partially to reveal the drugstore and the bridal shop. The video design by Luke Halls is at the heart of the production. At times, it is used to amplify what the actors are doing. It was initially difficult for me to know where to look but I soon adjusted. At other times, the projection shows street scenes that, for some reason, move slowly forward. Elsewhere, it illustrates the current song, e.g. Puerto Rican hurricanes for “America” and abuse by police for “Gee, Officer Krupke.” Occasionally, it provides commentary on the present, such as a view of the border wall with Mexico. Most usefully, it shows the action in the drugstore and bridal shop which are basically too small and too far away to see properly. There are a couple of pandering gestures to the audience: the gang members gratuitously strip to the waist for the rumble and one of the gangs includes a same-sex couple. The show has been streamlined to 105 minutes, which allows less time for character development. I suspect that the less devoted you are to earlier productions, the more likely you are to enjoy this one. I think a younger audience will find it very appealing. Running time: one hour 45 minutes; no intermission.

Carousel

B-

Whether or not to see Carousel was a close call for me. Much as I admire the gorgeous score, I hate the book with its treatment of violence toward women. Curiosity to see whether an infusion of talent from New York City Ballet would matter and whether the book could be made more palatable for the #MeToo era tipped the balance so, when the show turned up on TDF, I decided to take the plunge. For me, the answer to the first question is a resounding yes. While choreographer Justin Peck has done a lot of fine work and NYCB soloist Brittany Pollack makes a fine Louise, the real revelation for me was NYCB principal Amar Ramasar, whose Jigger is a magnetic presence who commands attention. The sailors’ dance he leads to “Blow High, Blow Low” is one of the show’s highlights. He probably doesn’t have the voice for it, but I found myself wishing that he had been cast as Billy because he is far more charismatic than Joshua Henry (Violet, The Scotsboro Boys), whose Billy I found competent but unmemorable. As to the book, this production did nothing to make the element of domestic abuse less distasteful, at least for me. Nevertheless, there is much to admire. The glorious voices of Jessie Mueller (Waitress, Beautiful) as Julie Jordan and Renée Fleming (Living on Love) as her cousin Nettie Fowler do full justice to the wonderful songs and Ms. Fleming also exudes a welcome warmth. Lindsay Mendez (Significant Other, Dogfight) and Alexander Gemignani (Violet, Assassins) are wonderful as Carrie Pipperidge and Enoch Snow. Margaret Colin (Jackie: An American Life) is fierce as Mrs. Mullin. As the Starcatcher, John Douglas Thompson (Satchmo at the Waldorf, Jitney) has little chance to demonstrate his considerable talent; his silent appearances throughout the play seem a pointless distraction. The heavenly scene with the human gates is a bit kitschy. With an orchestra of 25, the music sounds lush, although I wish the volume had been reduced during the soliloquy. I was quite disappointed in Santo Loquasto’s (Hello, Dolly!) scenic design. A Carousel without a carousel is a letdown. One horse at the side of the stage doesn’t do it for me. Later we do get the top of a carousel that pops down from above like a huge inverted umbrella, but even that doesn’t revolve. Except for the elaborate background for the celestial scenes, the sets looked cheaper than what I would expect on Broadway. Ann Roth’s (Three Tall Women) costumes are rather bland. Director Jack O’Brien’s (The Coast of Utopia, Hairspray) concept of the play seems a bit muddled. To sum up, there are many strengths and many weaknesses in this Rodgers and Hammerstein revival. The bottom line is that, although I have many reservations about it, I am glad I didn’t miss it. Running time: two hours 40 minutes.