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| Teresa Castillo as Anita, Noah Stewart as Tony. All photos by David Allen. |
If West Side Story teaches us anything, it’s that idealistic young lovers are a danger to society. Our man Tony has the Sharks/Jets turf war down to a two-man fistfight (a deal any reasonable cop would take in a second), but then his girlfriend insists there be no violence at all, and what are the results? Dead bodies, everywhere.
The performance of musical theater by an opera company is always an intriguing move, and sometimes the results are grand. In recent years, San Francisco Opera, brought Jerome Kern’s Showboat and Gershwin’s Porgy ‘n’ Bess to great heights, in the latter case performing the original operatic version the composer envisioned. And West Side Story certainly qualifies for this treatment, considering the art music cred of Leonard Bernstein and the groundbreaking jazz/Latin/classical fusion of his work.
The primary question is, how far do we take this?
As a fan of the 1984 recording with Bernstein, Te Kanawa, Carreras, Troyanos and Horne, I’m all for letting the operatic voices fly, and I certainly had early indications that OSJ was going to do the same. This came from tenor Noah Stewart as Tony. Stewart performed “Something’s Coming” and “Maria” with full operatic force, and the kind of stunning results that OSJ followers have come to expect from him. The richness of his lower tones in the opening bars of Maria, climbing steadily to its ending top notes, illustrate the song’s tremendous vocal range. Bernstein was writing for virtuosi. (Stewart is also Black, which creates an interesting wrinkle for a character forced to play middleman between whites and Puerto Ricans.)
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| Trevor Martin as Riff, Antony Sanchez as Bernardo |
Sadly (for me), the rest of the cast opted to adjust their voices to a musical theater level, albeit one still backed by operatic training. One of the more stunning scenes to come out of this was the famed clash between Anita and Maria in “A Boy Like That.” Mezzo Natalie Rose Havens performs the number with dark passion and is answered by soprano Teresa Castillo and Maria’s lyrical, desperate plea, “I Have a Love.” Anita accedes to Maria’s wishes by singing with her on a low harmony, producing a deeply touching moment of sisterhood.
The majority of the roles have no opera in them at all, so the musical-theater adjustment is generally just fine. Baritone Trevor Martin plays Riff with a smart cool; baritone Antony Sanchez delivers a suave, graceful Bernardo.
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| Natalie Rose Havens as Anita |
The production numbers are dazzling, beginning with the mambo at the gym (led by Sanchez’s excellent dancing). The Somewhere dream sequence, unrolling as soprano Natalia Santaliz sings from the balcony, paints a dazzling, imaginative picture of an idealized Manhattan as choreographer Michael Pappalardo takes us into Central Park, the subway and a movie theater using only movement and popcorn boxes. Sarah Riffle adds beautifully inventive lighting. The sequence reflects the vision of stage director Crystal Manich, who has lived in both New York and Puerto Rico.
The other remarkable choreography comes from fight director Dave Maier, creating scenes so vigorous I thought some Shark or Jet was going to end up in the pit. The fatal knife fight between Tony, Bernardo and Riff was particularly stunning.
Anita’s “America” came off well, with the help of her charming foil, soprano Christine Capsuto-Shulman. OSJ used two of their better singers in non-singing parts: bass Philip Skinner as big-voiced Doc and Michael P. Mendelsohn in a fierce performance as Lieutenant Schrank.
The Jets
“Gee, Officer Krupke” was a bit of a letdown, a little too busy for its own good. It would be better with a few less physical gags and a little more emphasis, even exaggeration, of the laugh lines (“I got a social disease!”).
Christopher James Ray is a bit of a dancing conductor, and had an excellent feel for Bernstein’s rhythms. And it was tremendous fun to hear a real drummer (Jim Kassis) at the opera. Steven C. Kemp’s set design was an ever-evolving puzzle of raw elements - chain-link fences, tenement balconies - projecting the grittiness of mean Manhattan streets.
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| The Jets in flight |
A funny moment came early on, as Anita tried to drape Maria in her dancing gown. The gown decided to fight this process, leading to nervous moments as Bernardo and Chino (Jared V. Esguerra) waited to make their entrance. Eventually, Anita won the battle. Ya gotta love live theater.
Through May 1 at California Theatre, 345 S. First Street, San Jose. $55-$195. 408/437-4450, www.operasj.org.
Michael J. Vaughn is a 35-year opera critic and author of the opera novels Gabriella’s Voice and Operaville.
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