“West Side Story” is a musical layered with violence, division, bigotry and death. It’s about hating people because of the color of their skin and the country they came from.
But “West Side Story” – like America– is also about love. And though it may be a heartbreaking tale, “West Side Story” demonstrates the transformative and transcendent power of love.
All this was on display Saturday in Savannah Center with “West Side Story,” directed by and starring Alex Santoriello.
He is a Broadway veteran and turned in an emotionally-gripping performance as Tony. Dawn DiNome offered a spirited and powerful portrayal of Anita. Both shined with their musical, dancing and acting skill.
But the real star of this production is Nina Polachek, in a breakout performance as Maria.
Polachek’s soaring soprano and graceful innocence radiated a spiritual essence. She made love and loss seem real. Her presence was magnetic.
It started early on when she teamed with Santoriello on a stirring version of “Tonight.” They were together on a fire-escape balcony and seemed close to the stars.
They also teamed for a poignant and soft duet, “One Hand, One Heart,” while in a bridal shop. At one point, they kneeled down together, as if in church, and it added to the emotion.
Polachek turned in a couple more showstoppers in the second act. She was effervescent, whirling and twirling to “I Feel Pretty.”
There was more power high-powered singing when she joined an equally-impressive Santoriello for a duet on “Somewhere.”
This show featured a huge and strong local cast. Mark Kirschenbaum was muscular and nasty in the role of Riff. Lon Abrams played the role of a bigoted police detective with cynical delight. Virgil Reyes as Bernardo and Vince Morris as Chino were convincing as gang members out for blood.
Zanna Duckett as a young girl gang banger wannabe added some comic relief. Dale Gagne as Officer Krupke and Tony Oteri as Doc played exasperated adults in the neighborhood coping with gang violence. Joan Knapton of KC Productions, co-produced the musical.
The real unsung hero of this production is choreographer Diane Vargas. She took a cast of mostly, over-50 amateurs and turned them into an impressive dance troupe.
Vargas combined Latin rhythms with ballet and jazz dance moves. The opening numbers, “Prologue” and “Jet Song” showcased the dancers.
“Dance at the Gym” filled the stage with multi-colored outfits and ballroom dance moves. The dancers were a celebratory delight on “America,” which featured Dawn DiNome moving and kicking from one end of the stage to another. “Cool” was a slow, finger-snapping number that lived up to its title.
“West Side Story” debuted on Broadway in 1957. It featured music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents.
It was a long time ago, but all these years later, “West Side Story” is as relevant as ever.
There is still a place for “West Side Story.”
Tony Violanti covers arts and music for Villages-News.com. He was inducted into the Buffalo NY Music Hall of Fame as a music journalist.
