At Large
Loving ‘West Side Story’
By Rina Jimenez-David
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:51:00 09/06/2008
MANILA, Philippines—When I was a child, my mother fell in love with the original cast album of “West Side Story,” and so for days on end one memorable summer, songs like “Maria,” “Somewhere,” “Tonight” and “One Hand, One Heart” filled our home, such that I have since committed much of the lyrics to memory.
And when “West Side Story” the movie was shown here, the whole family trooped all the way from Cubao to a movie palace on Rizal Avenue to watch Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer and George Chakiris and Rita Moreno play out the roles and stories of Maria, Tony, Bernardo and Anita. I loved the movie and so did my mother and sisters, even if my father and brothers hooted and howled at each scene showing the “Jets” and the “Sharks” in a “rumble.” This was because the scenes of the rival New York street gangs were staged with Jerome Robbins’ choreography, and it gave the men in the family enough reason to mock supposedly hard-core gangsters for dancing ballet!
I suppose it’s a sign of maturity that no one in the audience at the opening night of “West Side Story,” the revival by Stages of this 1957 original Broadway production, snickered as the “Jets” and “Sharks” flew through the air and snapped their fingers in rhythm in a self-conscious depiction of “cool.” Although I did cringe a bit at how dated some of the dialogue had become. When Diesel (Earl Baer), who has taken over the “Jets,” compliments Anybodys (Caisa Borromeo), he tells her: “You done well, buddy boy,” and she replies, “Thanks, Daddy-o.” Cringe-inducing.
* * *
I can see how, when it opened on Broadway, “West Side Story,” a re-working of “Romeo and Juliet” set on the mean streets of New York and in the context of an emerging conflict between old migrants (the “Polacks”) and new arrivals (Puerto Ricans), was considered groundbreaking and even experimental.
The late 1950s, after all, are considered the Golden Age of Broadway musicals. To a public lulled by the comfort and accessibility, the smooth lyricism and witticisms of Rodgers and Hammerstein, say, or Rogers and Hart, the offbeat syncopation of Leonard Bernstein and the harsh social realities reflected in Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics (his debut musical), not to mention Robbins’ use of modern dance to mirror youthful violence, must have come as quite a shock to refined sensibilities.
In “Gee, Officer Krupke,” where the “Jets” mock not just a pot-bellied cop but the entire social system which tries earnestly to reform them, we get an entire catalogue of the social ills that bedeviled New York’s West Side. The surprising thing is that the issues comically dramatized by the gang members still sound familiar, even common, today.
Still, while the street talk sounds stilted, and the social back story was familiar, “West Side Story” will remain fresh mainly because it is, at heart, a love story, with lovely, memorable ballads sung by the two youthful leads. It’s the love songs one remembers about “West Side Story,” and the heartbreaking innocence of Tony and Maria, who fall in love and, in the persistence of their love, cross racial barriers and challenge the social system.
* * *
West Side Story’s opening night had Christian Bautista and Joanna Ampil as Tony and Maria, respectively. From the first note of “Something’s Coming,” Bautista had the audience in thrall to his voice and presence. Though not gifted with a “stage” voice, lacking in power and projection, Bautista had enough charisma to fill the stage. He is effortlessly charming, and while he may be older than what Tony is supposed to be, it is easy enough to believe in his naiveté and innocence, his total surrender to his feelings for the guileless Maria.
For her part, Ampil carries off the role of Maria with poise and ease, conveying the young woman’s suppressed passion. Her clear, dulcet soprano is a surprise, and her professionalism manifested itself when a glitch in the sound system drowned out her voice in mid-song but she continued as if nothing untoward had happened.
When Tony and Maria sing their duets, their blending is so seamless the lovely songs simply soar.
Other members of the cast did equally well: Gian Magdangal and Jake Macapagal as Riff and Bernardo are effective foils to the sweetness of the two leads; Pam G as the fiery Anita is sexy as hell and quite the scene-stealer; and the ensemble of Jets and Sharks and their women is lively and yet disciplined.
* * *
Much of this has to be credited to director Menchu Lauchengco Yulo, whose familiarity with the material must stem from the fact that she was Maria in Repertory Philippines’ 1981 production. The large cast moves with amazing certainty, given that the producers had to find performers who could act, sing and dance. In the words of Audie Gemora, Stages producer, they had to “teach the actors how to sing and dance, and the dancers how to sing and act.”
Again, the performances, of both leads and ensemble made me marvel at—to use a sports metaphor—how “deep” is the “bench” of Filipino theater artists. Given the demands of a big production like “West Side Story,” producers seem able to find new, unknown faces in the unlikeliest of places.
But acknowledgment must also be given to the willingness of a big pop star like Bautista who, with his hit records, regular TV shows and even fan base abroad, didn’t need to spend two months rehearsing for the musical; or a West End actor like Ampil to drop all other commitments and fly home just to show her country what she can do.
Gratitude is seldom a sentiment we owe performers. All we have to do is to enjoy the show. But for bringing us this world-class production ahead of an anticipated Broadway revival, all we can say is “thank you.”
|
