West Side Story at IHI Stage Around Tokyo, September 12th 2019

In the mid-eighties, at the height of the teen film craze, Leonard Bernstein decided to record the definite version of West Side Story, one that will put the operatic aspects upfront. He assembled an all-star cast with the leads being played by Kiri Te Kanawa, Jose Carreras and Tatiana Troyanos. The resulting recording was a superb one, but even better was the behind the scenes documentary about the recording process. I watched it countless times back in the day, each time in awe by Bernstein’s and the performers’ energy. Watching this I understood what an undertaking a studio recording is.

West Side Story became my favorite musical and I knew it better from that documentary than from the movie. I didn’t have the opportunity to see the musical on stage until now, even though doing this have been on my bucket list since forever. As it turns out my mother-in-law is also a fan and invited us to go see the stage production at the IHI Stage Around Tokyo.

This theater is quite unique, to say the least. The stage is a full 360 circumference surrounding the seats, which then rotates throughout the performance revealing a new set each time, that way the story can be told continuously without set changes. The effect is breathtaking and not gimmicky at all. It was also achieved by having the actors moving along the rotation. Nothing felt forced or contrived, these transitions were smooth and organic to the piece.

The first taste of this state of the art technology we were about to witness happened during the overture. Newspapers headlines juxtaposed to stylized depictions of the gritty New York back alleys where the story takes place, were projected on to the stage curtain, producing a spinning effect that reminded me of the 360 degrees films you’ll see at Disney World. I also thought it was a tribute to Saul Bass’ ingenuity, the creator of the groundbreaking titles sequence of the original movie.

The curtain opened and revealed the meticulously designed set that served as a backdrop to the Jets and Sharks introduction. From the get go we got to see those high kicks and snapping fingers that have been the fodder of jokes for decades whenever someone argue against the copious amount of suspension of disbelief that the musical demands from their audience. The obvious contrast between gracious dance movements and thuggish gang mentality has been a punchline for ages. In that argument I’m on the advocating side. I believe that abstraction renders a topic timeless and as a consequence relevant in any context. By the time we reach the Somewhere number in the second act, maybe the one that’s the farthest away from reality, the themes of the absurdity of racism drilled into people’s heads from a very young age by authority figures, and its condemnation, reaches a peak. The choices made for this particular scene were eloquent and moving.
  
But before reaching that point there was a truly exhilarating first act that presented this world and its vibrancy with the help from everyone in the cast; amazing voices and physical prowess abounded. Sonya Balsara and Trevor James Berger as Maria and Tony, a spellbinding performance by Adriana Negron as Anita and George Akron and Matthew Steriti behind the roles of Bernardo and Riff respectively, anchored an ensemble of superb actors that embodied these roles.

And what’s to said about Bernstein’s score. I think that even someone who’s not familiar with the musical must know at least fifty percent of these songs. That’s how much they’re embedded in popular culture. As I mentioned before, the elaborate setting was not intrusive. it was organic to the whole thing. Tonight with the singers standing on the balcony that slightly popped frontward above the audience, or the full 180 degrees set for the Tonight Quintet, were dazzling elements that definitely contributed to the effectiveness of this take on this classic.

The elements of race and gender politics were more prominent in the second act. The creators of this version highlighted the timelessness of these topics and how they resonate in these times. The police being one-sided in their oppressive tactics pointed up today’s racial injustices. The gender perspective seemed more problematic given the main character choices in the story. She was redeemed with her last monologue equating killing with hate. At that point she becomes the embodiment of strength in the face of adversity, also relevant to these times. I thought it was quite feat pulled by the creators, that of making a 1957 text a resounding contemporary one.

I’m guessing, though, that the creators are not that much aware of the fact that there’s still people in this country -where this specific version got its world premiere- a bit too quick when it comes to judging someone by how it looks or where he or she comes from. In that regard  the dignity of foreign brown people, which is the essence of this piece (“Puerto Rico is in America!”), brought a smile to my face.

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