Vancouver Opera's West Side Story gets cool and gritty, to mixed response
At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Saturday, October 22. Continues until October 29
There was a decidedly more casual vibe than usual at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Saturday night, when the first Canadian opera production of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story was greeted with an appreciative, though not entirely enthusiastic, response.
A Vancouver Opera season opener is usually an occasion for the city’s more flamboyantly minded citizens to dig out their floor-length gowns, jewels, and clutches. But when the production comes courtesy of Broadway rather than La Scala, it seems the glam gets dialled down considerably.
First, let’s get one thing clear. This show isn’t opera—it’s musical theatre. The voices are miked, an absolute no-no in the pure opera realm and something purists aren’t likely to look kindly upon. A re-imagining of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set in the streets of 1950s New York, West Side Story employs athletic dance sequences and an explosive, jazzy score to enact a story of the rival gangs—the Puerto Rican Sharks and working-class white Jets—embroiled in an escalating turf war. And while the singing voices here are important, it’s really the dancing and acting that make or break the show.
Thankfully, this production features the original Jerome Robbins choreography that so electrified audiences when the work premiered in 1957. More than half a century later, its swaggering, testosterone-fuelled dance sequences still have the power to surprise and enthrall, and this young cast of triple threats manages to do it real justice. Numbers like the opening prologue—which has the Sharks and Jets jeering and taunting each other with whistles, shrugs, and snaps—or the fantastic “América”—in which Puerto Rican Anita and the other Shark girls espouse their love of the new world in a shimmying, high-kicking mambo—pop with energy and charisma.The young lovers at the heart of the action, reluctant Jet Tony and newly landed immigrant Maria, are performed by operatic tenor Colin Ainsworth and soprano Lucia Cesaroni. The rest of the roles are taken on by theatre, musical, and dance performers, most notably Wen Wei Dance’s Scott Augustine as Jets leader Riff, and Toronto stage star Cleopatra Williams as Maria’s friend Anita.
Ainsworth is perfectly charming as the lovestruck and ultimately doomed Tony. He has a sweet and compelling presence, and he gave a smooth, lyrical delivery of beloved tunes like “Maria”. Cesaroni, who has a rich, sonorous voice, has an exuberance that, when kept in check, is infectious. At times, however, as in “I Feel Pretty”, she went a tad overboard and hammed it up just a little too much.
Augustine, as Jets leader Riff, proves himself a charismatic and skilled actor and dancer. And while his voice is the weakest of the bunch, his performance is compelling for its strong physicality and solid self-assurance. The real standout here is Williams as the sultry Anita. Her voice, by no means operatic, has the most character and grit, though it was unfortunately swallowed up at times by the more powerful Cesaroni’s during their duets. And her Anita is filled with powerful resilience, even as she endures a devastating sexual assault.
Speaking of which, director Ken Cazan has really dug into the grittiness and violence of the story; there’s a menacing undercurrent that runs through the show, with numbers like “Gee, Officer Krupke”, normally a source of comic relief, taking on a more sardonic, edgier tone.
Even so, this ambitious production, which VO has given eight shows, didn’t appear to overwhelm the sizable audience. While the performers were given respectful applause, the greatest cheer was reserved for conductor Leslie Dala, who had skillfully guided the 30-piece orchestra (complete with full drum kit) through Bernstein’s rhythmically intricate score with aplomb. But in a town often so ready to get up on its feet to show appreciation, the majority of ticket holders here remained in their seats, and only rose when it came time to leave the theatre. VO might just have played it a little too cool here.
Comments
12 Comments
artsworker
Oct 23, 2011 at 10:22pm
lol...opera?....who you fooling? hear they're thinking of south pacific for next year if the arts club doesn't get there first
JOYCE KOZY-KING
Oct 24, 2011 at 12:15am
WEST SIDE STORY was terrific. Progress for the VANCOUVER OPERA. Colin Ainsworth a special treat!!!!
However, I do not like reduced sized cheap seats and also terrible bathroom facilities in
the refurbished QE THEATRE. And the undrinkable wine at $8.00 a glass is a terrible reflection on B.C. wines.
HoHummWestSide
Oct 24, 2011 at 8:19am
Should have let Colin Thomas sink his teeth into this production...it would have been juicy for sure.
Fancy Pants
Oct 24, 2011 at 9:47am
Gee Joyce, you can't get out of the house much. Vancouver Opera has offered any number of exciting and progressive works over the last 25 years. Also, if you haven't figured out yet when the smart money buys wine and when it chooses a mixed drink, or nothing, there is probably little hope for you.
That said, yeah, opera snobs, get over yourselves and check your prejudices as the door. Bernstein and Sondheim are the closest things in the modern rep to opera. And to hear a great musical played by an actual orchestra, instead of the usual tinny little band, is a rare treat. Plus the singing is excellent from the leads and the acting is all around good (the fact that there is acting on display at all in an opera production is a reason to rejoice) and the dancing is impressive.
Definitely worth seeing.
Nik Black
Oct 24, 2011 at 11:14am
Way too expensive just to hear a 30 piece orchestra! And that's the only difference between this and most productions of West Side Story. It was a thrill to hear this band, but not for $100 more than it costs to see the Arts Club production.
There's an arrogance about Vancouver Opera that needs addressing. James Wright proudly states that VO is the first Canadian production by an opera company. Big deal. Stratford did a hot production in 2009 and even the Arts Club's production in 2004 wasn't that bad. The Citadel in Edmonton and The Neptune in Halifax use many of the performers from this production. Surely the singing isn't any better in the VO's production.
How about doing some REAL 20th Century opera like Berg's Lulu or Wozzek or Glass' Satyagraha? That's something to brag about, not West Side Story!
Save Vancouver
Oct 24, 2011 at 6:23pm
I hear VO is doing "Cats" next year!
blue bleu
Oct 24, 2011 at 9:03pm
The production is ELECTRIFYING. Ainsworth delivered the best Tony ever! Bravo VOA for thinking and operating outside the BOX
Baffled
Oct 25, 2011 at 3:13pm
I am a huge fan of talent, a huge fan of Broadway musicals, and a huge fan of opera. This production combined all 3 and still somehow managed to leave me flat. It felt like Showboat meets Kiss of the Spider Woman and not in a good way. I agree completely that the orchestra and Cleopatra Williams (Anita) were hands down the stars of the show. I couldn't disagree more that Colin Ainsworth was a strong Tony. He has a lovely voice and is very talented but he in no way embodied the strength and leadership qualities that even a reluctant gang leader like Tony would naturally have. The Sharks felt like a tough and angry gang. The Shark women were fantastic. The Jets came off more like playground bullies than truly menacing thugs; that is until rape scene. In truth, that was the only scene that touched me. It felt real and offered a bit of depth in an otherwise surface performance. I applaud the talent and the effort; unfortunately, it didn't come together as one would hope.
David Mcleod
Oct 26, 2011 at 10:27am
West Side was one of the first musicals to tell parts of the story through dance. The dance was sloppy and incoherent. Basically, we were looking at second year dance students try their best to do a watered down version of the well defined and (normally) beautiful dance in this song and dance show. Look at the picture above. The men aren't even dong the same shape by huge degrees; and the women are barely bent at the knee or making a shape of movement at all. Horrifyingly amateur level of performance. Is this the standard of musical theatre in Vancouver?
Nik Black
Oct 26, 2011 at 9:17pm
@David Mcleod - Good eye and thoughtful opinion. A picture is worth a 1000 words, case closed. And you're completely correct about the importance of the dance in WSS - it isn't a decorative add-on, but an essential character in the drama. Obviously, incoherent character doesn't make for good drama.
I'm sorry to say that you're right about this being the standard of musical theatre in Vancouver. Nobody has mentioned the dire costumes or set that were rented from "Central City Opera". Where is that? A clearing house for Malabar rejects? Not good. Producing opera isn't about renting sets and costumes from no-name companies, The "standard of excellence" bar is set very low here - but the prices are very high.