'West Side Story' Visits the West Valley

When you’re a Jet, you are a Jet all the way. At least, that’s how it appeared Saturday, when the Westfield Promenade Mall’s Barnes & Noble was host to a book signing for Our Story: Jets & Sharks Then and Now. 

Written by cast members of the Academy Award-winning movie West Side Story, the paperback, published last year, is a compilation of memoirs from some of the actors and dancers. Each chapter tells of personal triumph and tragedy before, during and after the movie was made in 1961. 

Cast members present at the signing included Robert Banas (Joyboy), Carole D’Andrea (Velma), Maria Henley (Teresita), Gina Trikonis (Graziella) and Russ Tamblyn (Riff).

As fans gathered autographs, they were treated to light conversation with the performers, gracious to all who showed a love for the adored story.

The musical film—which garnered 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, at the 34^th Academy Awards—is a love story set in the midst of the rivalry between two teen gangs in the Upper West Side of New York.

The rift is between the Jets, a group of rambunctious American juvenile hoodlums, and the Sharks, made up of tough Puerto Rican teen immigrants.

Based on the romantic tale of Romeo and Juliet, love blossoms between Maria, the sister of a Shark, and Tony, an ex-Jet who trades fighting for an honest job. The lyrically-rich musical, complete with paramount dance moves, tells of the ultimate sacrifice for love and the devastation hate can bring. 

When asked how a musical made more than 50 years ago still has appeal today, Carole D’Andrea, a dancer who portrayed Velma, Riff’s girlfriend from the Jets, said, “It’s a timeless story.” 

D’Andrea, who began dancing by age 4, was the original Velma on Broadway as well. 

Her story was one of great sadness, as her parents died in a car crash when she was a senior in high school, and years later, her brother died at the age of 27. She dealt with her grief by immersing herself in dance, heading from her hometown in Altoona, PA to New York, where she perfected her dance moves with jazz classes. 

As luck would have it, Carole’s first audition landed her Copacabana. In addition to her time with both the Broadway and film versions of West Side Story, she toured with a Far East dance concert tour for the State Department.  She currently teaches both dance and acting in Los Angeles.

Russ Tamblyn, who played Riff, leader of the Jets, has had the same success.  Before West Side Story, Tamblyn appeared in the film Samson and Delilah and the musical film Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. His television credits include Twin Peaks and Quantum Leap.

Tamblyn has taken his love for performing arts to fine arts, where his work is comprised of mixed media and collages. Some of Tamblyn’s works can now be seen at the Getty Center as part of the Pacific Standard Time art collaboration. 

For the rest of the cast at the signing, life has been good. A move from in front of the camera to behind was unexpected for Maria Henley, as she found herself widowed and raising two children. She became a member of the prestigious Directors Guild of America working as a stage manager and assistant director on television shows. In 2009, Henley was given the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award by the guild.

Gina Trikonis also moved behind the camera to work as a costume supervisor for television series such as The Facts of Life and Full House. 

Robert Banas has had a long career as both an actor and a choreographer for film and television. These days, Banas enjoys gardening and growing miniature roses.

The book is an insightful look not only into this timeless movie, but also into the friendship of the writers and how it has been able to withstand the hands of time.