Action, Suspense, Love, Ballet in Broadneck's West Side Story

Action, suspense, love, ballet, dances, music, and MAMBO; Broadneck High School’s production of West Side Story has it all and more.  Sondheim, Bernstein, and Laurents’ 1957 classic is faithfully performed by a talented cast and crew that pull no punches in a dazzling display of color and sound.

The auditorium of Broadneck High School has been transformed into a 1950’s New York City, a playground for two rival gangs, the Jets and Sharks.  The buildings of New York City jut up on the horizon and low-level scaffolding split up the stage, allowing for very dynamic scenes. 

However, occupying the stage of Broadneck’s West Side Story is its wonderfully talented cast.  Director Emily Cory says of her cast, “I love this cast.  It is so huge and half of them have never done a musical before.”

Headlined by two incredible performances by Luke Skinker (Tony) and Paige Miller (Maria), both are equally tender and powerful, the cast is fully utilized to deliver some truly captivating pieces of song and dance.

Luke’s rendition of “Something’s Coming” is as perfectly innocent and wistful as it should be, as Tony reaches out into the unknown.  Meanwhile, Paige is given the ability to flex her incredible voice through a number of songs and has a great deal of fun with “I Feel Pretty.”

Every moment on the stage has been maximized through the clever use of its large-scale cast.  Each actor, whether a key member on the stage or a background performer, is constantly active and engaging in his/her environment.

The physical acting displayed in the show is clever, funny, and tragic when it needs to be.  This translates into the dancing numbers as well, with “Gee, Officer Krupke” becoming a particularly funny and well-choreographed piece of physical comedy.

Scenes that are able to incorporate the entire cast are the best of the bunch.  Watching the actors mambo is just as fun as they seem to be having performing it.  The sense of fun and care that went into the performance is nothing but infectious.

The full cast’s “Tonight Quintet” is a showstopper, with the full voice of the combined cast ringing through the entire auditorium and out into the hallways of the school.  It is this large-scale collaboration that really sets the show apart as more than just an average production.

The message of tolerance asserted by West Side Story is as potent as ever.  At a time when the country feels so divided and polarized, a show that demonstrates the disastrous effects of a black-and-white worldview feels like a refreshing lesson that is both bold and beautiful in its simplicity.

From its large-scale dance numbers to the simple interactions between actors, Broadneck’s West Side Story is a show that cannot be missed.

Showtimes are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.