A local production of “West Side Story” is coming to the Ritz Theatre in Haddon Township, New Jersey, running from July 12 through July 28, 2024. Director Edwin Rico Santiago pays homage to the iconic dance-driven musical which first leaped onto the stage in 1957 when it premiered on Broadway, followed by a popular film version released in 1961 and Steven Spielberg’s Hollywood remake in 2021. Choreographer Jen Gordon also steps into the illustrious shoes of Jerome Robbins who choreographed and directed the original stage production and film adaptation of this musical theater classic.
Inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Robbins conceived “West Side Story” which is considered to be one the most renowned musicals ever written, with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Set in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the rivalry between the Jets (White American teens) and the Sharks (Puerto Rican American teens) sets the stage for this classic story of forbidden love. For decades, the characters of Riff, Bernado, Anita, Tony and Maria have captured the hearts of many with such popular tunes as “Maria,” “Tonight,” “Somewhere,” “I Feel Pretty,” and “Cool.”
Ritz Theatre Tony and Maria. Photo by Zachary Moore.
The Broadway production won two Tony Awards, while the 1961 film rendition captured 10 Academy Awards, including Rita Moreno’s Best Supporting Actress victory for her role as Anita, launching Moreno on her EGOT-winning status. Fast forward 60 years, rising star Ariana DeBose brings home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for portraying Anita in Spielberg’s interpretation using a screenplay by Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner.
Unlike the Broadway production and the original film, Spanish is spoken on screen in Spielberg's “West Side Story,” with about 30 percent of the dialogue in Spanish. The 2021 remake also received praise for casting Latino actors and not using brown-face (shading the faces of white actors), as was the case with its predecessors. A common denominator in all three versions was casting actresses of Puerto Rican descent as Anita, with Chita Rivera originating the role on Broadway, and Moreno and DeBose in the film adaptations.
“West Side Story” at the Ritz features Kyra Janaé Bryant as Anita, Emily Colón as Maria, Julián Pérez as Bernardo, AJ Klein as Tony, and Nick Flagg as Riff. Adding authenticity to the production, Santiago not only cast Puertorriqueños but also incorporated some lines in Spanish.
Santiago, who is Puerto Rican, concedes that his first interaction with “West Side Story” wasn't a great one. He recalls his grandparents telling him a story about how many Latinos felt embarrassed when the 1961 movie first came out. “My grandmother, who was Afro-Latina, always felt like people were mocking her with the “America” song,” he explains. Growing up it was like, ‘Oh, why would I ever want to listen to that music?’ It was years before I even saw the movie. It was years and years before I saw a production of the actual show on stage. And I could see why it hurt my grandma. I could see why she felt that way.” Over time, Santiago came to appreciate the musical for what it is.
Director Edwin Santiago. Photo by Zachary Moore.
From the beginning, “West Side Story” has always conveyed a serious message that pleads for racial tolerance using song and dance. According to various accounts, Robbins’ original concept was a musical called “East Side Story” that was to take place on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and revolve around a conflict between Irish Catholic and Jewish families during Easter and Passover. Reportedly, Laurents’ perspective shifted after reading about riots and rising teen violence among street gangs, in particular, Chicanos (term used for Mexican Americans) in Los Angeles, that were making news headlines in 1955. The plot of the musical then changed to center the conflict around Puerto Rican migrant families and teen gangs versus white working-class families and teen gangs on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
For Santiago, there is a nuance in the retelling of the story for the Ritz production, which focuses more on a clash between groups of poor people living in a community. “I was very adamant from day one with the cast. I said, ‘This is not going to be about whites against Puerto Ricans, all right? We're all poor. We're all fighting. It's just like you think one person's taken away the little bit that you have, that's how we're going with it.’” Santiago adds that is how he sees the show as “a 50-year-old man who grew up in the inner city of Camden, just a few miles down from the Ritz Theatre. I grew up in the hood. We never saw it as us and them. We were like, ‘We're all poor.’” He adds that the show “is about having a sense of community.”
Ritz Theatre Bernado and Anita. Photo by Zachary Moore.
Another nuance in the Ritz production is the use of ASL interpreters. On July 26, the performance of “West Side Story” will incorporate five interpreters for the hearing impaired. “Directing the actors and then having to direct the interpreters is on a whole different level that I've never imagined,” Santiago says. “They're going to be shadowing our leads and (other) characters all throughout the show on that performance. They do the movements and even a little bit of shuffling with the dancing. It's going to be phenomenal.”
Given the current divisive environment in America, and different parts of the world, Santiago believes the meaning behind the show is still relevant in 2024. “We can all get along. We can all love each other. It doesn't always have to be a fight. It doesn't always have to end in a death,” he adds. “It's one of those things where the story never changes no matter what decade or what era we're in. The story never changes, the fight never changes, because there's always going to be a struggle. But there's always hope. That's the one thing we can always cling to is hope. And that's what I think the show gives us is hope.”
Ritz Theatre, Haddon Township, NJ | July 12th-28th, 2024. Click here for ticket information.
