I have said before and I will say again I am a Stephen Sondheim girl. His lyrics are witty, complex, and give words to feelings that I’ve never been able to express. While my favorite is Into the Woods, my first introduction to him was through West Side Story. So when I saw this beloved musical was headed to the UC Davis Health Pavilion, I knew I was in for a treat.
WEST SIDE STORY gives the classic tale of Romeo & Juliet a twist. Based in the 1950s, the streets are run by rival gangs the Sharks and the Jets. The Jets are primarily white New York born boys while the Sharks are Puerto Rican immigrants. Each side blames the other for their problems leading to tension and fights that never seem to end. Jets leader, Riff, decides to challenge the Sharks to a rumble after the neighborhood dance but he needs the help of his best friend Tony. Meanwhile, Sharks leader Bernardo welcomes his little sister Maria to New York City and his girlfriend Anita gets her ready for the dance. At the dance, Tony and Maria lock eyes and fall immediately in love. Will the star-crossed lovers overcome rising tension, or will tragedy tear them apart?
Broadway at Music Circus has outdone themselves with this production. The acting, choreography, and singing are a musical lover’s dream. Alex Beniot killed it as Tony. Not only was his singing dreamy, but his voice perfectly captured the yearning and optimism Tony feels. “Maria” has always been one of my favorite songs, it depicts the feeling of love in a perfect way. From the moment I heard Beniot sing, “Something’s Coming”, I knew he was going to eat “Maria” up. And he sure did. That song has been playing in my head non-stop.
Tony would be nothing without Maria and similarly, this show wouldn’t have been nearly as spectacular without Kanisha Marie Feliciano. I can’t stress enough how amazing Feliciano was as Maria. Her gut-wrenching scream after (spoiler alert) Tony gets shot was haunting. In her closing speech, she really hit home how everyone’s hatred has led to Tonys death and in her voice, you can hear her loss of innocence and devastation. While the show is tragic, WEST SIDE STORY is also filled with love. Feliciano and Beniot’s chemistry was electric throughout; I was ready to jump on a fire escape for a romance like theirs.
I could write pages and pages on how phenomenal this production of WEST SIDE STORY is, but the only way for you to really experience it is by seeing the play yourself. I can guarantee you will be wowed, or you can challenge me to a rumble. Dance on over to the UC Davis Health Pavilion now through July 17. Learn more here.
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