Word: eggar
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West Side Story: Director David Eggar's modernization of the script resulted in some incongruous moments, but a capable, energetic cast, Christine Van Kipnis's stunning choreography and near professional production values made for an enthralling show. As Maria, China Forbes sung beautifully, and Cori Peterson's Anita would have impressed fans of Rita Moreno. Kudos also to the multi-story freeway bridge which Matt and Mark Buchanan designed as the centerpiece of the set. One only wishes that Eggar had removed a jarring dream sequence which replayed Tony and Maria's courtship as transvestite vaudeville...
...Eggar and choreographer Christine Van Kipnis write in the program notes: "Our intent is not to realistically portray any particular time period or location; rather we are using dance, drama and music to reflect on and explore different aspects of social tension." The problem is that nothing short of a new script can release the story from its period setting. No matter how dark and violent Van Kipnis and Eggar choose to make the story, stylized fight choreography will always evoke memories of Robin kapowing the Riddler in the old Batman series. And the war council in Doc's drug...
...Eggar's interpretation is most unsatisfactory in the second half of West Side Story. A dream sequence which combines the allegretto movement of Beethoven's seventh symphony, Tony and Maria's courtship replayed as transvestite vaudeville and rather poor lighting leaves the audience more confused than amazed. And in the last two scenes, the catchy songs have all been sung, and the dancing is over. What remains is a rather explicit attempt at rape and Tony's death. Instead of being tragic, these scenes feel sensationalist...
Even professional musicals do not always succeed in finding performers who can sing, dance and act with equal facility. So it is no surprise that West Side Story has a shortage of the trebly talented. Eggar seems to have cast the show with acting as his first priority. Consequently the dancing is occasionally sloppy. This problem is minimized by Van Kipnis' excellent choreography, particularly impressive in the large-scale dance numbers...
Despite flaws in concept and execution, West Side Story is enjoyable to watch. A capable, energetic cast; Bernstein and Sondheim's classic songs; and excellent production values make this show worth seeing. In the end, audience members will have to decide for themselves whether Eggar should have retold West Side Story with such a modern accent...