Modesto company brings ‘West Side Story’ to stage. Where and when to see it
A year late, but ready to go, Modesto Performing Arts returns to the live stage with one of Broadway’s biggest hits.
The Modesto theater company presents Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” Aug. 7-15 at the Gallo Center for the Arts.
The show was planned for August of 2020, according to general director Paul Tischer, but was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
MPA was shut down for more than a year, Tischer said in an email interview.
“To be frank, it was a very depressing time. I, for one, was depressed because we normally (present) three shows a year, which keeps me busy almost year round. And now I found myself with nothing to do for 14 months,” he said.
Auditions were held in February of 2020 and they had fully cast the show with more than 40 performers, most in their teens and 20s, Tischer said.
“Needless to say, there were many disappointed faces ... I told them that we would revive the show in 2021 – which we are now doing. That helped their disappointment,” he said.
Most of the original cast returned when rehearsals started in June, although some could not participate because of jobs or other commitments, Tischer said. They recast a couple of the lead roles and replaced about 10 others.
The cast also was set for “A Chorus Line,” which was planned as MPA’s first show in 2020. While it originally was rescheduled for June of this year, the Gallo Center did not reopen until the end of July, so “A Chorus Line” now is set for June of 2022, Tischer said.
The winter production of “A Christmas Carol” also was canceled last year, but MPA plans to revive it this Christmas, he said.
Story based on “Romeo and Juliet”
“West Side Story” is a re-telling of the saga of “Romeo and Juliet,” with its action set amid the choreographed feuds of youthful street gangs in Manhattan, according to a press release from MPA.
The story tells how the romance of star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria “leads to intense gang fights, to heartbreak, and to the death of the impassioned lovers,” the press release said.
Instead of “swearing by the moon,” as Romeo did from the balcony, in “West Side Story” Tony sings to Maria on a fire escape. That song, “Tonight,” has become a nationwide favorite, the press release said.
Other songs from the score by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim include “Something’s Coming,” “Cool,” “I Feel Pretty,” “Maria,” “I Have A Love,” “One Hand, One Heart,” and “Gee, Officer Krupke.”
Jacob Holdaway and Ashley Mendez have the leading roles of Tony and Maria. Holdaway also had the leading role as the head of the newsboys in MPA’s past production of “Newsies,” the release said.
Leading the live orchestra will be music teacher Marie Maxwell.
This will be the fourth time MPA has produced “West Side Story,” and it’s “one of the most requested and most popular shows of all time,” the release said. MPA (then known as Modesto Youth Theatre) first produced West Side Story in 1969 and the last production was in 1990.
So Tischer decided it was time to revive the show. Still, he said in the press release that “it is also one of the most difficult shows to produce – you need 25 boys who can dance! But we’ve got them. A lot of them are returning from having danced in our recent production of “Newsies,” which turned out to be one of MPA’s biggest hits of all time.”
Central West Ballet’s Daveluy choreographed show
“West Side Story” was originally based on a concept by choreographer, Jerome Robbins, according to the press release, “and it is consequently a story that is told as much by the tense and dynamic dances as by its words and music.”
Choreography for MPA’s musical is by Rene Daveluy, artistic director for Modesto’s Central West Ballet. Daveluy previously choreographed “Billy Elliot” for Modesto Performing Arts.
“Rene is one of the best choreographers around,” Tischer said in the email.
To fill in the cast, they had to include people who were not dancers. “But Rene Daveluy has done a terrific job training these people to be dancers. And now all the non-dancers are dancers and you really can’t tell the difference between the trained and former non-dancers. They look terrific,” Tischer said.
Daveluy created one “of the most stunning, dazzling dances MPA has ever had in our 52 years of doing shows,” he said.
The youths have worked hard, he added. “They are all dedicated to this show and I think it’s going to be one of MPA’s best.”
The cast rehearses five hours a night, six days a week for five weeks, Tischer said. “That’s dedication. They are absolutely devoted to this show.”
Performances at the Gallo Center for the Arts are set for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7, 13-14, and at 2 p.m. Aug. 8 and 15. Tickets are $21-$38, available at www.galloarts.org.
