Jets vs Sharks at Neptune's West Side Story

Day 10 of the A to Z Challenge brings us to J - and today that stands for Jerome Robbins, Jets vs Sharks, and Jim White.











When you're a dance freak like me, there are certain iconic dance moments that just give you shivers.

This Sharks moment is one of them.

The triad of Puerto Rican immigrants refusing to give up their stake in their New York neighborhood is a masculine thing of beauty, portrayed above by National Ballet of Canada dancers in West Side Story Suite, a second version of Robbins' choreography arranged for dance companies.


Here Jerome Robbins rehearses the moment where the three Sharks kick out at their rivals, the Jets, while reaching for the proverbial better life.

They do so in harmony, because their gang gives them strength in numbers in the unwelcoming streets of America.

What Jerome Robbins' staging of this groundbreaking piece of musical theatre did in 1957 was to elevate the dance portion of the musical triumverate. His steps weren't just a part of the story being told - his steps told the story on their own.


Canadian choreographer Jim White has adapted Mr. Robbins' work for Halifax's Neptune stage, ingeniously keeping the signature dance sequences while fitting entire gangs into a limited space.

With every production, I stand in awe of the ways that set designers make Neptune appear to be three times as big. But for West Side Story, the biggest challenge is the choreography - and Jim White has pulled off a minor miracle.

To see what I mean, try to imagine the following piece (from the 1961 film version) in an area 33 feet across and 17 feet high. Granted, set designer Geofrey Dinwiddie stretched his options to include the side entry doors bracketing the stage. Climbable scaffolding becomes tennement fire escapes and gives Mr. White extra space to place his dancers.



Oh, how I love that piece. Obviously, my favorite from this favorite of all musicals.

It can be both a joy and a hinderance to watch a performance of something so beloved, because there are certain things you want to see. Settling into my seat at Neptune, I had no idea what to expect - but I should have known they would pull off the seemingly impossible.

The opening 10-minute-long dance Prologue unfolded seamlessly, and when those three Sharks stepped into that side battements my heart thrilled with joy.


Tony

Liam Tobin's effortless tenor soared through difficult songs like Maria while delivering the lyrics with the immediacy of dialogue. I definitely enjoyed his confident performance, considering he's only beginning his musical theatre career.





Maria

Anwyn Musico handled equally challenging vocals with her fearless soprano. I can't tell you what a joy it was to hear these two sing their duets.







Bernardo

Stephenos Christou led that glorious Sharks moment for which I was waiting, as the leader of the Puerto Rican gang. His charismatic turn along with show standout Dayna Tietzen as Bernardo's girlfriend Anita might have overshadowed the youthful leads if they hadn't hit those notes with such bullseyes.





Anita

Dayna Tietzen managed to shine brightest among this large cast of solid performers. Her dancing burned brightly with exceptional technique, while her lovely alto caressed and her portrayal of Anita reached out to connect deeply with her audience.





Riff

Galen Johnson's voice was not in the same league as the other two parts of his triple threat, which were exceptional. I definitely enjoyed his nuanced performance as a gang leader struggling to keep the lid on the more excitable members of his crew.







Chino

Finally, Dani Jazzar, another third of that special Sharks moment, was a big favorite of mine as Bernardo's lieutenant and Maria's unrequited love. He prowled with fury, giving membership in a gang authenticity, while tugging my heartstrings when he realized Maria was lost to him.


West Side Story runs through May 29th at Neptune Theatre in Halifax.

A few more Jerome Robbins moments on J Day -

I once had the pinch-me-is-this-real moment of watching Jerome Robbins walk past me when I worked at a performing arts theatre in Toronto. His piece The Concert was premiering with The National Ballet of Canada, and he was at our theatre for the event.

I couldn't believe that the legend himself was walking along the aisle right in front of me.

CLICK HERE to listen to Peter Martins speak about how Jerome Robbins' West Side Story literally changed his life - inspiring him to emigrate to the US.













Finally, here's a brief interview of Mr. Robbins as he talks about Fancy Free, where you can see his fondness for using three males dancing in unison to represent a larger culture.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Taking a break from an incredibly busy month, after putting in some over time at the office last Wednesday I headed across town to catch the evening performance of The Beauty Queen of Leenane at Neptune Theatre.











Because this is Halifax, my cross-town jaunt was a twenty-minute walk, which brought me past the open-air concert by The Stanfields at the Parade Grounds.












Part of the Canada Games mega event which has been taking place here in Halifax since Feb. 11th, and which concluded on the 27th, the open-air concert series has pulled in some big names from the East Coast music scene, including:

Great Big Sea
Joel Plaskett
Sloan
Hawksley Workman
Grand Derangement
Buck 65
Matt Mays
Rawlins Cross





But I had a theatre seat waiting for me over on Argyle Street. Leaving the happy revellers behind, I made my way to the theatre and settled in for a Fargo-like black comedy set in the West of Ireland.













The audience I was a part of laughed uproariously even while gasping in shock at some of the things the characters said to one another. There's a warning in the program about strong language and adult situations, and there are plenty of both.











Photo courtesy of Sean Mulcahy

As with the best sorts of stories, the very particular nature of the setting - a simple cottage in an economically depressed though visually breathtaking part of Ireland - in fact serves to deliver a universal experience.


Laura de Carteret plays 40-year-old Maureen, forced by a process of elimination to care for her aging mother, as her two sisters have flatly refused to do so. As we get to know her mother, it's not hard to imagine why Maureen's sisters fled, though why Maureen stayed to act as primary caregiver is a riddle.


Mary-Colin Chisholm plays Mag, whose fussy demands for the Ensure-like supplement called Complan, for tea, for porridge, for soup, stand in for several decades of leeching all spirit away from her daughter.

Many women in the audience laughed with recognition at the manipulative phrases used by Mag, as no doubt many people in the audience - like myself - have cared for an elderly family member at some point or another.

Even caring for my gram, who was in no way a difficult personality, could get trying at times when the old person wants her toast a certain way, her television program on at a certain time, and is too frail to do it for herself.

But in this relationship between Maureen and Mag, there is none of the laughter and love that made it all worthwhile for my mom and me as we cared for Gram together. These two women may as well be shackled in irons, their cozy cottage a prison where everyday items take on new and diabolical uses.


A highlight of the evening for me was Ryan Bondy's performance as Ray, younger brother of Maureen's potential love interest. As with the seemingly innocuous household items that become clues, that reveal themselves to be accomplices and mirrors to the truth, Ray begins the play as an apparent go-between but ends the play as a bigger figure than even he suspects.



Providing a welcome breath of hope to Maureen, Hugh Thompson's Pato shakes the women from their ritualized half-life when he returns to Leenane from a job in England. His no-frills working man takes us by surprise when he turns out to have more heart and vulnerability than anyone in this multilayered story.



My hat goes off to Sean Mulcahy for his design of the women's cottage. He very kindly provided the photo of the set, shown above.

I was attracted to it from the first moment the painted scrim with its scene of a soggy Irish road raised to reveal the well-worn interior. What I didn't realize was how integral to the story each ordinary kitchen piece would become: the sink, the cooking stove, the cast iron heating stove, the radio, the rocking chair. Not since Robert LePage's staging of Bluebeard's Castle and Erwartung for the Canadian Opera Company have I seen a set that was such an active ingredient of the whole production.

If you are in the Halifax area, the play runs until March 20th.

Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit at Neptune Theatre

What do I spy through my opera glasses this week?

A sparkling comedy by Noel Coward, now playing at Neptune Theatre in Halifax and running from January 18th to February 13th.
















Neptune is located at the corner of Argyle and Sackville streets. Bringing professional theatre productions to Halifax audiences since 1963, with a history of previous live performances including vaudeville in the same location since 1915, Neptune is a Maritime jewel and a cultural landmark for which any East Coast arts lover holds great affection.
















Observe my contented visage as my husband and I made our way into the lobby. I'd picked up our tickets on my lunch hour, which gave us time to meet up after work for dinner before popping into a favorite haunt and then take in the show. As I've mentioned previously here at A Piece of My Mind, those are the ingredients of a perfect day:

- anticipation of a live performance
- dinner
- the show
- some wandering about the city for an added element of perfection

Both my husband Brad and I really enjoyed the play. Our current Supernatural obsession makes Blithe Spirit the perfect play to break up our daily doses of Dean and Sam Winchester.

The story in a nutshell: to research psychic mediums for his next novel, writer Charles Condomine invites Madame Arcati to his home for a seance. However, the medium successfully pulls the spirit of Charles' first wife Elvira back from the Other Side, leading to a territorial showdown between the past and present Mrs. Condomines.

Brad, being a graduate of Toronto's New School of Drama, enjoyed a taste of live theatre for a change from his regular cinephile screenings. He laughed out loud several times (he's not overly-prone to such giggling,) mentioning afterwards that the performances were all strong ones.

As for me, I already knew I would enjoy Blithe Spirit, having seen a production once before. Noel Coward's play is filled with enough wit to be entertaining even as a script-read-through, no sets/costumes/performances necessary.

But the joy of the theatre is settling into my seat to be transported into the story, and words alone don't make the theatre experience.

I'm always impressed by the set designers for Neptune productions - they work with a small stage and never fail to make it seem four times as big. Geofrey Dinwiddie has created an English country manor house that seems cozy enough for the romantic farce elements, and spooky enough for the ghost story to come with its Gothic arches hanging from the proscenium.

Mr. Dinwiddie must have had a great time rigging the set for its displays of otherworldly presences - a smashing good time, I dare say.

Check out the marvelous costume designs by Patrick Clark, showcased by blogging team Haute Halifax:

Spirited theatre fashion

I especially loved Elvira-the-Blithe-Spirit's frothy white Carole Lombard gown.

Here is the merest of tastes of the delightful wit of Mr. Coward:


Ivan Sherry as Charles Condamine

Ruth: You must promise not to catch my eye. If I giggle - and I'm very likely to - it will ruin everything.

Charles: You mustn't. You must be dead serious and if possible a little intense. We can't hurt the old girl's feelings, however funny she is.

Ruth: But why the Bradmans, darling? He's as sceptical as we are. He'll probably say the most dreadful things.

Charles: I've warned him. There must be more than three people and we couldn't have the Vicar and his wife because (a) they're dreary, and (b) they probably wouldn't have approved at all.


Martha Irving as Ruth Condomine









Margot Dionne as Madame Arcati

Madame Arcati: Fortunately an Elemental at this time of the year is unlikely.

Ruth: What do Elementals do?

Madame Arcati: Oh my dear, one can never tell. They're dreadfully unpredictable. Usually they take the form of a very cold wind.

Mrs. Bradman: I don't think I should like that.

Madame Arcati: Occasionally reaching almost hurricane velocity.

Ruth: You don't think it would be a good idea to take the more breakable ornaments off the mantlepiece before we start?


Marla McLean as Elvira Condomine,
the Blithe Spirit herself








There are still several weeks left of the Halifax run. Take a break from your normal everyday and treat yourself to a slice of my favorite taste of life: an audience settling in, the lights dimming, the first footsteps as the actors step onstage...