‘West Side Story’ sparkles at Forestburgh

Review by TOM KANE

FORESTBURGH, NY — For the third time in a row, the lead actress in a Forestburgh Playhouse production held me spellbound.

Last year, the lead actress who played Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls” was absolutely memorable.

Last week, Trista Moldovan’s performance as Billy in “Born Yesterday” took me.

This time around, the sparkling performance of actress/singer/dancer Morgan James, who plays Maria in the playhouse’s ongoing production of “West Side Story,” captivated my attention during the show.

Where does Norman Duttweiler get these extraordinary ladies? I’m talking Broadway here, not just regional theater. These dames are top-drawer—in the case of Maria, a singer, dancer and actress of extraordinary talent and grace.

“You’re just a ladies man,” you might say. I would take great umbrage at such an accusation. I like good performers, regardless of the gender or condition they come in.

I am a fairly good singer and actor—or was once—and have an eye, I believe, for what makes a great stage talent. As the house tenor with the Delaware Valley Opera, I used to have my hair dyed in order to play romantic roles (I’m not that young.)

Am I telling you this to brag about my accomplishments? No, I just want you to know that I have had considerable stage experience as an actor and singer (I was an awful dancer).

“So, get on with the review of the musical,” I hear you saying.

To start with, I loved the production—most of it, anyway.

This musical is one of the toughest (and the most exciting) for any performer, young or old, to take on. Its challenges are gargantuan. The singing calls for an operatic projection. The dancing is extremely difficult, especially while you’re singing with an eye on the director and an eye on the dancer next to you, hoping there will be no collisions.

And this cast did a great job. The Jets lead by Riff (played by Joe Kamara) and the Sharks lead by Bernardo (played by Aaron Coulson) were more than sufficiently menacing while at the same time fluid in their movements. The choreographer for the play, Richard Amelius, should be decorated for the way he got such a large cast to get in their roles and stay in them despite the difficult terrain; the stage of the playhouse isn’t exactly Town Hall.

There’s a scene near the end of the first act in which the whole company is on stage. Both gangs are squeezed on either side—extreme down stage left and extreme down stage right, singing a kind of contrapuntal rhythm in contrast with Maria above on her balcony like Juliet and Tony across stage on his like Romeo, both singing the rapturous “Tonight.” The effect was startling and wonderful, the gangs belligerent and almost evil, the lovers peaceful and serene.

In act two, Maria weaves her charm in the singing of “I Feel Pretty” as the quintessential young woman in love, swooning and totally illogical.

The harsh realism of her friend Anita, played remarkably well by Maria Francesconi, soon softens as she witnesses the sincere love exuding from every pore of her friend Maria.

For me, the highlight of the production was the gripping choreography of “Cool,” a number led by Snowboy (played by Richard Amelius, the choreographer of the show). When the end of the number finally peaked in a startling freeze, I realized that I had been breathing in unison with the music and movements and I stopped with a gasp. It felt both exciting and relieving.

That’s what great theater—and the Forestburgh Playhouse—are all about.