New York City, with all its glitz, gangs and diversity took up residence on the stage of Macky Auditorium Friday.
CU Opera performed “West Side Story,” the updated version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” for their second play of this academic year.
Two gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, battle on the streets of New York City to rule the roads in a tale of impossible love. Complications inevitably occur when Tony, played by Chad Kranak, a master’s student in vocal performance and pedagogy, falls in love with Maria, played by Katherine Miller, a voice student in the studio of Patrick Mason.
“West Side Story” was selected last March to be performed this year. Auditions were held when students returned to school in August. Any student, no matter what major, was free to audition. Most of the students who auditioned are pursuing music or performance degrees.
“We had a wonderful talent pool (to choose from),” said William Gustafson, stage director and producer of “West Side Story.”
Gustafson’s only concern was not enough men would try out for the many roles available in “West Side Story.”
“I was thrilled with the students that auditioned,” Gustafson said.
Gustafson admitted it was very difficult choosing who would get a role.
“A handful of women could have done Maria,” Gustafson said. “It came down to pairing together the best cast.”
The cast certainly had to be cooperative and cohesive to pull together the many elements that “West Side Story” presents. All actors involved must be prepared for a huge amount of dancing and singing.
And there was no shortage of dancing and singing. The cast was constantly spinning, kicking and jumping across the stage.
“We hired a wonderful choreographer, Stephen Bertles,” Gustafson said. “He brought the elements of the story to life.”
The student actors did a fine job at balancing all the elements and appearing convincing at the same time. Both Miller and Kranak had excellent voices that covered the entire range of Leonard Bernstein’s score.
The high point of the play came in the second act when the Jets performed the song “Gee, Officer Krupke.” The choreography, voices and acting gelled perfectly and left the audience stunned. Most of the scenes that involved a large part of the cast were consistently entertaining and well performed.
The set design was also spectacular. At one point, colorful streamers cascaded from the ceiling to announce the start of a dance scene at the high school.
Although the student orchestra did a fabulous job performing the challenging scores, their music drowned out the actors’ voices sometimes, making it difficult to hear.
Jenna Richlie, a freshman integrative physiology major and one of the few CU students in attendance, came to see the play because she loves theater and was supporting friends who were performing.
“I thought it was really great,” Richlie said. “They can really sing.”
Peter Linscheid, also a freshman and an architectural engineering major, came to see “West Side Story” because he thought it would be a “fun thing to do.”
“It was way better than I expected,” Linscheid said.
At the end of the opera, the crowd gave the cast a gracious applause and standing ovation.
CU Opera will be performing “West Side Story” again Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets cost $10.
Contact Campus Press staff writer Ashley Herzberger at ashley.herzberger@thecampuspress.com.
Contact Campus Press staff writer Ashley Herzberger at Ashley.Herzberger@thecampuspress
