When "Romeo and Juliet" and modern playwrights collided, "West Side Story" was born.
This weekend a whole new breed of the much loved musical will be born at UNM's Popejoy Hall.
"It's got to be interesting for people who have never seen 'West Side Story' and are familiar with 'Romeo and Juliet' to see how Shakespeare's language was transposed into American vernacular," said David Chavez, director and choreographer of the Popejoy production. Chavez said although he stayed faithful to the script, there are a couple of elements he changed for his production of "West Side Story."
"The argot of the '50s is very prevalent in the original Broadway production," he said. "They used special words that they used in the '50s like 'Great Daddy-o.'"
Chavez took out some of the '50s slang and added some costumes that cross through the '40s, '50s and '60s so that the play could take place in any of the three decades.
I wanted to keep it more dangerous than it was in the '50s, a little more harder edge," he said.
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Instead of using the traditional method of scene changes, they are incorporated into the action. There is only one blackout and not one curtain drop throughout the play.
"I wanted to make the transitions as interesting as the dramatic scenes themselves," Chavez said. "So every scene is manipulated and changed in front of the audience's eyes, and it continually moves, and it's lit specifically. It keeps the tension that Bernstein kept in the score."
Although three-fourths of the cast are UNM students, several of the leads are guest actors, some who have performed in "West Side Story" productions around the world, Chavez said. The New Mexico Symphony will play the score led by Music Director and Conductor Guillermo Figueroa.
Even though "West Side Story" takes place over 50 years ago, it covers difficult themes of love, gangs and prejudice that are prevalent to all generations. Because most people know the story of "Romeo and Juliet," they will understand the premise of "West Side Story," Chavez said.
The two star-crossed lovers in "West Side Story" are Maria, played by Crystal Kellogg, and Tony, played by Chris Orrell. Maria is Puerto Rican and a member of the Sharks gang, which is in constant conflict with Tony's Irish/Polish gang, the Jets.
The tension rises when Tony kills Maria's brother, Bernardo in a gang brawl.
"No matter how hard Tony and Maria try to resolve the tension between the two groups, it actually goes against them. It just turns around on them," Chavez said. "It ends up as a tragedy."
The main difference between the themes of the musical and "Romeo and Juliet" is "West Side Story" does not end in a double suicide, Chavez said.
The original "West Side Story" opened up in 1957 at New York's Winter Garden Theater and became an instant hit. Four years later, Hollywood transformed the Broadway play into a film that won 10 Academy Awards.
"West Side Story" was the first in the genre of musical dramas that incorporated romance, tragedy and violence with singing and dancing.
What: "West Side Story"
When: Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 6 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m.
Where: Popejoy Hall
Price: $12- $55
Ticket Info: 925-5858
