Fresh
from her role in the Stage West’s (Calgary) production of Sweet Charity,
Robyn Wong is sensational as Anita. The Winnipeg native who has appeared in
Arts Club productions of Cabaret and Miss Saigon as well as the
Canadian tour of Aladdin, and Mirvish Productions’ (Toronto) Mamma
Mia, created intense dramatic tension between herself and several
characters in West Side Story. The character of Anita acts as the
juncture at which hatred fueled by racism collides with her struggle to make
sense of the situation in which she finds herself living. There are a couple
of very poignant scenes, one of which takes place at Doc’s shop, which would
be incredibly difficult for a less experienced actress to perform. If you are
a believer in method acting (I don’t know if Wong is), these scenes would be
emotionally exhausting to prepare for, and even more demanding to perform
night after night. I am not a dance aficionado, but from an amateur
perspective, it would appear that Wong was the best dancer among the cast.
In reviewing a musical such as West Side Story, one would normally take time to elaborate on the good performances of Jeremy Lowe (Bernardo) and Dane Szohner (Riff); however, as our space is limited, we would like to devote our remaining comments to highlighting the acting of James Mark, in his supporting role as Doc. Although Doc may not be considered by most to be one of the more prominent characters in West Side Story, it is his attempt to be the voice of reason in the midst of turbulence, which becomes the social conscience for Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents’ musical.
The orchestra did a tremendous job with Leonard Bernstein’s music, and all of the cast members performed Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics with aplomb. Valerie Easton, your choreography was spellbinding, and our hats are tipped to costume designer Chris Sinosich, in particular for the beautiful dresses, to lighting designer Philip Guhl for creating New York skylines and sunsets, and to the team of Marie Kreisz, Henriette Taudin-Chabot, Sean Ullman and Laura Zieroth for giving us splendid sets.
Prior to the opening curtain, I overheard a conversation in which a woman commented that in this part of the country we never get the really good plays and musicals. I have lived in the Vancouver area for a little less than one year, and
in the various places in which I have lived and traveled to, it has been my privilege to take in some of the best productions in both the United States and Canada. It is my experience that often the only things that prevent an actor from performing on a bigger stage and receiving bigger press clippings, boils down to nothing more than being in the right place at the right time, and having the financial resources to hang in there long enough until someone recognizes their abilities. The Greater Vancouver Area of British Columbia Canada continues to be a bastion for the arts, and continues to stage in all art forms, whether, dance, musicals, plays or music some of the most talented artists not only in this country, but in North America. Do not ever think that you are settling for second best, because Royal City Musical Theatre’s production of West Side Story, serves notice that clearly you are receiving high quality entertainment, and for a pittance of what you would pay in centers such as, Toronto, New York City and Los Angeles.
Reviewed by Joe Montague
All Photos by Tim Matheson Protected by Copyright
Reviewed April 2008
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