The most beautiful sound I ever heard may not be “Maria,” as the song goes, lthough that sound is pretty good too, but “Somewhere” in that 1957 gem “West Side Story,” splendidly revived at the Palace Theater. That number, an Edenic nod to the way things could be if romantic love could reign, is staged as a blue-skied paradise with a sole angelic voice cutting through the menace of the Sharks and Jets as they patrol and rumble for dominance on the dark city streets. Riff (Cody Green) and Bernardo (George Akram) are already dead and Maria (Josefina Scaglione) has yet to learn that her lover Tony (a wonderful Matt Cavanaugh) has knifed her brother. “Somewhere” is the sound that takes you out of the grim reality to that sublime “place for us.” So well known are this show's tunes and lyrics, the genius of its creators Arthur Laurents who wrote the book and directed the revival, with Leonard Bernstein's music, Stephen Sondheim's lyrics, and Jerome Robbins' balletic choreography--each performance could be karaoke, but at Thursdays' opening night performance you could hear a proverbial pin drop, because as familiar as this masterpiece is, there are surprises plenty in the new production: the casting of Scaglione as Maria is a revelation. Here was a strategy that paid off well with the current “South Pacific,” using an opera singer in a key role. This lovely Argentinian 21 year old exudes the confidence of a much more seasoned performer at the same time as she embodies her character's requisite innocence. Her voice is astonishing, perfect for this bilingual rendering of “Siento Hermosa” (“I Feel Pretty”) preening as if the audience is her mirror. The “In the Heights” creator-composer-lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda translated several of the show's signature tunes and the fiery Anita, played by Karen Olivo is also a veteran of that 4 time Tony winning musical. The bit of Spanish in song and dialogue sharpens the ethnic diivide bringing the show's Romeo and Juliette themes to new life. Christie Brinkley, Kathleen Turner, Lauren Bacalll, Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue, Spike Lee, Diane Sawyer, Mike Nichols, Keith Carradine, Harvey Weinstein, and the original Maria, Carol Lawrence were among those packed into the Chelsea Piers for the swank after party. Josefina in an ivory gown by Marchesa, was radiant, as her mother, a dentist in their town near Buenos Aires, was happy for her daughter's success. You come away remembering her Maria and the power of “love that comes so strong”-to die for, in fact--and they do.
Bad habits are the unlocked door to failure
Posted by: supra shoes | November 07, 2010 at 06:09 PM