We'll find a new way of living...
West Side Story at Near West Theatre thru 8/3

We'll find a new way of living/ We'll find a way of forgiving/ Somehow, someday, somewhere... Those words can never have been sung in a more heart-felt and sincere fashion since they were first heard slightly more than 50 years ago, than they are currently at Near West Theatre. They were written by a young man, then barely older than the youngsters who were to sing them, and who has gone on to become one of the more famous composers of our time -- Stephen Sondheim. Leonard Bernstein wrote the fantastic score -- cross between musical theater and opera, sort of -- while Arthur Laurents and Jerome Robbins actually got West Side Story up and on its feet, running head-long into the pages of history.

Of course, these gentlemen could not have known how perfectly their creation would fit the exact purpose and covenant of Cleveland's Near West Theatre at a time when the city itself is being torn asunder by just such gang wars. Different times, different methods, but dead is dead. It's not like in the movies; the guy who gets shot doesn't get up and go out to play again. Not in real life, that is.

(I have to explain briefly here that I'd never been to Near West Theatre before last Friday night, and I'm sure my impression was greatly influenced by the lead story in that morning's Plain Dealer. The one about the women (Mothers Working Against Youth Violence) in our community who've lost sons to needless and senseless violence. I kept wishing that our troubled youth could see this production, and also see what they might be able to become with a little bit of help.)

Near West Theatre was a dream 31 years ago. It was mostly conjured up by George Hrbek of Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry and Father Bob Scullin of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Ohio City. NWT was given space in that church, and Stephanie Morrison-Hrbek was asked to start a summer theater for neighborhood youth. The first production was Godspell, with 13 teens on stage, and Father Bob in the pit as one of the musicians. In 1980, Bob Navis joined in as resident musical director, a position he holds today, along with that of Artistic Director.

You might tend to think this was just a group of "hippies" doing their thing, and boy! would you be wrong. This is a neighbood -- a community, if you will -- working and playing and dreaming together. Race, income status... none of that matters one little teeny bit. Talent doesn't always play the major role either. It's the will, and the "want-to" that counts the most. Discipline, in other words.

Some of the 34 teens on stage in West Side Story have been in numerous productions, but not always on stage. A good many of the run crew (which was terrifically efficient in this performance) have been on stage in prior productions. And probably will be again. They learn every element of what it takes to put on a performance, from the front of the stage to the back side. "We're not trying to create theater kids," says Ms. M-H, "we're creating dedicated and committed citizens of our community." Everybody does a little bit of everything. Each December, all the theater apparatus is dismantled and moved out of the church's Club Building to an off-site location, and then brought back after St. Patrick's Day and reassembled for the coming season. "It's a wonderful investment in volunteering. We now have second generation involvement," she adds.

The only adults on stage are those required for the script. In this case it was Doc, Schrank, Officer Krupke and Glad Hand. The musicians in the orchestra (9 of them this time, plus the conductor Bob Navis, who doubled on keyboards) are all paid. Some of them are students, some are former students, while still others are parents of students. The tradition is strong.

The energy expended on stage was phenomenal. I've seen truly professional productions that didn't approach this level of interest and commitment by the performers. Last year, I was privileged to see Romeo and Juliet done by age-appropriate actors. It's an amazing difference, and was exemplified again by the NWT cast. They did West Side Story here nearly 20 years ago, and it raised eyebrows with it's unusual authenticity. Kids who really were Puerto Rican, rather than only looking like Puerto Ricans. In today's melting-pot society, you can't tell by names any more, but looks were at least a ten!

The acting and singing was excellent. I'm not fond of amplification, but could forgive the use of it here, given the size of the performance space (huge stage with an audience capacity of 200+) and the young voices involved. There were a few pitch problems Friday night, but it was the first time they'd worked with the orchestra behind the set, which caused some difficulties for actors being able to hear the music properly. With luck that problem was resolved by Saturday's performance. A bigger problem was the temperature on stage, which caused the adhesive holding the mics in place to loosen and in some cases, fall off. Considering the terrific amount of action taking place, this is hardly to be wondered at.

Choreography was by Ms. Morrison-Hrbek and Kristy Cruz, and you'd have thought these kids had been dancing since their cradle days. Not so. "Perhaps only 20% of these kids have ever had any dance training," according to Ms. M-H. "Probably less than that have had any vocal training. The amount of natural ability is stunning." The dance scenes crackled with energy and electricity. They work hard at it -- a minimum of 20 hours a week for four to six weeks! That's intense. The fight choreography by Patrick Ciamacco was the best I've ever seen, anywhere. Practice does make perfect.

The set designed by Cory Molner (who also designed the lighting) was an amazing creation. Large panels painted to resemble brick walls (exterior and/or interior), were movable to form various locations, from Doc's basement to the sewing shop to various street scenes. They were moved rapidly and silently, as others of the crew ran (really!) moving small scenery bits and props. Stage manager is Scott Zolkowski, sound by Rob Horn and technical direction by Michael Larochelle.

Some of the performers are more experienced than others, which is only logical. Among the standouts were Kelcie Nicole Dugger as Anita. This young lady has it all, and should go far in her chosen field, and we'll all benefit should she choose theater. Tony and Maria were visually perfect for their parts as played by Max Kantor and Magan Yantko. Daniel Ray Ignacio Caraballo was appropriately tough as Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, as was his counterpart Devin Ruic as Riff, boss of the Jets.

All of this excellence didn't happen by happenstance, either. "Over 100 aspiring young actors auditioned for this show, and the level of talent and desire was so high that quite a few veterans of previous performances didn't get cast," says Artistic Director Bob Navis. "Of course, the neighborhood has changed in the 30 years we've been doing this, and that affects who walks through the doors. Probably half of this cast is new this time around."

As part of the getting acquainted process, he separated the youngsters into two "gangs" -- the vets and the newbies. Physically separated them, and then asked them to describe the members of the other gang. "Who were these others, in their opinion: imagine clothing, lifestyle, religion, why did they come out for theatre?" The stereotypes and perceptions were nearly identical, and almost entirely wrong. Untrue, exaggerated. They learned that it hurts to be judged by "people who don't even know me" They learned that some people have no human understanding of another group at all.

This is heavy stuff for anyone, let alone teenagers. But they all stuck it out, and in the process, voluntarily learned life-lessons that will last them forever. It didn't happen overnight, but the dream has lasted. Not without a lot of hard work by a great number of dedicated people.

Navis continues, "I love the mix of experienced and inexperienced performers that we get here. Each of them can learn something from the other. Some of them are so good they could be professional, if they want to be. Theater is not inclusional, we need to be open to nurturing and be inclusive. We need to value high-quality art, and try to find the balance between the two. This cast worked harder than any I can recall. The intense heat of the last couple of weeks, and learning the space (some of the dance rehearsals had been held off-site) -- this piece needs every drop of energy they can find."

It is truly impressive, and impassioned. You should not miss it. There are seven performances left: July 24, 25, 26 and August 1, 2 & 3, 2008. Curtain times are: Thursday, Friday and Saturday @ 7:30PM and Sunday @ 3PM. The Club Building of St. Patrick's Church is at W. 38th and Bridge Avenues, and free parking is available. For tickets or other information, call 961-6391 or you may order online at http://www.nearwesttheatre.org.

In addition, there will be a benefit performance in the Ohio Theatre at PlayHouseSquare on Sunday, February 15. Information about this event is available through the above methods.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com

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