West Side Story (Touring)

That dancing was awesome, the orchestra was superb, the biggest challenge was hearing the actors! We sat in the balcony and only heard about one out of ten words. The speakers were not working up there, very disappointing as we were celebrating my moms 86th birthday, should have been able to hear it no matter where we sat!

Saw the Show in Saint Louis at the Fox and again In Columbia MO Jessie auditorium. Even with minor changes they had to make to stage design/props, sound, and lighting as Jessie not a large / tall stage it was not noticeable in the way all of the actors did "live their part". All the roles are well cast and there is good chemistry between the actors. The dance was, in my opinion, perfection, Music and choreography were the best. Beautifully done. A Personal Shout Out To Suki Lopez Great Job! It was great to meet so many of the Ladies in the Cast and treat them to a Home Cooked Meal! Keep Doing what You all do Best!

The entire cast was phenomenal! The singing and dancing was so professional and moving I thought I was watching the best of Broadway. Standing ovation and yells of delight at the close. A full house sowed their appreciation and admiration for this group of stars. And I can't leave out the live orchestra. Their music was perfectly played and the talent is as good as it gets. Overall, it was one of the best evenings of my life.

I took my mother to the show and we totally enjoyed it!! I remember watching the movie on TV with her as a little girl & loved it then as well. WE were not disappointed!!

Was very disappointed in the West Side Story performance...too much shreiking/singing, too much Spanish language and the story was lost in all of it. Too bad for a classic.

The production was amazing all together! The characterization was spot on, although in my opinion a few lines had the wrong motiviation. The use of spanish in the show was an outstanding addition to the show as well. I loved the chemistry on stage between Tony and Maria. The movement of the song "Cool" to before the rumble actually fit alot better then where it was originally, and same thing with the song "Gee, Officer Krupke." I really enjoyed the song "Somewhere", there was a great use of the ensemble and Anybodys. I have seen the movie twice and I had never felt the need to cry at the end, but this show almost brought me to tears. the choreography was amazingly done, and the dances actually fit really well with the theme of the song. It really was a great show.

Superb performance by the cast. The voices of those playing Maria and Tony were amazing. Beautiful story. I highly recommend it. I heard people complaining that it had "too much Spanish in it". That type of reaction by people is actually the point of the story - it seems that the problem still exists as much today as it did when the play first came out decades ago.

I attended the Sat. afternoon performance. Unfortunately, there was no "magic" or "sparkle" to this performance. The dancing was wonderful! However, the lead for Tony was weak and didn't provide any passion - kind of left the love scenes lukewarm. He did not have a pleasing voice. Several of the men in his "gang" had much nicer voices. Maria was wonderful. I felt like she kept holding back so as to not cover up "Tony". She had sparkle and was outstanding as was Anita. Also, the orchestral arrangement was not the best. It was too thin. There needed to be more instruments. I love the music to this story and have listened to it for the past 40 years. This was not what I would consider an outstanding Broadway performance. It fell a little flat.

West Side Story was perfect! We loved it. The actors did a fine job.

Take out the Spanish. Speak English. Performers were great!

A little too much bad language for my taste,but on the other hand exceptional performance on the part of the actors.

The choreography was magnificent. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the singing. Rif (an understudy at this show) and Tony were not nearly up to my expectations. Maria and Anita were great. I was also very annoyed by the amount of Spanish in the show. I heard they added some Spanish, but whole conversations we not in English. I was saying that at least the songs were all in English, but then in the 2nd act that started changing some verses of the songs to Spanish too. Sure, I know Puerto Ricans will speak Spanish in real life. But this is a play for an English-speaking audience, not real life.

The overall play was great, Maria's voice was incredible, the dancing was very good and was very enjoyable.

The show was well produced and the actors and actresses displayed wonderful talent.

The signing in this play is wonderful. The characters all performed very well. I would watch this musical again.

West Side Story was good, but not great. Tony and Maria lacked spark. I did not get the feeling of any chemistry between them. Their voices did not seem to harmonize during the duets. The staging, scenery, costumes were all good. I would have enjoyed seeing a slightly updated version of the Romeo and Juliet type love story. There was more Spanish in the PR scenes than I had remembered.

Was only my 2nd play to attend - last was Fiddler on the Roof. Thoroughly enjoyed the performance by the actors.

We thought it was very boring and kind of like a school play. I wasn't impressed by most of the coreography and the singing. I am sorry that we spent over $200 for 2 people for a play and dinner so not worth it.

The first half was delightful for the most part, great acting and singing, everything I was hoping for to treat my wife to a great evening out. A few lines that had been changed to make this as if it was a play about today s inner city youth. Some sexually charged lines that just seamed un necessary with such great acting. There was one other strange event, the actor playing Tommy started spewing saliva as he sang to the point that from the second row it seemed like we may need an umbrella. Mind you his singing was excellent. Then after the intermission things turned raunchy, male actors humping each other all over the stage, in a ridiculous orgy of rude and crude dance moves that would be completely unacceptable to my children and I found offensive. Truly these dances seemed like something you would find in a strip club. There was even a gang rape scene with briefs completely exposed. Nothing about this script needs to be enhanced to be enjoyed by today s audiences, the play is timeless and was only cheapened by these lowly changes. So the two stars would have been 4 to 5 without the slutty behavior of the male actors. The role of Maria was performed with amazing acting and singing talent that was off the scale! Such amazing beauty and talent in one petite package! This small statured actress was a giant on stage demanding your complete attention at all times. Her facial expressions captured to mood of every scene.

A great musical. I like the dances the most. Tony and Anita have great voices. I wasn't too crazy with Maria's voice. The props were also realistic.

I thoroughly enjoyed the production. My only complaint is that sometimes I thought the orchestra overpowered the singing.

Classic musical worth seeing. The choreography was wonderful. I did not like that half of the dialogue was in Spanish. You can still understand the point of conversation, and I know it's more realistic, but I don't like missing out on lines.

Classic story, well acted. Kyle Harris was amazing as Tony. Understudy for Anita played the night I saw. She was fantastic. Check it out if it hits your city.

West Side Story is one of my all time favorite shows and I was looking forward to finally seeing the Broadway production. It was easily the worst show I've ever seen, including HS productions. The people playing Tony and Maria, could not sing and their duet for Tonight was pretty sad. Of redeeming value was the person playing Anita, she was excellent and did a great job. Also, the fellow playing Bernardo was ok. Oh, and the bilingual singing, sorry, it didn't work. I love Latin Jazz and salsa, so it isn't like I don't enjoy songs sung in Spanish, but not for West Side Story. I had read in another review from a newspaper in San Diego which said that maybe, they recruited dancers and singers. Maybe, but they weren't that good either.

Third time seeing WS. This was the best. acting of this wonderful story.

If you understand spanish it is 10 more funny. We really enjoyed the script adaptation. The time flew by on this one- most musicals drag on- not Westside story.

The show was amazing - great dancing and singing! Our seats were in the second to last row and I would still recommend going.

I thought I was at a high school musical. I didn't hear any "full mature" voices to carry the main songs except one song lead girl sang. Very weak ending. "huh, really?" Appreciate the effort and hard work.

Attended Wednesday night's (1/12) performance. Wonderful, exciting and lively. I would have preferred the actors/actresses not talk so quickly; difficult to understand the dialogue. Also I felt there was too much use of Spanish; totally unnecessary. Maria/Ali Ewoldt, Tony/Kyle Harris, Anita/Michelle Aravena and Bernardo/German Santiago made this very believable. Thank you to all the cast.

After all the rave reviews about this new version, I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. The dancing and orchestration was absolutely fabulous and well worth a single viewing with a lower-priced ticket, but I wouldn't attend this again, as I would many other musicals, because the musical dragged in the first half, and the Spanglish/hybrid mix in both conversation and song was VERY distracting. I couldn't absorb myself in the acting or singing because I would be jarred out of any growing emotion every time it would switch between Spanish and English. I think it just ruined the songs for either ethnicity. I even speak Spanish, so I can't even imagine what it is like for those who don't.

We were not too impressed. The choreography was substandard and the acting was mediocre at best. I need to go watch the movie agian so I can have that version of West Side Story in my memory bank.

I have had season tickets to Shea's Theater in Buffalo for 3 years and this show was by far the most disappointing performance i have been to. I have never felt like leaving at intermission, but came really close to doing it this time. The one saving grace was the part of James Thunder Early played by Chester Gregory. He sang great and was fun to watch on stage. Too many lights, too loud, song after song sounded the same, etc.

Terrable performance, I have seen West Side Story on many ocassions. The performance was lackluster and boring. Addison Reid Coe ( Tony ) was miscast in the role, his voice was horrible. My wife ( a professional classical singer ) felt his voice seemed exhausted. I did enjoy the set design as well as the orchestra. No,I would not recommend this show !!

As a huge fan of the movie, I had to check out this production and was plesantly suprised. The cast was great especially the young ladies that played Maria and Anita. for a very small lady Maria had a powerful, amazing voice. I was suprised by the changes in the order of some of the songs based on the movie, also some changes in the some of the songs, such as "America" which didn't have any of the sharks it was all female. Not sure why... Anybodies also had a solo! All in all everything was very good. My date mentioned she thought the sets were below average, but I honestly didn't notice. There was about a 15 minute intermission about 3/4 through the show. My seats were very good center section row L.

There is nothing about the entire evening was disappointing!!

I took my mom to see this musical. We loved it. The actors were so talented and the actors that played Tony and Maria were Great. There was alot of spanish spoken but it just added to the show, plus my mom speaks it fluently and understood everything.

I think the reason I liked it so much is just because it has always been one of my favorite musicals. This modern version was racier, a bit "over-sexed" & filled with profanity; not the way I remember the classic movie to be, which would have been fine I guess had performances been spot on. The singing & casting could have been a lot better, but the dancing was amazing!!! Anita was the best character, outperformed the others in my opinion.

For my first musical, I must say that "West Side Story" was fantastic and every other musical I attend will have huge shoes to fill. From beginning to end, this production kept me on the edge of my seat. Having never seen the original "West Side Story," on film or any other media form, and only hearing of the story, seeing it live far exceeded any expectations I had and left me eager to find the original on DVD just to have a point of origin for what I saw at The Fabulous Fox Theater in Atlanta. The acting was incredible and the singing, superb! It was funny and sad all rolled into one. I was able to identify with some of the characters and found myself enraged over the behavior of others. I oftentimes found myself wanting to join one of the gangs, but couldn't quite determine a dedicated allegiance. I thoroughly enjoyed the dancing and the outfits and colors were amazing! Choreography was perfect and the moves...sizzling! This production was everything I ever imagined a musical production should be...and then some. From the opening scene to the closing of the final curtain, I enjoyed this musical and would see it again and again.

Emotionally, I almost couldn't contain myself! Some of the lines were not only haunting but painfully needful! Even at a time like this, some 30, 40 years later, the relevancy of such a message is still apparent. I was captivated from the start. I loved the movement. I love the strength of the characters. Everyone possessed such sincerity to their role. Thanks to all the cast.

Awesome non stop high energy show.love live theater and so glad I went too see it!!!!!!!!

Excellent production! Wonderful performers and great sets. Went with my mom for "Mother's Day" - we will never forget it!

Felt like we were in NYC on Broadway with the professionalism & talent these kids broyght a beloved story to life right in front of my eyes.

I really enjoyed watching West Side Story on stage. I have seen the movie numerous times and the onstage performance was awesome.

We saw West Side Story on 5/18/14. The singing and dancing were wonderful. I appreciate the talent of the cast. However , the "updating" of the story was upsetting. The reviews called the new adaptations "gritty." I call them appalling. Why does very "update" require sex and vulgarity? I took my daughter to see West Side Story when she was twelve and we thoroughly enjoyed it. My whole family went (Including the 8 and 13 year old) and we were shocked at the changes. "Officer Krumpky" was a comic relief in the original story instead of an onstage display of masturbation. Is it a must that every stage play have someone crawling in bed? Have we become so immune to violence against women that rape is casually used for dramatic effect? I know that I will take flack for this, but this was NOT family entertainment and I realize now that I can't take my grandchildren to see a play, even a "classic" unless I preview it.

Performers were excellent! Great show, highly recommend.

Great cast...everyone was awesome! Would definitely recommend.

It was a good show except all 4 of us were unable to understand the Puerto Rican girls when they were speaking in a conversation. Their accents were way too thick. My husband and I had to explain a lot to our kids (12 and 14) because they couldn't grasp the words being said in English.

This production of West Side Story, was absolutely wonderful!! Some different staging ideas were evident and totally worked!! Dancing was superb!! Thoroughly enjoyed it!! Slightly disappointed in VIP Spotlight Room prior to performance. Cost was super high for what was served!! Could have been less expensive, or included a drink or two. Cash bar was extremely high as well!! Liked idea of meeting there with friends as we all came from different cities, but will NOT do again at that cost!

I have fond memories of the movie, but never saw the stage play. The dancing was incredible, and the songs made me cry because I have always loved the musical score. I did have a problem with hearing and understanding some of the cast, and was not sure if it was because they were not loud enough, my seats were too far away, or if the acoustics were not very good in the theater - I would blame my hearing but others around me complained about the same thing (and I am not elderly). Overall we really enjoyed it and I would see it again. My 12 year old thought the dancing and singing were fantastic, she is really into Broadway and couldn't wait to hear I Feel Pretty because I sing that from time to time!

This was amazing!! Well done for the entire crew!!

Everything was excellent. Scenery good, sound perfect, singing and dancing wonderful. I would change only one thing: Maria's speech at the end. She is speaking the lines as if she is out of breath and rushing them. To be better, they should be spoken slower and enunciated with anger. She and all the actors gave a stellar performance and I would attend this production again.

It seems like a long time since West Side Story made the theater circuit. I had not seen the musical in over thirty years. This production reminded me of what it was that I enjoyed about the show. First of all, the voice of Maria was amazing and caused chills to go up and down my spine. I enjoyed all the great songs that are part of the show. The rendition of "America" was wonderful. "Somewhere a place for us," made me realize that the universal theme of the play goes beyond the boundaries set by culture. And of course the song "Maria" is an all time favorite. The show had a lot of great dancing. It was truly enjoyable.

The music, the dancing, acting and singing, all amazing!!!!!

might've been 5 stars, but that's more than I normally give anything been seeing 1-3 shows per year for about a decade or so now this was clearly one of the best I've seen

Too bad they ruined this wonderful story with crudity, obscenity, and stupidity. What should have been a wonderful family night out was sickening. The Director and Producer obviously have NO TALENT at all. Only those with NO TALENT use obscenity and sexual crudeness. Taking a classy American icon and making it disgusting is a crime. Do you think children should watch a man put his hands down his pants and then lick his fingers? Really? How about a rape scene? Then take out the iconic West Side Story details, and ending. Awful - I will look up the director and producer and NEVER go to anything they do ever again. They should be ashamed.

The play was unforgettable! Acting was great! Music is still in my head.Stage was awesome!

West Side Story is as relevant a story today as it was when it premiered. The cast was very strong, the musicians very emotional. I sat back and enjoyed the entire production..

Absolutely amazing! I was so impressed with this show, I will definitely see it again!

Fabulous! One of the better shows I've seen in a long time. The dancing was great, as was the singing, and overall just a fantastic performance.

The choreography and dancing was fabulous. The women actors did a good job.

the coreography was amazing and it was a fresh version of my beloved movie. Acting was up to par and the actors and actressses were all really good to look at. Woud definately see it again if it returns to Detroit.

Not a good casting, effort or execution. The voices were not strong enough to carry the play, and with half of the dialogue in muted Spanish, I am not certain how this presentation could have been less desirable. Not a good or worthwhile rendition.

Great Cast , beautiful voices and fantastic choreography!

An amazing musical (love Bernstein!) done by a really good cast! The guy who played Tony has an absolutely beautiful voice! Could have listened to him sing "Maria" all day! The cast member playing Anita was fabulous, too. (One thing - the orchestra overpowered the singers in a few places.) The Fisher Theater was great - and the people working there are so friendly and helpful, especially at the concession stand and bar area. (Usually you get irritated people there because of the high volume of people and time crunch - not so here!) Highly recommend it!

I loved this show, great adaptation and well cast. Unfortunately, the sound in the balcony was impossible to hear. We could hear the music but not the dialogue or the singing. A first I thought it was just me until everyone started talking about it at intermission and it was a consensus among the 20 people immediately around us. Very disappointing for my daughters first musical ever and for purposely purchasing front row balcony seats.

Wow! It was everything that I thought it would be other then not being the movie cast I could not have ask for a better bucket list performance Bravo!

I attend musical theatre regularly, in my hometown and Broadway, and I usually enjoy every show. Having seen productions of West Side Story before, I was unusually disappointed. The cast playing the Puerto Ricans, including the leads, were extremely hard to understand, so thick were their "accents". The actress who played Anita was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She has all the "punchlines" in the song "America", but no one could understand them. Too bad! Another decision that was puzzling was that the actors would launch into Spanish in the middle of dialog or a song. Since I couldn't understand them much of the time, I initially thought, "wow, I REALLY can't understand this line"...I was right. While I understand that Spanish is now a common language in our country, and that West Side Story in its original form does not realistically portray the Latino character, I think it was wrong to mess with the beautiful and well-known score of Leonard Bernstein. People attend this show to hear the music as it was written. The dancing (another reason people want to see this show) was good, and yet not as tight as I would have expected. Sets were more spartan, as was the blocking. The ending was a disappointment, with most of the remaining characters standing on stage, until Maria, kneeling by Tony's body, holds her hands up for her shawl (a strange gesture if you're kneeling next to your dead lover). Someone comes to her with the shawl, and places it on her head, I guess like a widow's veil. But the curtain goes down with a sobbing Maria grasping the actors forearms above her while he's holding the shawl on her head. A weird pose with which to end the show. The orchestra played beautifully, but overall this show was not up to the standards of a national touring company, which is shocking considering all the wonderful talent in this world.

WSS is one of my favorite musicals but this cast just didn't do it for me. Tony and Maria were like Mutt and Jeff, Tony very tall and Maria petite. The orchestra was excellent and saved the day.

We love musicals (wife and I). Musicals with live music are our preference. This show did not disappoint. Great music, fantastic singing, great choreography, and the set was perfect. Spartan enough to leave the focus on the performers, yet what was there was executed beautifully. The set was very convincing, and the scenery changes were a work of art on their own. The way the scenes melded together made the show flow well. Maria's voice (Suki) was amazing, and Anita (Michelle) was absolutely perfection in playing her character. Bernardo as well. So many things stood out, but the overall cohesiveness of the show and cast members really made it all work as more than the sum of the parts. Even the smaller parts, Doc, Officer Krupke, the detective, Anybody's, all of the cast members seemed to be focused on being the role, not just saying lines. The small details always make the difference. Thank You for a wonderful show.

I'm still singing and humming the songs days after. It was a wonderful performance!

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

West Side Story was a great musical. The dancing was the best part. If you have children, you may want to see the musical first before bringing them. There is a rape scene that is quite graphic and disturbing.

Was not one of the better musicals I have seen. The leads were not strong enough.

Great energetic cast! They could sing, they could dance and they could act! West Side Story has complicated music and dance and they did it justice.

Five of us attended. We enjoyed the production. The cast did a great job of singing and dancing, especially the two leads. Great show.

West Side Story was one of the best musicals I have seen. It was identical to the movie version. The performers were all excellent. I would see it again and again.

I've seen the movie and enjoyed it but enjoyed the live performance much more. If I had the chance I would go again.

Great dancing! Great singing, especially Maria....

Audio was lost at times. Male lead actors singing seemed to be holding back, not projecting. Female leads singing was very good

The dance segment to the song Somewhere there is a place for us, was amazing and a great addition to the play. Maria's voice fantastic.

Good rendition of west side story. Amazing dancers and singers in this company.

Sound was not working for the first song. Which is the set up for the show. It took about 3 songs for them to get it working correctly. Than it was not loud enough, the Orchestra was louder then the singers . Majority of the Porto Rican singers songs were in Spanish. The "bed" scene with Tony and Maria, was not necessary. The Officer Krupke had obscene parts to it, that took away for the humor and made it embarrassing to watch. HATED the rape scene. I felt any parent that may have taken or let their child see directorial composition of W.S.S. would have upset.

The story was taken back to original. The actors were awesome! Music and dancing was equally awesome! My nephew, Sam Rohloff played Baby John and it was most definitely fantastic!

It was mesmerizing! I am 40 years old and had never seen the movie or musical but as I heard the songs I realized I had heard them before because they are so popular and have been used in commercials and such. The casting was perfect. How they were able to sing and dance as hard as they did was very impressive! The leads voices were angelic. Go see it!!

Very entertaining. Great acting and very true to the movie right down to the dancing! The music was great!!

The dancing was awesome. Had a lump in my throat at the end.

We bought seats with an obstructed view, but it was still great. The show itself was kind of boring.

The singing and dancing were incredible. I felt just like I was in New York. Loved the choreography. Even though the original musical was created in 60's, the choreography had a modern edge. The dialogue was kept close to the original, but updated in some places to fit the times. I would definitely recommend going to see the live performance versus staying at home and watching the movie.

I bought tickets to the show because my mom really enjoyed the soundtrack from years back. We were all so disappointed with the show. It was hard to hear the lyrics, so we couldn't enjoy the play-on-words in the songs. And the most upsetting was the bad performance of Tony. He was awkward to watch, like a high school play. Needless to say, I was very disappointed it wasn't the musical I was hoping to take my mom to.

I have to say for a touring company production I felt it was pretty good - not great - and there were certain members of the cast that were outstanding - namely the two female leads -Maria and her sister Anita. However most of the cast is very green - and it shows. The male lead, Tony, while ok, is not on the same level vocally as Maria and it is quite obvious (at least to me). And in watching this show again, these songs are not easy to sing, so I have to give him credit for doing this as his first show, but I felt it wasn't quite as strong as the female parts. The dancing was great however. And the numbers that stood out were: Dance at the Gym; America; I Feel Pretty; Somewhere; Officer Krupke. The other thing to note: they decided to to do a lot of the songs in both English and Spanish - which I don't remember from either the movie or original Broadway version. At first, it was hard to understand why they did it......but I can see making it more modern and actually true to form makes sense. But it was harder to follow (especially if you don't speak Spanish).

Absolutely fabulous performance of a classic, highly recommend!

I have seen and read West Side Story many times and was upset with the version of this production. In 3 scenes the use of sexual situations and or obsenities were used, this is not so in the original. Ex: using the billy club as a phallic symbol, during the "social disease" the actor is putting his hands in front of pants and smelling it, also Marie and Tony in a bed, and the raping of Anita. I am all for creative interpretation but why does it have to be degraded to smut. Also one of the leading men, Tony, was disappointing, he slouched and didn't have a strong presence as one of the main characters. However Anita, Maria and Bernardo did an excellent job. I am hopeful that in the future when I go to see a classic such as West Side Story that it will maintain it's integrity.

WSS has been one of my favorite shows for years--love the music, dancing & love story (although I always hope that somehow it will end happily....). Tony & Maria were fabulous, as well as the rest of the cast. Very enjoyable.

I saw this original show years ago, without the suggestive and gross sexual behavior. The reference to rape was never in the original and made me almost physically ill. None of this was necessary and ruined the entire experience. How sad for such a wonderful classic!

Great play. Acting and singing was wonderful. I completely agree that it is not recommend children under 13.

Show was great. Dancing, music and singing Could have done without the vulgarity.

The performance was excellent. The performers had beauitiful voices, and the dancers were excellent.

The performance overall was just okay; nothing really struck me as spectacular. I was disappointed by the addition of vulgar choreography during the Officer Krumke song. It didn't really add anything to the interpretation of the play and just came off as gratuitously crude.

I took my daughter to see West Side Story for her birthday. We both enjoyed the show very much. All of the actors and actresses were good, but particular kudos to those who portrayed Bernardo and Anita . The actress portraying Maria has a beautiful voice.

I was very disappointed in the vocal quality of the male lead. He also had little acting experience. The gal playing Maria was certainly better! Enjoyed the dancing, but I was surprised that the cast as a whole seemed inexperienced. The most remarkable and professional performer was Anita, Bernardo's girlfriend. She was terrific!