Hoboken High School’s award-winning theater students are getting ready to rumble with their spring production of West Side Story. First produced on Broadway in 1957, the musical quickly became an American classic.
West Side Story explores themes of hatred and death through the story of two ill-fated lovers and the feuding gangs that seek to tear them apart. Tony is a Polish-American whose affiliation with his old gang, the Jets, becomes strained after he falls in love with Maria, the Puerto Rican sister of the leader of the rival Sharks.
The relations between the Jets and the Sharks are already tense because each gang seeks control over the New York City streets. The taboo love affair between Tony and Maria further complicates the situation that ultimately ends in tragedy.
The students of HHS, still coping with the tragic terrorist attacks of last year, have a particular interest in the play’s subject matter. During their rehearsals and acting workshops, they have explored the similarities between gang-fighting in West Side Story and the current socio-political conflicts that are occurring all over the world.
The cast also is having a lot of fun. They are enjoying the ethnic themes, as many of them are Hispanic by descent. They are meeting the challenges of the production’s choreography, which draws from different kids of dance influences, including modern, jazz, ballet, and Spanish dance styles. They are discovering the beauty of Leonard Bernstein’s rich score and the wonderful text written by Arthur Laurents.
Most rewarding, they said, are the bonds of friendship the participants have developed.
HHS’s theater program has produced several musicals over the last year. In 1999, they won “Best Musical in the State” in Papermill Playhouse’s Rising Star Awards program. The following year, they became participants in Papermill’s “Adopt-a-School” program.
This year, they promise to once again deliver, with 50 student actors led by director Paula Ohaus and her talented team of theater professionals. They include Erich Rausch as musical director, Jared Ramos as choreographer, Alexander Solodukho and Konstanza Koutaeva as set designers, Isabel Dumois as costume designer, Michael Reese as lighting designer and Lou Rentas as sound designer.
Performances are: Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m.; Friday, May 3 and Saturday May 4 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee Saturday, May 4 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $8, but only $5 for students and seniors. Call (201) 356-3731 for information and reservations.