A fresh, sexy ‘West Side Story' rocks the Fox

During the opening moments of the compelling new “West Side Story” at the Fox Theatre, the tension between the Sharks and Jets brews to a stare-down of menacing looks between pacing street toughs. Time ticks, and the orchestra punctuates the awkward silences with the energy of Leonard Bernstein’s magnificent latter-day Gershwin score. What you are hearing, Buddy Boy, is the shrill, edgy sound of a neighborhood about to snap.

Revived on Broadway in a 2009 production directed by librettist Arthur Laurents, this national tour of the classic comes alive when no one is saying much of anything. The excitement is in the virtuosic ballets of Jerome Robbins, in the moments when intimacy and spectacle, eros and tragedy live as one: when Tony (Kyle Harris) and Maria (Ali Ewoldt) shyly embrace for the first time or wade out of the bloodshed into a bright, blazing morning radiant with promise. Their moment may come. But not yet.

With new Spanish translations by Lin-Manuel Miranda (now in Atlanta to compose music for the Alliance Theatre world premiere of “Bring It On”) and some ravishing visual moments that turn high-school gyms into luminous chapels and urban highways into Gothic catacombs, this “West Side Story” marries fair Verona and gritty Hell’s Kitchen with 21st century flair.

Choreographer Joey McKneely is a living link to original director-choreographer Robbins. He reproduces his master’s dances with virtuosity and sizzle, while David Saint steps into the director's chair for Laurents, now 92.

This nearly 40-member ensemble is hot, with Ewoldt and Harris making for a very pretty pair. Harris’ look (the jeans, the hair) may be a tad modern for a story set in the ’50s, but the show picks up considerable steam with his opening solo, “Something’s Coming.” Ewoldt is mostly a pleasure to watch, though sometimes her voice purrs more than it articulates, and her Puerto Rican accent feels a little stage-y, as does a good bit of the show’s well-intentioned efforts to bring a more authentic flavor to the Sharks. Singing familiar lyrics in Spanish (“I Feel Pretty”/"Me Siento Hermosa”) is one thing, but portions of the extended Spanish language sequences may be lost on some audience members.

As Anita and Bernardo, Michelle Aravena and German Santiago give the nuanced performances of seasoned pros, which they are. As bar-owner Doc, John O’Creagh has the tired demeanor of a powerless man; while Stephen DeRosa’s Pee-wee Herman-style shenanigans (as Glad Hand) bring a welcome touch of vaudeville to this dark and turbulent story. Alexandra Frohlinger is a dynamo as Anybodys, the tomboy who wants so badly to be a Jet, and there is an added layer of poignancy in having this complicated character sing the opening bit of “Somewhere.”

While David C. Woolard’s costumes seem a little off period at times, designers James Youmans (sets) and Howell Binkley (lights) provide plenty of visual magic. This is not a been-there, done-that kind of “West Side Story” but a marvelous revival that will resonate with audiences old and new. Over time, this 1957 version of "Romeo and Juliet" likely will be tweaked and retooled according to the tastes of the times. But the powerhouse quartet of Laurents-Bernstein-Sondheim and Robbins will never go out of style.