I grew up watching
West Side Story. I've seen the movie dozens of times, listened to the music hundreds of times, and seen it on stage a handful of times (
including the Ordway's gorgeous production last year). But I've never seen a
West Side Story like the one currently on stage at the big blue building on the river.
The Guthrie's West Side Story, directed by Artistic Director Joseph Haj and featuring new original choreography Maija Garcia (both children of immigrants), feels like it was made for today's world. A toppled over Lady Liberty dominates the set, and the musical's themes of institutionalized racism, prejudice towards immigrants, senseless violence, and hate born out of fear have never felt so relevant. It's still that timeless story of star-crossed lovers,* set to Leonard Bernstein's familiar, beloved, and gorgeous score, but with a cast that looks, moves, and feels like America today, for better or worse.
