It's 5:30 on a Friday afternoon and a group of students are gathered in the Forbes Black Box. Dressed in loose pants and t-shirts, they stretch out and then move on to a series of push ups and sit ups.
No, this isn't a University athletic group; this is the cast of "West Side Story," the latest production of the Princeton University Players, which will run at Richardson Auditorium this weekend.
The musical, composed by Leonard Bernstein and with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is directed by Daeil Cha '03, and choreographed by Cha and Linda Madueme '03.
Based on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," "West Side Story" is the story of the intense rivalry between two gangs on New York's West Side — the "American" Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Complicating this rivalry further is the love affair between Tony, a member of the Jets played by Nathan Freeman '03, and Maria, the sister of the leader of the Sharks played by Kelly Murphy '03.
Kevin Simmons '03 portrays Riff, the leader of the Jets and Tony's best friend, while Suzanna Sanchez '04 plays Anita, Bernardo's love and Maria's confidante.
"Anita is one of my dream roles," wrote Sanchez in an email. "She is really emotional and wonderfully dynamic. As an actor, I have really been pushed to find a balance between sass and attitude contrasted with real love and devotion. I think it's wonderful to have such a modern woman during a period where women were not allowed to talk and fight back."
Despite its tragic plot, "West Side Story" itself is an extremely dynamic and energetic musical, partly due to its heavy component of dance. "West Side Story" was, in fact, Broadway's first dance musical with "twelve dance numbers being the real focus of the show, i.e. the relation of a narrative through music and movement," as Freeman wrote in an email.
As director and co-choreographer, Cha has seized this opportunity to add a modern twist to a classic musical. First, the setting of the musical has been updated from the 1950s to the present day, and thus the costumes have also been updated.
Even more significantly, however, Cha and Madueme have, according to Cha, moved away from the more abstract, Fosse-like choreography of Jerome Robbins to more modern choreography that draws from traditions such as hip hop and break dancing.
"The thing about break dancing and hip hop today is that it fits perfectly into the show," said Cha. "Break dancing actually started as a form of dance between gangs so it works perfectly with the themes of 'West Side Story.' "
Cha also said the choreography adds to the energy of the musical as well as lending the show even greater tension and relevancy when viewed by the modern audience.
"As early as auditions, we all knew that [Cha] envisioned a modern version of 'West Side Story,'" said Freeman. "We all knew that the dancing would be intense [and] edgy, with a great deal borrowed from hip-hop. In addition, [Cha] has been very encouraging of the cast members to ad lib or make their own suggestions to help fulfill his vision of the show."
Despite the updated choreography, Cha has still kept the more traditional elements of the music and choreography even as he has added his own modern touch. For example, the show of course contains the famous ballet sequence performed to the music of "Somewhere," but it is updated with elements of modern dance.
Cha also commented on the incredible talent of the diverse cast, drawn from such groups as Body Hype, Triangle Club, and the Princeton Shakespeare Company, that he has assembled for this production.
"These actors are so experienced. It's almost like they're directing me at some points in time, in reference to the acting," he said.
Ultimately, "West Side Story" is a show for everyone. A mixture of dance styles from hip hop to ballet will intrigue and entertain all members of the audience, and the combination of the beautiful love story with the edgy and fast paced music of Bernstein will also draw audiences into the fictional world.
Perhaps Freeman summed it up best when he said, "Who knew Princeton could produce a show like this? No one, until November 14-16 in Richardson Auditorium."
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