By Angela Hatcher<\/p>\n
From the first few rhythmic snaps of a finger, Bernstein and Sondheim\u2019s unforgettable musical score colors outside the lines and melodiously paints the canvas with one of the most timeless moments ever to grace the stage.<\/p>\n
“West Side Story,” <\/em>an adaptation of Shakespeare\u2019s Romeo and Juliet, made its debut nearly 62 years ago, but its story is as relevant in today\u2019s world as it ever was, and as One More Productions\u2019 Co-Founder\/Director\/Musical Director Damien Lorton tells us, One More Productions is committed to telling the story honestly, truthfully, and without filters.<\/p>\n It is the summer of \u201857, somewhere in an Upper West Side New York neighborhood (and the term is used loosely) where tension and teenaged angst is sensed from the moment this enthusiastic and uber-talented cast hits the stage.<\/p>\n The methodically choreographed and well-executed song and dance number, \u201cPrologue,\u201d marks the beginning of what\u2019s to come, the tone is set, and a battle seems evident.<\/p>\n War has begun between the two gangs who \u201cown the streets,\u201d the white American \u201cJets\u201d and the Puerto Rican \u201cSharks.\u201d<\/p>\n The idealistic and star-crossed young lovers, Tony (Brandon Taylor Jones) and Maria (Erika Baldwin), are caught between these two worlds of hate, violence, and prejudice. In the central role of Tony, Jones delivers an amazing performance that brilliantly offers passion and a more fragile and na\u00efve quality that separates him from his life of gangs, and in the end, this becomes Tony\u2019s one tragic flaw.<\/p>\n Opposite him is Maria, portrayed by Erika Baldwin, who helps to elevate this production to new heights, well beyond its grand scale, while also maintaining its intimate appeal.<\/p>\n Baldwin\u2019s strength is her ability to retain an adolescent and angelic innocence while balancing that with her incredible soprano vocal skills.<\/p>\n OMP Co-Founder and Producer Nicole Cassesso\u2019s portrayal of Anita is intelligent and intense. Her drugstore scene, in which she is sending a message, is ineradicable, and her singing and dancing skills are phenomenal.<\/p>\n Supporting role standouts are: first and foremost, Danny Diaz as Bernardo, Race Chambers as Riff, Richards Ullrich as Doc, Jon Mitchell as Schrank, John Gillies as Officer Krupke, and Simon Hedrick as Glad Hand.<\/p>\n Under Lorton\u2019s baton, OMP\u2019s Orchestra features Toni Helms on keyboard No. 1, Blake Leigh on keyboard No. 2, Nic Gonzalez on bass, Jeff Segal on drums, Doug Jones on trumpet, Vince Hizon on woodwinds, and Jesse Tellez on trombone.<\/p>\n This fiercely energetic production is as much a dance show as it is a music show and OMP is fortunate to have choreographers, Heather Holt-Smith, Alan Collins, and Shauna Bradford onboard.<\/p>\n Wally Huntoon\u2019s set design is award-winning worthy, and Mendenhall Productions did an amazing job of lighting and set construction.<\/p>\n Outstanding musical numbers include \u201cSomething\u2019s Coming\u201d by Tony.<\/p>\n What gives this show its valued longevity is not merely its unsettling initiative towards social contention, racial discrimination, and national identity, but also, West Side Story\u2019s <\/em>channel for the commonality of inclusion, which is vastly evident in its final scene.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>“West Side Story”<\/strong><\/p>\n The Gem Theatre <\/strong><\/p>\n 12852 Main St., Garden Grove<\/strong><\/p>\n Phone: 714-741-9550, ext 221. <\/strong><\/p>\n Website: www.info@onemoreproductions.com<\/strong><\/p>\n Runs through Sunday, Aug. 11<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Angela Hatcher From the first few rhythmic snaps of a finger, Bernstein and Sondheim\u2019s unforgettable musical score colors outside the lines and melodiously paints the canvas with one of the most timeless moments ever to grace the stage. “West Side Story,” an adaptation of Shakespeare\u2019s Romeo and Juliet, made its debut nearly 62 years […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":5661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5324,3245,5312],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocn.archives.ocnnewspapers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5660"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocn.archives.ocnnewspapers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocn.archives.ocnnewspapers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocn.archives.ocnnewspapers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocn.archives.ocnnewspapers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5660"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ocn.archives.ocnnewspapers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5662,"href":"https:\/\/ocn.archives.ocnnewspapers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5660\/revisions\/5662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocn.archives.ocnnewspapers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocn.archives.ocnnewspapers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocn.archives.ocnnewspapers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocn.archives.ocnnewspapers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}