Under the hot stage lights of Walton Center Auditorium, thirty-six students in George School’s Musical Theater class gather to practice and block the final scene of West Side Story. Maria cradles Tony, who has just died in her arms, shot by a rival gang member. While grieving for the love of her life, she must decide if she will seek revenge or use the moment to bring two warring gangs together in peace. There isn’t a dry eye in the house.

“I find that the play resonates with the values we learn at George School. It’s about stepping outside of who you are and trying to understand the other person’s perspective,” said theater teacher Maureen West.

West Side Story opens at George School with a preview performance on Thursday, February 18, at 7:30 p.m. in Walton Auditorium. Full performances are scheduled on Friday, February 19, and Saturday, February 20, both at 8:00 p.m. The show is free and open to the public.

Adapted from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the play is about two teenagers—Maria and Tony, connected to rival street gangs—who meet and fall in love. When a fight for control over the neighborhood is planned, Maria asks Tony to stop it. Despite his best efforts, events spin out of control and Tony is killed.

"West Side Story is really a director's dream in that the story is still relevant today, and the music is one of the best scores in musical theater," said student director Donna Hordis, a senior from Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

The commitment of the student performers brings West Side Story alive with passion and focus. Julie O’Mara , a junior from Stockton, New Jersey , who plays Maria, makes everything look effortless, from her giddy romanticism in "I Feel Pretty" to the overwhelming grief that defines the end of the show. As Tony, Martin Roza, a senior from Newtown, Pennsylvania, does an excellent job of conveying his character’s complicated emotions, trying to balance his love for Maria and his loyalty to his gang.

Junior Ryan Krocker from Titusville, New Jersey, rises to the challenge of his difficult role as Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, an extremely aggressive and violence-prone teen who must be responsible for keeping his people safe in a new, unfriendly community. In her performance as Anita, junior Liz Reynolds, from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is electric. She is brash, flirty, and full of life.

The other individuals in the cast are believable gang members, pacing nervously, snapping their fingers, shaking their fists, and moving across the stage as tension builds. Some of the musical highlights include a rousing "America,” a funny, robust "Officer Krupke,” full of attitude with Bryce Miller, a sophomore from Holland, Pennsylvania, singing the lead. Freshman Maddy Wiley from Newtown, Pennsylvania, expresses the show’s underlying theme of hope with her rendition of “Somewhere.”

“Bernstein’s score is very challenging—both technically and emotionally,” commented music teacher Jacqueline Coren. “It has been exciting to watch the students absorb the music and make it their own.”

The actors are accompanied by an orchestra that is composed of community members, including violinist Ahmin Chung, a senior from East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Eleven students in George School Stagecraft classes make up the well-oiled stage crew. They perform seamlessly, aided by the modern set and lighting design. "The play is about territory—capturing it and defending it. Our set design helps the actors define their respective home turfs,” explained stagecraft teacher and designer Scott Hoskins. “The design is very monochromatic and somewhat dreary so the love story stands out. Most of the color comes from the costumes and the lighting.”

Liz Bitzer, a senior from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said, “The cast and the crew have an immense pride in their work and an insane amount of dedication to this production. Once they leave the stage, you will find the actors pacing the hallways and rehearsal spaces practicing over and over. Members of the crew review their cues in the same way.”

Pre-production started last November, with more than seventy-five talented students auditioning for the available roles. The cast has rehearsed for two to three hours a day, five days a week, for three months before the performance, with many students spending extra time with vocal and acting coaches, as well as with choreographers. Even when the scheduled rehearsal ends, no one appears to notice the time. All eagerly await further instruction from Maureen.

“Our focus this year is on the impact of language on acting,” explained Maureen. “West Side Story is a classic. Its language helps define the conflicts and the differences between old and new, between teens and adults, and between the Sharks and the Jets.”

Especially compelling for Maureen is the message of hope at the end of the play. “I want people to leave the performance with hope for the future and the ability to see that each of them can make a difference,” she said.

West Side Story originally opened September 1957 and was produced and directed by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein. George School alumnus Stephen Sondheim ’46 wrote the lyrics for the play at the age of twenty-five. “The most astonishing career to be launched from the [West Side Story] pad was that of its lyricist, Stephen Sondheim,” comments Jack Gottlieb on the West Side Story Fact Sheet, published online at www.westsidestory.com. “He is considered by many to be the most significant composer-lyricist of our time. If there is an indigenous American operatic style of today, Sondheim must be regarded as its standard-bearer.”

West Side Story was performed at George School four times previously—in 1971, 1978, 1986, and 2001. The show is one of six performances organized by the George School Arts Department during the 2009-10 year.

The Arts Department offers classes in visual and performing arts, including photography, digital imaging, video production, woodworking and design, communication design, painting and drawing, ceramics, stagecraft, theater arts, theater performance, musical theater, dance, vocal and instrumental performance, and music theory, with Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate course options. For more information about the arts at George School, and a complete schedule of performances and exhibits, visit http://www.georgeschool.org/arts.

About George School
Founded in 1893 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), George School, a rigorous coed boarding and day school for grades nine through twelve, educates students from twenty-one states, thirty-four foreign countries, and a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, and economic backgrounds. Through its commitment to diversity and the Quaker values of equality, integrity, and peacemaking, George School inspires students to be led by their own truths while respecting and appreciating opinions and beliefs different from their own. George School was one of the first schools in the United States to implement an International Baccalaureate diploma program. For information about admission, please call 215.579.6547 or visit http://www.georgeschool.org.

You can read more about West Side Story in the following article:

Bucks Local News
"George School Revives Alumnus Sondheim's 'West Side Story', Offers Free Shows"