Stay Cool Boy.....

Real Cool..

Opening weekend of West Side Story has been a success. We've had 3 shows so far and all 3 have been sold out. I've never done a Broadway run before but it'll be interesting to see how long we can hold out a healthy, responsive audience. It's been great dancing again. I've missed dance and being on stage has sparked that again in me. I'm glad I'm doing this. When I'm not on stage, I'm backstage having dance offs with other dancers. I'm learning stuff and getting into awesome shape - that's never a bad thing.

The More You Know:
West Side Story is a musical adaptation of the classic Romeo and Juliet.
It was first brought to us in 1961, directed by Robert Wise (The Curse of the Cat People, The Haunting, The Sound of Music.. etc) and choreographer Jerome Robbins (Fiddler on the Roof, The Pajama Game, Gypsy, Peter Pan.. etc)

Romeo and Juliet
-star-crossed-lovers
-montagues vs capulets
-suicide, murder.... death
-both lovers forever separated from both love and hate

Tony and Maria
-tragic lovers
-jets vs sharks
-accidental death, murder... death
-one lover dies, the other must carry on - broken hearted and alone

And yet, I adore both stories. There is something romantic about two people breaking the odds to be together. To overcome obstacles set in their path... and to be able to hold each other, experience love - knowing that the outcome could be tragic. It's bittersweet enough to promote deep messages about love, hate and tolerance. It shows how sad life can be when you act as a mere puppet while your society controls your thoughts and beliefs. We all fall victim to this as our culture is what has come to define us but you get the picture. The opposing groups are so caught up in their sides that they both loose sight of why they are that way in the first place. They simply hate because they are "supposed to hate".

The ring leader - usually the most insecure of the group, has a self indulging vengeance that is being carried out through the puppets of the gang. For both tragic stories, it ends in a manic twist of fates. Yet the good that comes from their lives.. teaches lessons to those left behind to own up to the consequences of their actions.


"How do you fire this gun Chino? By pulling this little trigger!? How many bullets are left Chino? Enough for YOU? Or YOU? All of you!! You ALL killed him! And my brother! And Riff! Not with bullets and knives! With HATE! Well, I can kill now too, because now I have hate!!! How many can I kill Chino? How many -- and still have one bullet left for me? Don't touch him!!" - Maria