Two infamous gangs are squaring off on Collins Alumni Auditorium stage on Halloween weekend.
No, these gangs are not real, but they are part of the iconic musical phenomenon known at West Side Story.
The musical, inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, tells the story of two star-crossed lovers,Tony and Maria. The two meet at a dance and immediately fall in love, but they quickly realize they have to keep their relationship secret since they come from rivaling groups of people.
The setting is the West Side of New York City. The two groups are gangs; the Sharks, a feisty group of Puerto Ricans that are friends of Maria, and the Jets, the tough group of New Yorkers that Tony aligns himself with.
Mike Fernandez, the dean of the new College of Entertainment & the Arts, is directing the show. He said that West Side Story presents new opportunities for those involved.
“We were really aching for a strong, gritty musical that had some great dance to it,” Fernandez said. “We certainly had done shows before that explored dance, but we really wanted something that would push us in terms of dance capability. We also felt like we wanted to push ourselves musically, and so how better to do that than with West Side Story?”
Tyler Russell, a senior theatre major, will be playing the role of Tony. Russell said he is ecstatic that he gets to play such an iconic role. But, to Russell, playing Tony has not come without its challenges.
“Physically, emotionally and vocally, Tony is the most difficult role I have ever played,” Russell said. “So much focus has to go into each rehearsal because I know that I either have a very passionate or intense scene to act or some very tricky music to sing.”
Russell had to create a whole new routine in order to prepare to play such a physically demanding role.
“It involves some physical things like push-ups, jumping jacks and sit-ups,” Russell said. “I drink lots of water throughout the day and do many various vocal exercises. Then, I like to sit and listen to my Tony playlist and just get myself ready for the show or scene ahead.”
Bekah Purifoy, a sophomore theatre major, is playing the role of Maria. Purifoy said she is also very excited to get to play a famous Broadway role, but she does not deny that it is also rather scary.
“So many people have played her like Natalie Wood and all these iconic people, but it’s been really fun to kind of find my own Maria and not just play what everybody else has done,” Purifoy said.
West Side Story runs Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 2 at 3:30 p.m. and Nov. 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $17 for adults, $10 for faculty and $5 for students.