As the campus becomes increasingly littered with graffiti-like propaganda, the question on nearly everyone's lips is, "Are you a Jet or a Shark?"
Torn Ticket II brings the legendary West Side Story to Cohen Auditorium this weekend -- and what a formidable task it is. With lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, music by the incomparable Leonard Bernstein, and a tragic love story derived from Shakespeare, the show's place in musical theater history is undisputed.
West Side Story is the Romeo-and-Juliet-inspired musical that brought Sondheim and Bernstein together with scriptwriter Arthur Laurents. The original idea evolved from a love story between a Jewish girl and Catholic boy into the now-familiar tale of Maria and Tony, star-crossed lovers caught in the middle of American and Puerto Rican tensions.
Bernstein, arguably America's greatest composer, invokes a Latin-American spirit for West Side Story, combining his orchestral brilliance with Latin flavor and just enough musical theater sensibility.
"I'm just drawn to the music," says senior Kalinda Vazquez, the production's director. "Growing up, I found its portrayal of gangs in America fascinating."
Music is something Vazquez connects with naturally. A singer from an early age, she says her parents were her driving influence. "There was always music playing in our house, all kinds," she said.
This interest has led Vazquez to WMFO, where he deejays, as well as his involvement in sound design in Tufts theater, performances in Torn Ticket productions, and an internship at MTV. But West Side Story, she said, is her dream.
"It was my favorite musical as a child. My dad grew up in the south Bronx, my family is from Puerto Rico -- it's a piece of American pop culture that I am personally connected with," she said.
"The music from West Side Story must be my favorite," said senior Sejal Parekh, who plays Maria. "As a singer, it truly is a challenge similar to that of some other classical music I've studied through my years at Tufts. Bernstein calls for such control and range, not only in vocals, but in emotion as well."
Music Director Tom Damassa has the unique opportunity at the undergraduate level to conduct a 21-piece orchestra playing Bernstein. "I think it's become sort of the holy grail of musical scores -- unquestionably moving, challenging, fun, exciting," he said. "You can hear joy, anger, love, tension, sorrow, and a host of other emotions within the music. I think this is one of the greatest things about the show...Words don't do it justice," Damassa said, admiringly.
On top of a large orchestra, West Side Story requires a sizable cast. According to Vazquez, character is key: "We've had to create individuality in each role. I don't want any of the characters to be easily pegged -- hopefully, we've created complex personalities."
Working with a cast and crew of this size has been challenging for the first-time director. "It's allowed me to gain an appreciation of how much one person can pay attention to at one time," she said.
Senior Marco Carbone, the assistant director, has been with the production since its earliest stages. "We came into this thing optimistic but soberly aware of how complicated the show really is," Carbone said. "Most shows usually have one difficult aspect -- this one requires good dancing, singing, and acting. If any of those are compromised, the quality of the show suffers."
Both Carbone and Vazquez say they are pleased with the progress of the cast, crew, and pit band. "The pit is the best ever pulled together since I've been at Tufts," Carbone said. Vazquez said the dancing in the production will surprise audiences. "We were blessed to find two amazing choreographers, Tali Paransky and Kalani Hawks, both freshmen and yes, both Texan," says Carbone.
West Side Story drew one of the largest audition pools for a Tufts production in recent memory. The cast includes a number of Torn Ticket veterans, a generous helping of freshmen, and at least one faculty member.
"I am having a blast," said Chris Morse, a lecturer in the chemistry department. The buzz surrounding the show caught his attention and prompted him to try out.
"I really, really, really love musical theater, had never tried it before, the stage manager said I was eligible to audition, and my friend Omer (the director of Jesus Christ Superstar last year) said he would kill me if I didn't."
"The music is absolutely incredible -- complex melodies and even more complex harmonies, not to mention the rhythms," said senior Matt Bargoot, the theater veteran tackling the role of Tony, the show's romantic hero. "Each song presents a new and different challenge."
Bargoot has played some quirky supporting roles in his day. From the pompous and over-the-top Miles Gloriosus in last year's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum to his combat-boot-clad, fatigues-donned Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz last fall, Bargoot has made a college career of character acting. In West Side Story he gets the spotlight as a modern Romeo. Tony is a conflicted character -- caught between love and loyalty while trying to figure out his place as a teenager in society.
"It's been a lot harder for me ease into the role of Tony, which is a bit strange since I can personally identify with his character," Bargoot said.
Parekh, playing opposite Bargoot, agrees. "It may seem ironic, but portraying a character so similar in age and in this situation has actually been a challenge greater than any past role," she said. "When I put myself in the shoes of a character I don't relate to as well, I feel it is easier to create someone more unlike myself."
"These characters are stuck between childhood games and acting like they're grown-ups," Vazquez said. "They think they can handle knives, rumbles -- they think they can handle adult situations."
In casting, Vazquez and Carbone chose to put females in the gangs as well as men. The roles of "the girlfriends" of gang members are diluted somewhat. "If you want to see girl-on-girl action," quiped junior Vanessa Schiff, "see West Side Story."
It's all in the spirit of giving the half-century-old musical a unique spin on the Tufts stage. "I had to look at a show that's been looked at hundreds of times by as many directors, and I had to decide what are the things I wanted to bring out," Vazquez said.
"A lot of the show is about getting caught up and losing control," she said. "In Romeo and Juliet there is not as much of a sign that the lovers' experience changes anything. With West Side Story, the death and tragedy in the love story lead to a better, more hopeful end."
Bargoot agrees: "I think that love is definitely a victim in this story, in that true love is found -- only to be ripped away by the world into which it was born. But even in love's tragic end, the world is affected and begins to change, offering a glimmer of hope for its future."
West Side Story, Apr. 12 - Apr. 14 , Cohen Auditorium, 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the box office.
