“West Side Story” is not just any night at the theatre

Who doesn’t know West Side Story? The 1957 musical drama based on Romeo and Juliet, written by Arthur Laurents, with music By Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins was a wake-up call to theatre-goers when it first appeared. It has by now become a staple for larger community theatres and high school and college theatre departments.

Millburn’s Paper Mill Playhouse has remounted a production that is remarkable on just about every front. Along with the glorious singing, the dances are limber and athletic, the sets are grim and foreboding without being cluttered, and the costumes are colorful and period-appropriate.

Everyone is familiar with Bernstein and Sondheim’s challenging, near-operatic score, the brilliant re-imagining of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy by Laurents, and the masterful blend of ballet and athleticism that is Robbins’ choreography, here recreated by Alex Sánchez. Yet what makes this production stand out is the acting, which is top-notch at every level. Under Mark S. Hoebee’s direction, the quality of the show’s performance level manages to lift the products of the playwright, composers, and choreographer to new heights.

In Noah Henry and Sarah-Anne Martinez, we at last have a Tony and Maria who are believable as teenagers in the throes of first love, whose emotions believably lead to a maturity beyond that of their peers. Contrast them with Anita and Bernardo (Mikaela Secada and Antony Sanchez), for whom love is a game of sexual banter and physicality, an adolescent version of maturity less than that of the younger Tony and Maria.

Then there are the two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Under Hoebee’s direction, the gang members and their girls are not only individual characters. They are also two compact communities with their own rules of loyalty, identity, and support. Yet even though they insist on their respective uniqueness, they are more alike than they allow themselves to admit — and it is this refusal that forms the basis for the unfolding tragedy. That the ensemble convincingly maintains the balance between personal individuality and group identity is a testament to their acting skills.

This revival of West Side Story also highlights the ineffectiveness of the adults in these kids’ lives. Adam Monley’s Lt. Shrank has long ago surrendered what idealism he may have had for an urge toward gratuitous, near-homicidal violence. Adam Kozlowski’s buffoonish Sgt. Krupke is an out-of-shape, gullible, easily manipulated clown. Jamie LaVerdiere’s Glad Hand tries to ease tensions between Sharks and Jets at the school dance by use of lame jokes to naively dismiss the teens’ issues and commitments.

Saddest of all is Doc, the neighborhood store owner and pharmacist, whose wisdom is brutally rejected as irrelevant by the gangs. As embodied by Stuart Zagnit, Doc is a mix of wrenching sorrow and explosive frustration, aware that his usefulness is limited to providing medications and a neutral meeting ground.

James Youmans’ scenic design was able to give the impression of New York slums without crowding the stage with set pieces. His starry backdrop for the songs “Maria” and “Tonight” was particularly effective, intensifying and dimming to match the intensity of the numbers. Antonio Consuegra’s costumes were perfect, establishing character without going overboard, especially with the semi-formal outfits for the dance at the school gym. My only quibble, which could be a result of opening night nerves, was with the quality of the sound, both the mixing and the orchestra’s performance, during the first act. However, most of those problems were resolved after intermission.

West Side Story is a musical whose reputation has grown over the years. It is a favorite for those theaters and acting companies that can provide the large casts needed to pull off a successful production. It is a classic of the musical theatre, and one would be most unwise to miss seeing a quality production when it is offered. And Paper Mill Playhouse’s production is excellent. I cannot more strongly encourage seeing their latest West Side Story!

West Side Story is presented at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn through June 28, 2026. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to papermill.org.