Since we had an unexpected free night on Saturday, we decided to go to the last performance of “West Side Story.” I had been slow to get tickets because I heard they had women and girls playing some of the male roles. That always seems a contrived and pathetic way to make up for a lack of male talent. However, many people posted on Facebook that it was not to be missed, so we decided to go. I’m glad we did.
The imported pros playing Tony and Maria both had gorgeous voices. The dancing and choreography was smooth and exciting, thanks to Juneau Dance Theater and its years of developing local talent. Taylor Vidic, as the leader of the Jets, was my favorite character. She and the other females who played male parts were believable because they weren’t pretending to be males. They were playing the parts as strong women. My favorite number was “Officer Krupke.” With an ensemble of only five or six, half of whom were females playing male parts, they were loud, obnoxious and graceful. Best of all, the entire performance was unmiked, which meant there was no sound distortion.
Coincidently, I have just finished reading “When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present” by Gail Collins. This performance of “West Side Story” is an example of the changes. A musical that was written in the ’60s can now be believably performed with strong women playing parts that were written for men. This book covers my lifetime and is a reminder of how much things have changed and how much I have forgotten about the stark differences between then and now. For the sake of us all, we must work to keep from going backward.
Judy Crondahl,
Juneau
