Agoura High drama students to perform 'West Side Story'

TOUGH GUYS—Gang members gather before the rumble in "West Side Story" at Agoura High School. On the fence is Matt Oster, left, and Alex McMahon. Standing: Jamie Segal, Sean McSweeney, Justin Lieberman, Michael Callas, Ben Birmingham and Ethan Reider. Front row: Sarit Rathbone, Brad Leininger and Jake Shillan. The show is based on Shakespeare's tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet." A classic tale of young love, prejudice and cultural differences will come alive next week when Agoura High School presents the musical "West Side Story."

The show is directed by Mayme PaulThompson, a professional director and choreographer who has worked in more than 100 productions and has performed on Broadway.

"'West Side Story' is really a director's dream in that the story, based on 'Romeo and Juliet,' is still relevant today, and the music is one of the best scores in musical theater," PaulThompson said in an e-mail.

The lead roles have been double-cast. Seniors Alex Paul and Samantha Hertz will portray Maria, and Tony will be played by Jared Lowy and Chasen Schneider, actor John Schneider's son. Anita is being played by Kelly Sparrman and Bailey Thompson, and the role of Riff will be taken on by Michael Callas and Jake Shillan. Duke Roberts will portray Bernardo.

More than 50 student actors will perform in the show, PaulThompson said. The school orchestra, under the direction of John Mosley, will accompany the singers.

"One thing that's different about this production is the abstract set," Paul-Thompson said. "I decided to downplay the dancing and make the boys in the gangs more athletic, so we have a set that lends itself to climbing, jumping, scaling, sliding (and) crawling. This gives the production lots of energy and shows the gangs fighting over a small piece of territory."

Samantha said she is happy to end her high school drama career with the "wonderfully challenging" role of Maria.

"It's going to be a great production," she said. "The Leonard Bernstein music is incredibly beautiful—and difficult—and the Jerome Robbins choreography and dance numbers are great fun to watch."

Alex said she enjoys playing the role of Maria because the characters are in her age range.

"Nearly the entire cast is made up of characters our exact age— and it's easier to put myself in (Maria's) position," she said.

Kelly, a junior, said she is happy to be playing Anita, a deviation from her usual roles as the sweet, innocent ingénue.

"It's so much fun," she said, adding that the character is full of energy and that she enjoys playing someone who is "crazy and loud."

"West Side Story" will be performed in the school's "G" building at 7 p.m. Wed. April 29 through Fri., May 1, at 2 and 7 p.m. Sat., May 2, and at 3:30 p.m. Mon., May 4.

"This is not your typical fluff musical," Paul-Thompson said. "Everyone can relate to the raw emotion of 'West Side Story,' whether it's the prejudice and hate, or the passionate love story. It's definitely my favorite musical of all time, and working with this cast has been glorious."

For Samantha, who will leave Agoura High for college next year, the production is bittersweet. "This show will always hold a special place in our hearts," she said.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and $20 for reserved seating. All tickets for the May 4 show are priced at $5.

For further information and tickets, call (818) 597-0671.