Alves Sees Herself In 'West Side Story' Role
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
In the Broadway musical, Anita is one of the Puerto Rican immigrants who have moved away from the island and everything they knew for a better life in New York. Alves also moved from Puerto Rico to better her life, landing in New York three years ago.
“I feel like Anita was just like me,” Alves said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon from Puerto Rico. She has been visiting family while the touring Broadway production of “West Side Story” was on a two-week holiday break. “Every time I put the dress on, I feel like Anita.”
“West Side Story” is coming to the Honeywell Center, Wabash, at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 2. Tickets are $24, $38 and $54. Tickets may be purchased at the box office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, by calling 260-563-1102 or visiting www.honeywellcenter.org
Alves was born and raised in Puerto Rico where she went to high school and college. She started dancing at 13 and professionally dancing at 16 in high school. She danced through college and started studying musical theater at 19.
For 12 years of her life, Alves said she was a professional background dancer. Then three years ago, wanting to improve her life, she made the move to the Big Apple.
She’s in her second year now of touring with “West Side Story.” The musical takes place in 1950s New York so Alves said she did a lot of research on the time period and what life was like then, especially for Puerto Ricans. She talked to her mother and grandmother and her family gave her a lot of information.
Alves said she knows Anita and knows how Puerto Rican women react to certain things. Yet she said she never stops learning and is always open to learning more.
Many well-known and respected actresses have played the role of Anita in “West Side Story,” like Debbie Allen and Rita Moreno. Over the summer, Alves said she had the pleasure of meeting Moreno while Moreno was on her book tour. She got the opportunity to talk to the legendary actress and tell Moreno that she was playing Anita.
“It was amazing,” she recalled. “It’s a big challenge to step in her shoes. It’s a big challenge and a big thing to do, but every night I try to bring my own Anita to the stage. I don’t want to copy anyone else’s Anita.”
Alves said the show’s director, David Saint, tells the cast “do this or do that,” but he gives the actors the opportunity to bring ideas to the stage. Saint still has the final say, but Alves still praised his direction.
According to Broadway.com, “Pulled directly from the pages of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the musical takes place on New York's West Side in the mid-1950s amidst widespread racial and social tension. The show begins as a war is building between two rival gangs fighting over the same piece of turf: born-and-bred New York boys, The Jets, and Puerto Rican immigrants The Sharks. In the midst of the battlefield are two young romantics, good-boy Tony, a Jet ready to leave the gang life behind, and wide-eyed Maria, the sister of Sharks leader, Bernardo. When Tony and Maria unexpectedly meet and fall for one another, tension between the rival groups only escalates.”
Alves said the themes of immigration, racism and gangs presented in the musical are issues society is still dealing with today. In New York, she said you can still find young boys in gangs killing one another.
“One reason why ‘West Side Story’ may still be relevant is because of the issues still going on,” she suggested.
Every time the musical is presented to the audience, she said they want the audience to acknowledge those ongoing issues, but still enjoy the show and have a wonderful time. The ultimate goal, however, is to stop the violence and racism.
Along with the themes and Romeo-and-Juliet love story, Alves said what makes the show so strong is the music.
“This is just a masterpiece,” she said. “At the end of last season, a friend asked me if I ever got tired of singing the songs. I said I would never get tired. It’s a masterpiece.”
“West Side Story” features a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
Alves said her favorite song and scene is “A Boy Like That.” “It’s just magic,” she said. She gets to sing the song with MaryJoanna Grisso, who stars as Maria. “It’s just a dream come true and a blessing,” she said.
During the show, Alves said cast members can hear people humming along to songs like “America.” People love the show, she said.
“I haven’t been doing the show for a week and I can’t stop singing (the songs). I can’t get tired of them. They’re wonderful and beautiful.”
She stated the stage version is not the movie version. The film was not the way Laurents wanted to show it, like the way the Broadway version is. People will love the stage version though, she said. It has some differences, but a lot of similarities. It has the same love story, the same characters – just presented in the original way it was intended.
Alves said she will be touring with “West Side Story” until June 8. She said it was still too early for her to say what will happen after that to her, but she’s enjoying her time.[[In-content Ad]]
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In the Broadway musical, Anita is one of the Puerto Rican immigrants who have moved away from the island and everything they knew for a better life in New York. Alves also moved from Puerto Rico to better her life, landing in New York three years ago.
“I feel like Anita was just like me,” Alves said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon from Puerto Rico. She has been visiting family while the touring Broadway production of “West Side Story” was on a two-week holiday break. “Every time I put the dress on, I feel like Anita.”
“West Side Story” is coming to the Honeywell Center, Wabash, at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 2. Tickets are $24, $38 and $54. Tickets may be purchased at the box office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, by calling 260-563-1102 or visiting www.honeywellcenter.org
Alves was born and raised in Puerto Rico where she went to high school and college. She started dancing at 13 and professionally dancing at 16 in high school. She danced through college and started studying musical theater at 19.
For 12 years of her life, Alves said she was a professional background dancer. Then three years ago, wanting to improve her life, she made the move to the Big Apple.
She’s in her second year now of touring with “West Side Story.” The musical takes place in 1950s New York so Alves said she did a lot of research on the time period and what life was like then, especially for Puerto Ricans. She talked to her mother and grandmother and her family gave her a lot of information.
Alves said she knows Anita and knows how Puerto Rican women react to certain things. Yet she said she never stops learning and is always open to learning more.
Many well-known and respected actresses have played the role of Anita in “West Side Story,” like Debbie Allen and Rita Moreno. Over the summer, Alves said she had the pleasure of meeting Moreno while Moreno was on her book tour. She got the opportunity to talk to the legendary actress and tell Moreno that she was playing Anita.
“It was amazing,” she recalled. “It’s a big challenge to step in her shoes. It’s a big challenge and a big thing to do, but every night I try to bring my own Anita to the stage. I don’t want to copy anyone else’s Anita.”
Alves said the show’s director, David Saint, tells the cast “do this or do that,” but he gives the actors the opportunity to bring ideas to the stage. Saint still has the final say, but Alves still praised his direction.
According to Broadway.com, “Pulled directly from the pages of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the musical takes place on New York's West Side in the mid-1950s amidst widespread racial and social tension. The show begins as a war is building between two rival gangs fighting over the same piece of turf: born-and-bred New York boys, The Jets, and Puerto Rican immigrants The Sharks. In the midst of the battlefield are two young romantics, good-boy Tony, a Jet ready to leave the gang life behind, and wide-eyed Maria, the sister of Sharks leader, Bernardo. When Tony and Maria unexpectedly meet and fall for one another, tension between the rival groups only escalates.”
Alves said the themes of immigration, racism and gangs presented in the musical are issues society is still dealing with today. In New York, she said you can still find young boys in gangs killing one another.
“One reason why ‘West Side Story’ may still be relevant is because of the issues still going on,” she suggested.
Every time the musical is presented to the audience, she said they want the audience to acknowledge those ongoing issues, but still enjoy the show and have a wonderful time. The ultimate goal, however, is to stop the violence and racism.
Along with the themes and Romeo-and-Juliet love story, Alves said what makes the show so strong is the music.
“This is just a masterpiece,” she said. “At the end of last season, a friend asked me if I ever got tired of singing the songs. I said I would never get tired. It’s a masterpiece.”
“West Side Story” features a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
Alves said her favorite song and scene is “A Boy Like That.” “It’s just magic,” she said. She gets to sing the song with MaryJoanna Grisso, who stars as Maria. “It’s just a dream come true and a blessing,” she said.
During the show, Alves said cast members can hear people humming along to songs like “America.” People love the show, she said.
“I haven’t been doing the show for a week and I can’t stop singing (the songs). I can’t get tired of them. They’re wonderful and beautiful.”
She stated the stage version is not the movie version. The film was not the way Laurents wanted to show it, like the way the Broadway version is. People will love the stage version though, she said. It has some differences, but a lot of similarities. It has the same love story, the same characters – just presented in the original way it was intended.
Alves said she will be touring with “West Side Story” until June 8. She said it was still too early for her to say what will happen after that to her, but she’s enjoying her time.[[In-content Ad]]
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