Though she’s been in “West Side Story” before, Wagon Wheel Center for the Art’s production is Allsun O’Malley’s first time playing the main role of Maria. In a previous production, O’Malley played Teresita, a female member of The Sharks gang. Maria’s love interest, Tony, is played by Jordan André. It’s his first time in a production of “West Side Story.” Both actors are appearing in their first season at the Wagon Wheel with “West Side Story,” which is at the Center for the Arts through June 27. O’Malley is from Boston, Mass., and a “rising sophomore” at Penn State University, she said. André, from Baltimore, Md., will be a “rising senior” at the University of Michigan this fall. “West Side Story” is a 1957 Broadway musical inspired by William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo & Juliet.” It features a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and choreography by Jerome Robbins. Set in the Upper West Side in New York City around the middle of the 1950s, it tells the story of two young lovers on the opposite sides of a rivalry between two youth street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds – the caucasian Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Tony is a former member of the Jets and his best friend is the Jets’ gang leader, Riff. Maria is the sister of Bernardo, the Sharks’ leader. “‘West Side Story’ is such a pivotal musical to American musical theater,” said André about why he wanted to play Tony. “And I think it’s extremely historic and classical. It’s got a great story – it’s the musical version of ‘Romeo & Juliet.’ And I think the show is known for its choreography, it’s known for its music. It’s known for Jerome Robbins, who is a Broadway legend as a director, and Stephen Sondheim who made his debut with this show and is now one of the most celebrated composers and lyricists in the industry. So with that in mind – to be a part of that – is fantastic.” O’Malley said, “I think being a part of the show, in general, is something I’ve always wanted to do, even after I already was in it. I always wanted to play Maria; and to be playing it in a show with an amazing cast and an incredible creative team honestly is a dream come true. It’s been such an amazing experience. And even if I wasn’t playing Maria, I would want to be a part of it someway because it’s such an incredible group of people here.” For anyone who has only seen the 1961 Oscar-winning film version, O’Malley said there are some slight differences. “There are some differences, mainly in the order of the show. Things happen a little bit differently in the musical, but it has the same music, the same story obviously,” she said. André said, “The script is really different. They definitely changed it and adapted it to the screen. There’s definitely some noticeable differences in terms of dialogue. And, also, the order of the singing of the songs and then who also sings the songs. In the movie, the song ‘America’ is sung with the men, the Sharks, and the women. In the stage production, it’s done just by the women.” While she was taken by the movie version as a young child, O’Malley said once she saw the stage version it was much more magical for her. “It’s so much more real,” she said. “I think there’s an element the stage version brings that you can’t always get in the movie.” Other stories and films have tried to tell a modern version of “Romeo & Juliet,” but “West Side Story” stands out among them for a variety of reasons, the Wagon Wheel actors said. “I think it’s the power of music. It’s the power of being able to tell a story that doesn’t end well. And within that mindset of ‘Romeo & Juliet,’ I think, in addition to what made ‘West Side Story’ so pivotal – it became musical theater, it became musical drama,” André said. “Just being able to musicalize ‘Romeo & Juliet.’ I think it’s done so well in this show.” O’Malley said, “I also think the issue of racism is so prominent in our society. It was back then, and it still is now, and it has been (since 1957). It is something that everyone can relate to, and it’s something that really hits home for people.” “And the implications that that prejudice can have on love, I think is especially wrought in ‘West Side Story,’” André added. “I think race isn’t really dealt with in ‘Romeo & Juliet.’ I think definitely heritage is and family ties. So I think when you adapt ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and you have a modernization of ‘Romeo & Juliet,’ what makes ‘West Side Story’ so unique is that not only do you have this story of lovers coming from opposite sides, then you have this whole historical dramaturgy of prejudice and discrimination and the immigrant experience.” “It makes it really provocative,” O’Malley said. “It does. It really does,” André agreed. She said if “West Side Story” was set in the modern era, it would be just as dark because the world today is just as full of hate and anger. But, there is light in “West Story Story” in the form of the love story between Tony and Maria, André said. “That is definitely the redeeming factor,” he said. “I think it’s extremely beautiful. I think beauty comes out of the ashes out of this turmoil. Maria has her ending Act II speech – at what point do we realize this is because of us that this happened?” “There’s a hopeful quality,” O’Malley said. “West Side Story” and “Romeo & Juliet” end slightly different, and that difference “brings about a kind of sense of hope. There’s kind of a coming together that’s really a bright light in the show. Even though it’s a dark ending, there’s a brightness.” André said, “Maria is definitely a light. She wears the white dress for a reason. She is the image of purity and innocence and what it means to be naive, forgiving, merciful and to love someone else despite what differences you may have.” O’Malley will be with this season’s company until “Bye Bye Birdie,” then goes back to Boston to work for the rest of the summer at Regal Music Theatre. André will play Conrad Birdie in “Bye Bye Birdie” and also appear in “The Addams Family” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” To see the full 20-minute interview with O’Malley and André, visit the free video section on the Times-Union website at www.timesuniononline.com Tickets for “West Side Story” are on sale now at Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts or can be purchased online at wagonwheelcenter.org Admission is $32 for adults, $24 for seniors, $18 for students and $14 for children up to age 12. Call the box office at 574-267-8041 with any questions. The show is presented by Alderfer Bergen and Company.
