As critics are quick to point out, America is in a fin de siecle (end of the century) mode. That means we're retrieving all the food, fashion and music from the past 100 years and taking another look at it.
Some things - platform shoes and fondue, for instance - haven't fared well.But '57 Chevys and the 1957 musical "West Side Story" have become classics.
And from Sept. 17-22 at the Capitol Theatre, the Theater League of Utah will host a national touring version of the production in all its "period piece" glory. The costumes, choreography and scenery are just as they were when the show opened on Broadway in the mid-'50s (see end of story for times and ticket prices).
"In this production, the goal was to find closes matches for sets, lighting - everything from 1957," says Ben Saypol, who stars as Tony. "They wanted people to feel they were watching the original show 40 years ago."
If the sets and style are reminiscent of the '50s, however, the plot of the story has a new twist today. In 1957, New York City gangs could be romanticized by Bernstein as sassy, wiser-than-the-establishment, groovy hoods. But today - given the explosion of gang violence - the "rumble" between the Jets and the Sharks packs a new chill. And the glossy love story seems a bit enchanted.
"We've struggled with that," says Saybol. "Gang violence and prejudice are themes that are more poignant today. For such reasons `West Side Story' can even seem tame. The worst thing that happens, happens with knives. But the show isn't racist or violent, it simply documents its time - the way Romeo and Juliet did."
If Saybol seems well-spoken about such things, you can trace it to Northwestern University where he earned a degree in history.
"By the time I'd finished high school I'd played a lot of sports and had taken a little interest in this thing called `theater,' " he says. "When I went to college I didn't know what I wanted to do professionally, so I chose a school that offered a lot of options."
He finally decided on theater, where he quickly landed the role he grew up wanting to play: Tony in "West Side Story."
Along with Saypol, dozens of other talented young performers will make the trek to Salt Lake City. Sharon Camille stars as Maria. She has played "Louisa" in the off-Broadway production of "The Fantasticks" and has sung with the Orlando Opera. She also landed parts in the movies "Dave's World," "Psycho IV" and "Stop the World I Want to Get Off."
The rest of the cast is equally experienced, with Natascia A. Diaz - who was a member of the Tony Award-winning cast of "Carousel" - taking the role of Anita and Christian Borle playing Riff. Kevin Albert is Bernardo.
As for the music, Leonard Bernstein's songs and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics formed a match seldom seen on Broadway. Every tune is memorable with memorable words: "Maria," "America," "I Feel Pretty," "Tonight"; people have been humming along with the songs for years.
The movie version of the musical won 10 Academy Awards, including best picture. And the show has always been popular among university, community and high school groups.
As for this production, the company comes to town with a satchel of strong reviews, partly because of the loyalty to the choreography of Jerome Robbins, dance moves the New York Herald Tribune called "savage . . . electrifying . . . restless."
"Studded with fresh, vigorous young talent," the Seattle Times raves of this 1996 version. The New York Mirror said the show had lost "none of its trenchant zip."
"A lot of people have just seen the movie, they've never seen the stage show," says Saybol. "It's very different on stage. It's one of the great musicals. I hope people enjoy it."
Writing for the New York Times in 1957, critic Brooks Atkinson said: "A profoundly moving show; an incandescent piece of work that finds beauty amid the rubbish of the streets."
Now Utah audiences can see for themselves if that appraisal holds up two generations later.
- The opening curtain for "West Side Story" is at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17-22, with matinees at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $50, $47 and $20 and can be purchased at the Capitol Theatre box office, ArtTix or by calling 355-ARTS (355-2787).