West Side Story at the Paramount

West Side Story, based on Arthur Laurents’ book, was set to Leonard Bernstein’s symphonic jazz score with lyrics from Stephen Sondheim.  Many people know the story based on the movie choreographed by Jerome Robbins, a perfectionist whose talent drove the production budget to new heights and exhausted the actors. As a result, the best dance scenes of West Side Story were produced under Robbins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2ClSABkDp8

 

The Backstage Chicago Crew traveled to Aurora to attend West Side Story at the  Paramount Theatre.  We ate at Doughball's Pizza Palace and were fully expecting to have the Unicorn Revenge and the Veggie Monster pizza. 

However, electrical problems forced the management to order pizza from another restaurant.  The thin crust pizzas were delicious and the doughballs were "out-of-this-world-good".

On our walk to Paramount Theatre, we witnessed incredible wildlife moments. A duck couple guided two baby ducklings down the channel towards the Fox River. 

A cardinal hopped across the rocks to the water for a drink.

A fisherman, at the moment we walked passed, caught a large fish and asked his friend to take a picture.

Refreshed from our walk,  we paused to take a picture in front of the Paramount marquee.

West Side Story begins in New York City during the 1950s and captures the struggle of newly arrived Puerto Rican immigrants as they establish a place for themselves among the American whites. A turf  war escalates as members of the Sharks and the Jets cast racial slurs that eventually lead to a switch blade fight.  The two feuding parties, similar to Shakespeare’s Capulets and Montegues  in Romeo and Juliet, somehow find a bridge that transcends the fighting with the possibility of love between Tony, a Shark member, and Maria, whose brother is a Jet member. 

On Friday, we are looking forward to visiting with Tony, the lead played by Will Skrip in West Side Story.   Also William Carlos Angulo will also be joining us to talk about his role in choreographing West Side Story at the Paramount Theatre.