Jonas Schwartz – Theatermania
The biggest rumble in LA Opera’s West Side Story is not between the Sharks and the Jets but between two musical styles. As Romeo and Juliet, the lead opera stars clash with the rest of the cast, who emphasize a Broadway style singing and acting—and that clash keeps audiences from experiencing any deep-felt emotions for Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim’s 1957 version of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers.