Wichita Grand Opera takes on iconic musical ‘West Side Story’

JJ Hudson wishes there was a term that would best describe Wichita Grand Opera’s performances of “West Side Story” next weekend.

The two performances are billed as a “concert version,” the production has everything — except sets.

“We are staging the whole show,” said Hudson, the performance’s director. “The big change is that the orchestra is on stage and not in a pit. But we have not separated the orchestra from the singers. We have built a platform for the orchestra, so the singers are integrated into the orchestra space. We are staging everything, we are dancing everything,”

The staging adds a new dimension, Hudson said.

“Audiences love to see the orchestra make music,” he said. “Their bodies are expressive; they’re moving while they’re playing.”

Hybrid performances such as this are becoming popular, Hudson said.

“You can populate the stage with all kinds of scenic elements, but honestly nothing’s more interesting than watching humans on stage make music. The orchestra provides visual texture and provides a visual landscape,” he said.

“West Side Story” is a perfect production for this style, Hudson said, because “it straddles this line between opera, operetta and musical theater.”

Although the five lead performers all have operatic backgrounds, the rests of the performers are a mix of musical theater, dance and theater.

“The line between what’s opera and what’s musical theater is so wonderfully blurred,” he said. “Modern opera singers are trained to be able to do anything, especially as companies like Wichita Grand are moving musical theater into its season.”

Eric Botto, a Houston native now based in New York, plays Tony after a similar “West Side Story” performance recently in Indianapolis.

“It’s nice to see how we can tell this same exact story, but from a different perspective,” he said.

Botto said “West Side Story” can provide an introduction to opera with familiar material, such as the songs “America,” “Somewhere,” “Tonight” and “I Feel Pretty.”

“It’s in our bones, in our DNA,” he said of the music. “You can feel the audience gasp when they realize it’s from this show.”

Soprano Shannon Jennings, who plays Maria, returns to Wichita Grand Opera after performing in “Rusalka” last year, and has performed in stage concert versions of “The King & I” and “Camelot.”

“Opera is a borrowed art form in the U.S., but American music theater is ours,” she said. “There’s a little more creativity that comes into it, a little more personalization.”

As a performer, she enjoys the format.

“The audience gets to see all of the musicians who are involved,” Jennings said. “There’s something more palpable for me as a performer on stage, as a musician, and I believe for a lot of pieces we don’t need a full set to tell the story, and that’s definitely the case with this one.”

Director Hudson said directing his second “West Side Story” concert version has affirmed his love of the musical, which debuted on Broadway in 1957 and produced an Oscar-winning 1961 film.

“My feelings on the work have been solidified. It feels as fresh as if it were written yesterday. It could have been current and a commentary on the ‘50s. The dialogue is that fresh, the music is that fresh,” he said. “Some works still hold up.”

‘WEST SIDE STORY’ BY WICHITA GRAND OPERA

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1; 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2

Where: Century II concert hall, 225 W. Douglas

Tickets: $232-$93, from selectaseat.com or 316-755-7328