West Side Story at South County

Throughout my life, there has been one movie, play, show, whatever you want to call it, that has always stuck with me. No matter how hard I try, I cannot shake the West Side Story from my memories. Last night, I was surprised in the best way. Last night, South County performed this West Side Story, and in my mind, it couldn’t have been better.  The acting was superb, as I expected. The lead’s voices, particularly those of Whitney Turner, who played Maria, and Kathryn Moore, who played Anita, where no short of breathtaking. Even Dean Maldonato, who played Tony, hit some extremely high notes for a young man of his build.  An actor who I admired and recognized as a “crowd hyper” was Nikko Custodio, who played Riff. Custodio made sure the entire crowd as aware of his dancing skills, as he busted out a few break-dancing moves and even completed an on-stage back flip. The orchestra was beautiful and hit every note, as well as played in the dark, which in my mind, is no small thing. The beginning of the play intrigued me, since the first couple of minutes were done in complete silence, expertly done by the actors that could only use actions to display their message. I understood it perfectly. There were several times throughout the play, where I could not help but laugh out loud. The humor was done with flawless comic timing and tone, and I’d especially like to praise Kathryn Moore (Anita) for her gift in comedy.  While I was watching, being the art freak that I am, I could not help but notice the backdrops and sets. Because of this, I would like to applaud the entire set crew. You did a fabulous job. I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this play. So, if you don’t have any plans tonight or next week on Friday or Saturday, take some time to travel to the world of West Side Story, where it seems all problems can be solved by a nice song, a little dancing, and a lot of love.

Oh, and a little side note. I’d also like to congratulate the young man, who had been performing that night, for asking a girl to Prom on stage. You sent your audience away laughing.

Writer Keighan Speer is a seventh grader at South County Secondary School.