West Side Story (Chicago) Tickets

Great show and theater!! It was my first time seeing this play.

I have always loved this musical but I have to say this particular rendition was not one I would recommend. The portrayals of Anita and Tony were good but Maria was weak with no chemistry between Tony and Maria. The sets left much to be desired . I have seen the show many times but never has so much Spanish been included in the dialogue. For those of us who do not speak Spanish it left gaping holes where we had no idea what was being spoken

A very nice and entertaining performance - very professionally done

Anita was fabulous! The choreography-Wow! But wish we had known that this was a non-equity show before paying equity-show prices. Much of the cast still needed some fine-tuning before taking on these major roles.

How interesting that I just received this notification to review "Westside Story" in my inbox today . . . right on the heels of spending the remainder of my weekend trying to decide if I should pursue sharing my opinion with anyone out there. I am a huge theatre fan. "Westside Story" is certainly in my Top 5 picks when it comes to my favorite musicals. When we learned that the touring company would be visiting Chicago, there was no question that we had to get tickets for the show. My husband and I brought our two daughters with us to see the show. They have both seen the movie and were eager to see the show live as well. As soon as the Prologue began, we were on the edge of our seats . . . amazing and breathtaking are two words that immediately come to mind. From there, the show went downhill. Fast. While I could nitpick and talk about choreography that wasn't polished, dialogue that was too fast to understand, or the abundance of lines delivered in Spanish (and yes, I know that there are some in the script here and there but nowhere near the amount that we heard in the Chicago performance), I'll refrain. What TRULY disappointed me were the numerous moments that were completely inappropriate. "Gee Officer Krupke" was beyond being "over the top." The sexual innuendos were entirely unnecessary and as an adult, even I was squirming in embarrassment. The final scene in Doc's with Anita's arrival was not much better. The scene went way too far over the line and I shuddered to wonder what was going on inside the head of my 8 year-old. I know that I will probably get "blasted" by those who will say, "Well, you shouldn't have brought your children." Trust me when I say that without an opportunity to read other reviews ahead of time, I won't be bringing my children to future theatre events anytime soon. Here's the deal though . . . I come from a very active theatre family. I performed in "Westside Story" several years ago. My sister has been in the show as well. My mom played "Anybodys" as a teenager and has choreographed the show twice. Therefore, I know the script, I know the show, I know the theme. My hope was that the team of directors and choreographer would remain true to Jerome Robbins and his original piece of work. Sadly, we watched the complete opposite take place. So . . . if you're after a more vulgar and trashy version of "Westside Story" that smacks of the inappropriate references we see in abundance on television and movies today, then by all means, don't miss out. But if you're looking for something that speaks to your heart and makes you miss the "good ole days" of great Broadway musicals, save yourself some time and money. Go rent the movie and watch something incredible instead.

Not very good. Good dancing, but singing and chemistry between lead actors could have been better. Very abrupt ending. Felt like I was watching a high school musical.

The acting was not good. No drama, passion by the performers. The first half was ok, but the second half bombed! You couldn't even hear the words in a few songs which lost the humour in some spots that were suppose to be comic relief. All around it was lacking and at most a high school musical!

If you don't know the story, it's one you should become familiar with. The only thing that I wish was that I did not previously know what was going to happen throughout before seeing it. The dancing in this show is seriously spectacular and, with the music, might be worth the face value itself.

Overall I thought the play was wonderful. Highlights included the actresses that played Anita and Maria and the actor that played Inca. Although Inca was a small role, the young man who played him was incredible. My eyes were drawn to him as he danced across the stage. The playbill said he was the understudy for Bernardo. I would love to see it again with him in the role. To quote someone I heard outside the theater, "Some of these kids are Broadway bound!"

Actors and music were great!! Show was good. Don't like that the theater interrupt the show to seat late arrivals. This is very disruptive and should not happen.

The chorus line lacked impact, the dance lines in the fight scenes felt more like swan lake and less like West Side gangs. At times felt like another pirouette was thrown in due to a lack of sets, make up or talent. The lead voices were the only redeeming moments. A disappointing performance of a classic - I have seen better versions from high schools.

the dancing was great but the acting was poor...there was no chemisty between characters and the singing lacked luster. I feel that there was too much Spanish in this version and it was lacking some main scenes that I think it should have had from the original.

West Side Story has been a musical I have been dying to see for a long time. I was not disappointed. The sets were good, the music was wonderful, the singing was fantastic and the dancing was amazing. I feel that this play would become even more polished with time. Tony and Maria, as well as the rest of the cast, had great voices. It was true to the movie. There was more Spanish spoken in this version which made it seem more authentic. Some of the sound in the theater was off so the singing was not always clear but it was easy for me to understand since I know most of the lyrics. Thoroughly enjoyable!!

Like most eager theater goers on Friday, I was looking forward to this show Unfortunately I could not have been more disappointed. From start to finish the show wreaked with an amateur quality. The music was the saving grace, no surprise here. There was absolutely no connection between Tony and Maria, undercutting the magnetic tension that usually underscores this production. The dancing was disjointed, the sound inaudible at times and the singing was meager, at best. This show was clearly not ready for prime time, especially the Chicago theater audience. Buy the original score and save yourself some money and angst.

We had 6 people in our group ages 20-65 and all felt it was hard to hear. Not sure if it was poor annunciation or that the orchestra was too loud over the voices. This is not the musical for you if you like a happy ending or want to leave on a light note. Also a little too graphic. I would pick something else if I were to choose again. On a positive note the dancing was very enjoyable.

Wonderful production of an unforgettable classic. Never get's old.

The play was good for the most part, but I really did not appriciate all sexual references added to the play via choreography, it took a good play and ruined with what I assume was an attempt to make it edgier. I felt really bad for the parents of the 9 year old girl sitting in front of us.

West Side Story is 56 years old and still has a mighty punch. The dancing requirements of the cast are beautifully performed. Live theater never had it so good.

Maria was amazing. Beautiful voice. Anita was very good but couldn't understand some of her dialog.

Very lively and entertaining with the parts of Maria and Anita especially fantastic.