"West Side Story:" Hijacked and Raped

The 2020 version of "West Side Story" opens on Broadway today (Feb. 20, 2020) and before the reviews are published tomorrow, I thought I would put forth my impressions, having seen the show just over a week ago near the end of its exceptionally long run of "previews."

My headline to this post pretty much says it all, but let me start out on a high note:  Shereen Pimentel, who plays Maria has a lovely voice and, thankfully, she isn't over-miked as the singers in many Broadway musicals are.  She doesn't, however, look much like the innocent girl we expect of Maria based on past productions and that may well be one reason why one of her signature song's from the past, "I Feel Pretty," is missing from this show.