Young singers step up for roles in 'West Side Story'

Recruiting the Choral-Aires, Flathead High School's elite choir, to join a pair of warring street gangs wasn't difficult.

The Jets and Sharks were short on members, and Glacier Symphony and Alpine Theatre Project's joint production of "West Side Story" was just weeks away.

Members of the Glacier Chorale sang in last year's joint production of "The Sound of Music," but it wouldn't have been appropriate using adults in "West Side Story," said Luke Walrath, executive director of Alpine Theatre Project.

"The score of this show has an energy that these younger people can really add to," he said. "It's perfect for that, because the music is so energetic and so sweeping that it needs that youthful energy in order to make it work."

The company held auditions and cast some youths from Kalispell and Whitefish, but the Jets and Sharks still needed more members.

"We felt like we needed more in order to really flesh out the gangs," Walrath said. "We were looking for young guys especially. They're always a rare commodity."

Walrath contacted Flathead choir director Kevin Allen-Schmid to see if he knew any youths who might be interested in playing a Shark or a Jet.

"Kevin said, 'It just so happens that my elite group of singers is not doing anything in January,'" Walrath said. "'Want me to pitch it to them and ask if they're interested in getting involved?'"

The students were interested, so Walrath and fellow Alpine Theatre Project directors Betsi Morrison and David Ackroyd went to the school to hear the Choral-Aires sing.

"They sang three or four songs for them, and their jaws just dropped to the floor," Allen-Schmid said.

"We were just blown away," Walrath agreed. "We were very, very impressed with their musical ability."

The Choral-Aires haven't, as a group, been part of a production quite like this, but Allen-Schmid is confident the students will perform well. Most have done musical theater and have been in unrehearsed situations.

"It's a specialty of theirs to fly by the seat of their pants," he said. "They're used to adapting to acoustic or physical spaces they're not prepared for. That's part of the strength that they bring to this."

While playing gang members will be a new experience, the Choral-Aires aren't completely unprepared for it. Walrath has spent the last couple of weeks teaching them the music in their seventh-period Choral-Aires class.

It has meant long days for Walrath, who drives back to the Alpine Theatre Project office in Whitefish after class and rehearses with the other gang members each night. The day and evening groups met each other for the first time Friday night, which also was the first time the actors rehearsed with the orchestra.

"The process has been a little fragmented, with all these different groups rehearsing independently of one another," Walrath said.

Several girls will be part of the production, but Walrath is excited about the number of young men who will participate. Eight male Choral-Aires will take part in "West Side Story," he said.

"That's eight strong singers. That's hard to come by. Add that to the six guys in the night crew, and that's a pretty healthy group of guys," he said.

The show is a concert-version musical, which means there won't be much dialogue, he said. Instead, the show depends on the songs to carry the story, which makes the singers' ability to convey emotion and attitude critical.

"It's all about these two warring gangs," he said. "I need voices that are powerful enough to convey that. You don't want wimpy gangs.

"We've been working a lot on getting that attitude, that I-don't-care-I'm-going-to-punch-someone-in-the-face kind of attitude."

Working with the Choral-Aires has been a great experience, Walrath said.

"We've always wanted to get more involved with the schools and really work with kind of the crop of performers that are coming out of the Flathead," he said. "This has been a really fun way of doing that."

The titles the Alpine Theatre Group and Glacier Symphony and Chorale are considering for next year may not be appropriate for young singers, he said. If, however, there is ever another production that lends itself to a young cast, Walrath said he definitely would work with the Choral-Aires again.

"I would not hesitate to work with those guys," he said. "I was so stunned by how good and technically proficient they are at reading music and singing parts.

"They really are very good. I was blown away."

"West Side Story" will be at the Flathead High School auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 and 26 and at 3 p.m. Jan. 27. For tickets and information, visit www.gscmusic.org or www.alpinetheatreproject.org, or call 257-3241.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com