Latest / Jersey Arts Podcast / Assimilation, Immigration, and the Dance-Nation within West Side Story

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Assimilation, Immigration, and the Dance-Nation within West Side Story · Jersey Arts Podcast

• 0:02
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: This is Gina Marie Rodriguez, and you're listening to the Jersey Arts podcast.
• 0:07
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: If you're a Sondheim fan like me, get ready to geek out together.
• 0:11
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: West Side Story is making its way to the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn this May.
• 0:16
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And I could not be more excited.
• 0:18
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: If you're unfamiliar with the classic tale, I suggest you buckle up and get ready for an evening of music you'll be singing all the way home, and likely for the foreseeable future.
• 0:28
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Chances are you've already heard the most famous songs, whether you've seen the musical or not.
• 0:32
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I Feel Pretty, Somewhere, and America have solidified their status in the pop culture Zeitgeist.
• 0:38
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: With music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Steven Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Lawrence, this unforgettable classic captures the thrilling passion of first love and the heartbreak of a world divided.
• 0:50
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Set in 1950s New York, the musical is a reimagining of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
• 0:56
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Funny how little has changed.
• 0:58
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: It would seem that these themes still resonate with audiences over 400 years later.
• 1:02
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Today I have the pleasure of speaking with actors Anthony Sanchez, who plays Bernardo, and Kira Sorce, who plays Consuelo in the upcoming Paper Mill production.
• 1:11
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: So stay tuned for an exhilarating chat about the behind the scenes of Building West Side Story.
• 1:17
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I am so excited to meet you guys.
• 1:20
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: West Side Story is one of my top shows.
• 1:23
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: So this is going to be a fun conversation for me watching speak out about it.
• 1:29
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I know that this is a dance-heavy show, and I know practically nothing about dance.
• 1:35
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: So I want to ask you some questions about that.
• 1:38
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Especially for Kira since you're the dance captain.
• 1:41
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: What is that responsibility to be a captain?
• 1:44
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Can you break down that role for me, what that means?
• 1:47
  Kyra Sorce: Oh, yes.
• 1:47
  Kyra Sorce: So being a dance captain, essentially, Alex, our choreographer, has an associate.
• 1:53
  Kyra Sorce: And so him and Alexa are gonna set the show.
• 1:56
  Kyra Sorce: And it's my job during rehearsals to just kind of digest what they're saying as far as texture, what they want is quality, as well as picking up all of the choreography.
• 2:05
  Kyra Sorce: And so I'm just listening for the most part, taking in the notes.
• 2:09
  Kyra Sorce: Things are gonna change, and that's okay.
• 2:10
  Kyra Sorce: We just staying flexible, and you know, people are gonna move spacing and you know, different steps or what foot we're on is gonna get all cleaned up.
• 2:17
  Kyra Sorce: So it's just like a lot of grace and temperance during the rehearsal process, which is cool.
• 2:22
  Kyra Sorce: It takes a really specific type of person to be that open and that flexible.
• 2:26
  Kyra Sorce: And then once Alex and Alexa leave the process, the show and the integrity of the dance and the spacing and the timing is all in my hands.
• 2:36
  Kyra Sorce: So I'm in charge of everybody who does a dance step, that step, their spacing, the understudies that we're gonna put in, teaching that all the choreo back onto those understudies with the same integrity, spacing, timing as everybody else.
• 2:53
  Kyra Sorce: So we can just have a really clean, full show.
• 2:56
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: That's amazing.
• 2:57
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And I, whenever I talk to um, you know, fight captains or dance captains, it's always insane to me that you're taking on this double duty because not only do you have the responsibility of performing yourself, but you changing everyone else.
• 3:11
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And I know West Side Story fairly well, but I'm I'm trying to remember who Consuelo is.
• 3:18
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Is she the one who says, I know you do?
• 3:20
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Yeah, she does.
• 3:24
  Kyra Sorce: Iconic, iconic, and it's so funny.
• 3:27
  Kyra Sorce: Before I came on the Zoom, I was like practicing how I was gonna say that.
• 3:31
  Kyra Sorce: I was like, let me play with it.
• 3:33
  Kyra Sorce: Yeah, Consuelo, I call her, she's the blonde shark.
• 3:36
  Kyra Sorce: So she she did a dye job because she wants to, you know, assimilate.
• 3:41
  Kyra Sorce: And so she's got this really fun dye job, like dark roots, blonde hair.
• 3:46
  Kyra Sorce: It's amazing.
• 3:48
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: That is amazing, and it's funny because I want to point out that before we started recording this, we were all talking about how much we we have a desire to speak Spanish and we're like reverse trying to assimilate.
• 3:57
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Yes, yes, so I think it's interesting.
• 4:00
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Um, and it must be fun to play a character who is on the opposite side of that, I guess.
• 4:06
  Kyra Sorce: Yeah, totally.
• 4:07
  Kyra Sorce: And she she's got some clues into her character, like she's obsessed with her boyfriend Pepe, she has a deep friendship with Anita and Maria.
• 4:16
  Kyra Sorce: She's kind of cool, she's kind of second in command on the shark women's side.
• 4:20
  Kyra Sorce: She's extremely supportive and she's really funny.
• 4:23
  Kyra Sorce: I enjoy playing her a lot.
• 4:24
  Kyra Sorce: She sounds like a blast.
• 4:26
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: If I had any musical abilities, if I could sing or dance, that's who I would have wanted to play.
• 4:30
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: But I can do neither of those things.
• 4:31
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Yes.
• 4:31
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Well, when you come see it, let me know what you think of Michael Suelo.
• 4:36
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Yes, absolutely.
• 4:37
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And I actually think this might be one of the first, no, it will be the first professional stage production I've ever seen of West Side Story.
• 4:45
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I've seen both movies and one high school production, but I've never seen a professional production of Westside Story.
• 4:50
  Kyra Sorce: Oh, you I'm so excited for you.
• 4:52
  Kyra Sorce: Essentially, Mark Kobe was like, we're just gonna do West Side Story.
• 4:57
  Kyra Sorce: We're not gonna mess with it.
• 4:59
  Kyra Sorce: We're gonna keep it as it is, hold up the integrity, we're just gonna do it.
• 5:02
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: So you are in for such a treat.
• 5:04
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I'm so excited.
• 5:05
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And I have Bernardo here with me.
• 5:08
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: So I want to talk to you.
• 5:09
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I mean, you're essentially the tibbled character, right?
• 5:11
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: If this is the comp to Romeo and Juliet, you're tibbled.
• 5:14
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Talk to me about what that's like for you to get to play him.
• 5:19
  Anthony Sanchez: You know, I there's something about this character that I just am obsessed with.
• 5:23
  Anthony Sanchez: It's just, you know, when you just love so passionately and so deeply, and you will do anything for your family.
• 5:29
  Anthony Sanchez: Like you will protect them and go to the edge of the earth for them.
• 5:34
  Anthony Sanchez: Um, and I think that's kind of like what is so special for this.
• 5:37
  Anthony Sanchez: I feel like sometimes when I see this character or when this character comes, people are like, oh, he's just mad, you know, he's always just mad and just wants to fight.
• 5:45
  Anthony Sanchez: But it's like, why did he get that way?
• 5:47
  Anthony Sanchez: Like how, like, who pushed him to the edge?
• 5:49
  Anthony Sanchez: What is he doing it for, you know, because we all do something for another reason.
• 5:54
  Anthony Sanchez: So bringing like the heart and love because he loves Anita so much and he loves his shark gang and he loves the shark women and he wants to take care of them and have a place where they can walk down the street and feel safe.
• 6:05
  Anthony Sanchez: It's like all that is why he fights.
• 6:08
  Anthony Sanchez: All that is why he will step in front of, you know, Riff and the Jets.
• 6:12
  Anthony Sanchez: He he does it out of love.
• 6:13
  Anthony Sanchez: And I think bringing that part for me, you know, is is really important every time I do this, this part, this role.
• 6:21
  Anthony Sanchez: And and and yeah, I think it's just it's one of those things where I'm so grateful to be on the stage with other people of color, you know, people that have had this in their life growing up in middle school, high school where it doesn't feel like you belong, but you're like, I'm here.
• 6:37
  Anthony Sanchez: Like, you know, I was born in Mexico and and I moved to uh the United States when I was three, and and I look around and I'm like, do I belong here?
• 6:45
  Anthony Sanchez: So it's like it's like you know, it's a really, it's a really important story, and I'm and I'm so grateful, especially in a time like right now, where do I belong here is so important.
• 6:56
  Anthony Sanchez: I just think it's just kind of like I'm so grateful that I get to be a part of this story and get to tell it.
• 7:04
  Kyra Sorce: That was stunning, Anthony.
• 7:05
  Kyra Sorce: Wow, yeah.
• 7:07
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: No, it's true.
• 7:08
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: They can, you know, yeah, right?
• 7:10
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Like neither here nor there.
• 7:12
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And I I'm glad you brought that up because I wanted to talk to you both about your backgrounds as well, because we were talking about the reverse assimilation uh for all of us being Latino or half Latino.
• 7:23
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Um, so if you don't mind talking to me a little bit about your background, uh Kira, I'll start with you and then we'll go back to Anthony.
• 7:30
  Kyra Sorce: Okay, so my story is very similar to West Side's story.
• 7:34
  Kyra Sorce: So my abuela, her name is Althea, she was a Puerto Rican-American woman.
• 7:40
  Kyra Sorce: And I'm gonna just say a little family lore for the moment.
• 7:43
  Kyra Sorce: She got pregnant with my mom at 18, with the man that she loved.
• 7:49
  Kyra Sorce: But for him, she wasn't pure, she wasn't Italian enough because she had this Puerto Rican blood in her, she wasn't deemed worthy enough for him.
• 7:58
  Kyra Sorce: So she had my mom at 18, Catholic, grew up in Brooklyn, like Brooklyn Catholic girl, you know, shame, shame, shame.
• 8:06
  Kyra Sorce: And she had my mom uh out of love and like did that journey.
• 8:11
  Kyra Sorce: And my family came over from Sicily, we're Sicilian and we're also Puerto Rican.
• 8:16
  Kyra Sorce: So they came over through Operation Bootstrap and through Ellis Island in the 1940s.
• 8:22
  Kyra Sorce: We haven't been here that long, and they came through and settled in Brooklyn, New York.
• 8:27
  Kyra Sorce: They did the brownstone thing, like down in Brooklyn, like these rowdy Puerto Ricans, these rowdy, rowdy Sicilians, and like even back in the day, there was a lot of us, and there's more of us now, which is super cool.
• 8:40
  Kyra Sorce: And so my family were not blood related because of that switch, like with who my mom's dad is, and him not wanting to be a part of my mom's life because she was Puerto Rican.
• 8:51
  Kyra Sorce: So I'm not directly related to a lot of my family, but it's a love relationship.
• 8:55
  Kyra Sorce: So we all might not be genetically related, but we're love related, and that is such a shark quality that I find deep in my practice of how I live my life and just in the show in general.
• 9:09
  Kyra Sorce: And so my mom grew up in Brooklyn as a Puerto Rican, like Sicilian, like girl, my dad is Sicilian, and they met in New York and fell in love in New York and moved out west to have me.
• 9:21
  Kyra Sorce: But like the roots and the history of my family is the same as the sharks, which is so the sharks, honestly, and I'm gonna say it, and the jets.
• 9:31
  Kyra Sorce: So it's really, really cool because we have that Sicilian and we have that Puerto Rican.
• 9:36
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Wow, that's a beautiful story.
• 9:37
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Yeah, that's that's amazing.
• 9:40
  Anthony Sanchez: Thank you, Anthony.
• 9:41
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: How about you?
• 9:42
  Anthony Sanchez: Um, you know, it's you know, it's I I was born in Mexico.
• 9:47
  Anthony Sanchez: My mom was 17 at the time.
• 9:50
  Anthony Sanchez: Um, and you know, we just uh my my dad, uh my mom's from El Salvador, my dad's from Mexico, they met when they were in high school.
• 9:58
  Anthony Sanchez: Um, and yeah, she had me at 17, and then at three years old, my mom was just like, I want a better life for my son.
• 10:04
  Anthony Sanchez: And kind of like, you know, the story of West Side's story, you know, we get here, and and we're all hoping for that American dream.
• 10:11
  Anthony Sanchez: We're all hoping for, you know, a better tomorrow.
• 10:14
  Anthony Sanchez: And and it's it's so interesting because I I talked to my mom quite a bit about doing this show.
• 10:20
  Anthony Sanchez: Um, Kira and I, we did this show overseas internationally, which was incredible.
• 10:26
  Anthony Sanchez: And my mom was visiting me in Paris.
• 10:29
  Anthony Sanchez: Uh, and like it was weird that we were in Paris and she was seeing me perform this show.
• 10:35
  Anthony Sanchez: And I turned to my mom and I was just like, Thank you for this opportunity.
• 10:39
  Anthony Sanchez: If you didn't say, Let's go to America to, you know, so you can fulfill your dreams or even try for your dreams, I wouldn't be in Paris at the Chatelet seeing you like watch me perform like that in a million years that uh that never came to my mind.
• 10:56
  Anthony Sanchez: But if it wasn't for her being like, you can do this, let's let's try.
• 11:00
  Anthony Sanchez: You know what I'm saying?
• 11:01
  Anthony Sanchez: So yeah, so it's it's it's amazing.
• 11:05
  Anthony Sanchez: And and and I'm just so grateful for you know the women who came before, you know, all of us, or the moms or the grandmas or the grandpas who are like, we want you to have a better life and and uproot literally everything and try to make that happen.
• 11:18
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: That's so beautiful.
• 11:19
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And I'm uh I mean on the verge of tears here.
• 11:23
  Anthony Sanchez: Sorry, sorry.
• 11:24
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: No, it's a good thing, it's a good thing.
• 11:26
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And I that immigrant story is obviously so pivotal to West Side's story, but what does that song America mean to you to both of you when you're singing that?
• 11:36
  Kyra Sorce: So I think, yeah, I've got a lot of history with that song, just like um Anthony said, we had such a privilege of being on tour as Anita and Bernardo 2022 through 2023.
• 11:49
  Kyra Sorce: And I think by halfway through that tour, I had found what that song is for me.
• 11:56
  Kyra Sorce: And that song, oh, I just got full body chills.
• 11:59
  Kyra Sorce: Especially, it's a lot of work on Anita to not make it nasty, but to make it fun and loving and witty and full of heart.
• 12:09
  Kyra Sorce: Like this is what her and Rosalia and the girls do.
• 12:13
  Kyra Sorce: This is the way that they show themselves.
• 12:15
  Kyra Sorce: They get sexy, they get hot, they get technical, they get witty with each other.
• 12:20
  Kyra Sorce: There's no male gaze.
• 12:22
  Kyra Sorce: It's about the girl empowerment, girl empowerment.
• 12:25
  Kyra Sorce: And I think at the end of the day, Rosalia knows that she wants to be in America, but Rosalia is like, I do miss the green, the fruit, the air, the air quality, the love, the heartbeat.
• 12:38
  Kyra Sorce: You know, Manhattan is a concrete jungle, it's a rat city.
• 12:41
  Kyra Sorce: There, it's it's dirty, especially back then.
• 12:43
  Kyra Sorce: So she's feeling nostalgic and she and she's overplaying it to dig at Anita, like sisters do.
• 12:50
  Kyra Sorce: You know what I mean?
• 12:50
  Kyra Sorce: And Anita's like, girl, we've done this before and we're gonna do it again.
• 12:55
  Kyra Sorce: And you just brought it up in the kitchen and you're bringing it up again now, you know.
• 13:00
  Kyra Sorce: And I like to think, like, you know, maybe they've had some tequila, maybe they're you know, they just came from the dance.
• 13:06
  Kyra Sorce: Like they're they're having a good fucking time, and it's fun and it's playful, and it's about it's for me, that's how I really connected to it because you can look at it and you can see, okay, maybe some of the lyrics are a little dated, maybe it could be portrayed as a little racist, like we've got to change some exclamations and some things.
• 13:25
  Kyra Sorce: And it's like if you put it in that way and you bring it back to the sisterhood and the heart, you can really have fun with it, and the audience is left feeling like that was a blast.
• 13:34
  Anthony Sanchez: Yeah, I uh I love that song.
• 13:37
  Anthony Sanchez: Uh unfortunately, they kick the boys out uh when they start singing, but it's fun watching from the wings and getting to see an all like female number that has nothing, like Kira said, has nothing to do with the men.
• 13:48
  Anthony Sanchez: I love that, and that's just so empowering, especially for a musical back then.
• 13:52
  Anthony Sanchez: If you really think about it, like to be like, let's have just an all-women's number talking about where you came from and like you know what you miss and what you love.
• 14:00
  Anthony Sanchez: Um, so it's it's really cool getting to watch that from the wings or even just watch it like in the rehearsal at new 42.
• 14:06
  Anthony Sanchez: And it's just so thrilling and exciting, and it really has everything.
• 14:09
  Anthony Sanchez: It has the singing, it has the hard dancing, it has you know the comedy.
• 14:12
  Anthony Sanchez: So I think that's just such a uh pivotal moment in the in the show, you know, because you fall in love with the sharp girls.
• 14:19
  Anthony Sanchez: So yeah.
• 14:20
  unknown: Okay.
• 14:22
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I feel like I've gaslit myself.
• 14:24
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Did I in the movie the men?
• 14:26
  Anthony Sanchez: In the movie, yes.
• 14:28
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Yeah, see, this is where my lack of stage production is.
• 14:30
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: That's okay.
• 14:31
  Anthony Sanchez: That's okay.
• 14:32
  Anthony Sanchez: But but I think that's what that's what is exciting.
• 14:34
  Kyra Sorce: I also do love.
• 14:36
  Kyra Sorce: I love it.
• 14:36
  Kyra Sorce: I love when the men are in it.
• 14:38
  Anthony Sanchez: Yeah, yeah, same.
• 14:40
  Anthony Sanchez: But you know what?
• 14:40
  Anthony Sanchez: I love I love I love to sit in the sidelines and just watch and watch you guys kick your heads every night.
• 14:45
  Anthony Sanchez: That's pretty exciting.
• 14:48
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I have to ask, which film version do you prefer?
• 14:54
  Anthony Sanchez: Kira, you can go first.
• 14:57
  Kyra Sorce: I gotta say it.
• 14:58
  Kyra Sorce: I haven't watched the new one.
• 15:00
  Kyra Sorce: I can't tell a lie.
• 15:01
  Kyra Sorce: So yeah.
• 15:03
  Kyra Sorce: It came out when we were on tour, and I was just a little west eyed out.
• 15:08
  Kyra Sorce: I was like, I don't think in my free time I can digest this anymore.
• 15:13
  Kyra Sorce: Um, and I know it's a piece of work and I know I need to see it.
• 15:17
  Kyra Sorce: Um, I all I'll say about the original is that it's the reason why I transitioned out of concert dance and started to focus on musical theater because it was pivotal.
• 15:26
  Kyra Sorce: I it just I had never felt moved quite like that.
• 15:31
  Kyra Sorce: And so the OG was pivotal just in who I am as a person.
• 15:35
  Anthony Sanchez: Yeah, I mean, I I would okay, so let me preface this.
• 15:38
  Anthony Sanchez: I would have to agree.
• 15:38
  Anthony Sanchez: The original is OG.
• 15:40
  Anthony Sanchez: I remember watching it a million times, but I will plug in our riff at Paper Mill Playhouse.
• 15:46
  Anthony Sanchez: He played action in the remake with Steven Spielberg.
• 15:50
  Anthony Sanchez: So when you do come and see it, he will be the Riff in our production, which is very exciting.
• 15:55
  Anthony Sanchez: Um and our snowboy, Daniel.
• 15:58
  Anthony Sanchez: Daniel Patrick Russell is also in it.
• 16:00
  Anthony Sanchez: So you'll see two people from the the new movie in the paper mill production.
• 16:05
  Anthony Sanchez: Yeah, um, and they're incredible to watch.
• 16:08
  Anthony Sanchez: Um, but yeah, like Kira said, I just love the original.
• 16:11
  Anthony Sanchez: I just I'm just an OJ.
• 16:12
  Anthony Sanchez: I know you haven't seen the the new one, Kira, but I think the original is just it just is near and dear to my heart.
• 16:18
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Yeah, I'm I'm with you guys.
• 16:19
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I mean, I know Kira's choosing it by default, but I still have to go.
• 16:23
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I have to look at the original.
• 16:24
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I do.
• 16:25
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: But I will say, um, and this is just a tidbit that I'll share.
• 16:28
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: My father, who was New Yorkan, did not really like the Natalie Wood version.
• 16:33
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Just, I mean, because she wasn't Latinov.
• 16:35
  Kyra Sorce: Right.
• 16:35
  Kyra Sorce: Yeah, right.
• 16:36
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Um, and then when he went to see, I took him to see the new Steven Spielberg version, and he cried during that one because that one was his was his childhood essentially, because he grew up, uh he was he was born in the 30s.
• 16:50
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: So he grew up during that era and he was very um very familiar with their experiences, and he thought that one did a better job of highlighting the Puerto Rican experience in a way felt grounded, yeah.
• 17:04
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Which makes sense.
• 17:04
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: They didn't really uh focus on on you know grounded reality in like 19.
• 17:08
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Not at all.
• 17:09
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: Yeah, cool.
• 17:11
  Speaker 3: Not at all.
• 17:12
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: So I'll give I'll give that one credit.
• 17:14
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And it was obviously it was beautifully shot, but West Side Story is just such a classic.
• 17:18
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And and how could it not be when you're essentially remaking Romeo and Juliet?
• 17:21
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: It's just to be a classic, exactly.
• 17:24
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: But yeah, I had this question, which is just for funsies, and you guys are gonna be like, why are you asking me this?
• 17:30
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I'm curious if someone were to reimagine West Side Story as a jukebox musical, what songs would you want to see in West Side?
• 17:41
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: That funny!
• 17:46
  Kyra Sorce: We were literally talking about this yesterday.
• 17:49
  Speaker 3: So funny.
• 17:55
  Kyra Sorce: Or it should be Benito's last album.
• 17:58
  Kyra Sorce: Like, we all want to see Nueva York.
• 18:02
  Anthony Sanchez: Yeah, it's like, yes, that's easy.
• 18:05
  Anthony Sanchez: We'll reach out to him and we'll see what we can do for next year.
• 18:08
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I'm gonna put you on that, Anthony.
• 18:09
  Anthony Sanchez: You're gonna reach out to that bunny.
• 18:12
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: We're all gonna be harassing Benito to see what he can do.
• 18:15
  Anthony Sanchez: We're like, please.
• 18:16
  Anthony Sanchez: Wait, I feel like that's such a good answer.
• 18:18
  Anthony Sanchez: You can't really talk that.
• 18:19
  Anthony Sanchez: That's that's really good.
• 18:22
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: What's funny is that I hadn't even I love Bad Bunny and I hadn't even considered it.
• 18:26
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And maybe this shows my age because I was going to like El Tiburon, which is so old.
• 18:31
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: It's so old, I can't remember.
• 18:33
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I think it's by Proyecto Uno or something.
• 18:35
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Beautiful English, yes, and it's sharks, you know, why not?
• 18:38
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Beautiful.
• 18:39
  Anthony Sanchez: Honestly, maybe throw some some Selena in there.
• 18:42
  Anthony Sanchez: Like you get some like come on, market very oh yeah, 100%.
• 18:49
  Kyra Sorce: 100%.
• 18:50
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Yeah, basically, okay.
• 18:51
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: So we have a uh job now, and it's to rewrite websites to read.
• 18:54
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I love big box musical.
• 18:56
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I love it.
• 18:57
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Uh you guys are gonna handle all the music though, because I of course and then Anthony's gonna handle the copyrights, yes, of course.
• 19:03
  Anthony Sanchez: I'll deal with all the paperwork.
• 19:05
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Exactly.
• 19:06
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Is that one of your skills?
• 19:07
  Anthony Sanchez: No, not at all.
• 19:08
  Anthony Sanchez: That's why it's funny.
• 19:10
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I'm I'm also not good at that.
• 19:12
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: But I love I love that idea, and I love that you guys were already just naturally talking about it.
• 19:17
  Kyra Sorce: We were talking about it, literally, Alex Sanchez and I were talking about it on a 10 yesterday.
• 19:22
  Kyra Sorce: It was it's amazing.
• 19:23
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: God, that is so funny.
• 19:25
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Tell me a little bit about the rehearsal process.
• 19:27
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: You said um earlier uh before I started recording this that you guys have been rehearsing for two weeks, right?
• 19:32
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: So, like, what is that journey like?
• 19:34
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I mean, you guys already know the show so well.
• 19:36
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: So, what is it like to step into those roles again?
• 19:40
  Kyra Sorce: Basically, we're 10 a.m.
• 19:43
  Kyra Sorce: to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and then we have Sundays off.
• 19:47
  Kyra Sorce: That's been the last two weeks.
• 19:48
  Kyra Sorce: And I'm proud to say we finished the show two days ago.
• 19:52
  Kyra Sorce: Like, we did a put through yesterday.
• 19:54
  Kyra Sorce: We're in such a good spot, which is which is like slapped on the back of everybody, like amazing, amazing work on all departments.
• 20:02
  Kyra Sorce: Basically, we have a big room for dancing and then a separate room, and we are working in either room at all times, whether you're doing choreo with Alex and Alexa, or you're staging with Mark, or you're learning music with Ben.
• 20:16
  Kyra Sorce: We've got oh yeah, we have three rooms.
• 20:19
  Kyra Sorce: We have a room with a piano.
• 20:20
  Kyra Sorce: So we just really in two weeks, they maximize the time and put the show up.
• 20:25
  Kyra Sorce: We have an hour in the middle of the day for lunch, and then we're on an equity rehearsal.
• 20:29
  Kyra Sorce: So every 90 minutes we take a 10 minute break, um, which is great.
• 20:34
  Kyra Sorce: And you, you know, eat your lunch, drink your electrolytes, and just send it.
• 20:40
  Anthony Sanchez: So that's exactly, that's exactly right, Kira.
• 20:43
  Anthony Sanchez: Like it's it's funny because like this group of people are just so talented and they pick up things so quickly, and like we all have to just go with the changes and the flows and this and that.
• 20:52
  Anthony Sanchez: And it's just it's just like if we didn't have such a great group of people, I don't think we would have been as far as we've gotten, I guess, essentially.
• 21:01
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I was gonna say, I think it's so important for folks outside of the industry to hear what the rehearsal process is like and understand just how rigorous it is.
• 21:11
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I mean, you six days on, one day off is that's a lot, right?
• 21:16
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Yeah, and to be so physical, you know, I can manage a straight play because I don't have to run around and sweat like crazy.
• 21:26
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: So I don't know how musical performers do it.
• 21:30
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And I I did want to talk about it since I have two dancers with me.
• 21:33
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I I wanted to ask you if or how the dance influences character choices.
• 21:42
  Anthony Sanchez: Ooh, so good.
• 21:43
  Anthony Sanchez: Wait, can I take this one real quick?
• 21:45
  Anthony Sanchez: Because I have such a good story.
• 21:47
  Anthony Sanchez: So I am in the prologue.
• 21:49
  Anthony Sanchez: Um, I'm like it's the Jets, and then you know, Bernardo walks on by himself for the prologue.
• 21:54
  Anthony Sanchez: And so I just have to walk from one side of the stage to the other, and I'm doing that.
• 21:58
  Anthony Sanchez: I'm doing that, you know, and Alex.
• 21:59
  Anthony Sanchez: Pulls me aside and goes, great work.
• 22:02
  Anthony Sanchez: And I'm like, thank you, thank you.
• 22:03
  Anthony Sanchez: But he's like, when you're walking across that stage, he's like, you're embarrassed.
• 22:07
  Anthony Sanchez: You just been humiliated.
• 22:09
  Anthony Sanchez: You so instead of just having a step going from one side of the stage to the other, he's giving me these like little nuggets, like what I should, you know, bring into this walk or what I'm feeling or why I'm crossing the stage.
• 22:21
  Anthony Sanchez: So I think that's what's so amazing about you know Jerome, but also Alex, it's that he can bring these um little ideas and little thoughts of why we're doing certain steps, because the steps also move the story along.
• 22:35
  Anthony Sanchez: Like there is no talking in that full, like, what is it, eight-minute prologue at the beginning?
• 22:39
  Anthony Sanchez: That is all dancing, that is just storytelling.
• 22:42
  Anthony Sanchez: So any kind of movement, it's it's moving the story forward.
• 22:46
  Anthony Sanchez: So I think that's really important, especially having someone like Alex there who knows the story so well.
• 22:52
  Kyra Sorce: Oh my gosh, Anthony, that is amazing.
• 22:54
  Kyra Sorce: Thank you for sharing that.
• 22:55
  Anthony Sanchez: Yeah, wow.
• 22:56
  Kyra Sorce: Yes.
• 22:57
  Kyra Sorce: Oh, okay.
• 22:58
  Kyra Sorce: I have two thoughts.
• 22:59
  Kyra Sorce: My first thought is one of my favorite sequences of all time, Dance at the Gym, Blues and Mambo.
• 23:05
  Kyra Sorce: I think what makes that so special is in the ball changes of the Mambo, like when you're looking back and the punches and the jumps and the flipping, if you're in the pocket, you are sending energy to the jets or sending energy to the sharks in each of those hits to intimidate, to peacock, to do all the things, to to bite, to it's a battle, it's a dance battle, it's an OG dance battle, and that's the integrity of it.
• 23:33
  Kyra Sorce: And you know, once you get the timing and the steps and the facings, that's the second layer of like, all right, now let's produce this piece that is a dance piece, but it was always an acting piece first, essentially, in the creation of it, which is cool.
• 23:48
  Kyra Sorce: And then the second thing is a story I want to share that was cast down for me by Julio Morey, who is another Jerome Robbins setter.
• 23:56
  Kyra Sorce: He also worked directly with Jerome Robbins, he's a mentor of mine and worked with I Anthony and I have both worked with him.
• 24:03
  Kyra Sorce: And he told me that the snapping in cool, like the reason why they snap and the reason why the jet snapped, Jerome Robbins picked that up from someone on the streets of New York that had a tick.
• 24:15
  Kyra Sorce: They had a nervous tick.
• 24:16
  Kyra Sorce: They were maybe a questionable person, you know, in Midtown, and they had, you know, we've all seen it, we've all been around that.
• 24:22
  Kyra Sorce: And they had this tick where they couldn't stop snapping and that anxiety and that aggression.
• 24:27
  Kyra Sorce: They were just circling a corner of a street, and that's where Jerome picked up that snapping.
• 24:32
  Kyra Sorce: Yes.
• 24:33
  Anthony Sanchez: I never knew that.
• 24:34
  Kyra Sorce: Yes, I never knew that.
• 24:35
  Kyra Sorce: Yes, it's so cool.
• 24:37
  Kyra Sorce: And so if you, yeah, if you can add that, that's again a second layer of the intentionality.
• 24:43
  Kyra Sorce: It's not, we're not just snapping to get your attention.
• 24:47
  Kyra Sorce: You're snapping for any reason.
• 24:49
  Kyra Sorce: Many reasons your parasympathetic nervous system is off, and it's how you stay grounded or you know, to scare people away from you.
• 24:58
  Kyra Sorce: You know, maybe you don't want anyone around you, and so you can layer it in as an actor.
• 25:03
  Kyra Sorce: It's sure it's a ball change, sure, it's a snap, but that's why this work has lasted as long as it has, is because every single detail has intentionality.
• 25:13
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Wow, that is my new favorite tidbit.
• 25:16
  Anthony Sanchez: That's so cool.
• 25:17
  Anthony Sanchez: I had no idea.
• 25:19
  Anthony Sanchez: I had no idea.
• 25:20
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Me either.
• 25:21
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: That is amazing.
• 25:23
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I love I love hearing the actor's process, but I did want to ask you guys, and and maybe we'll end with this, but I wanted to add we've talked a little bit about Alex, but I want to ask you guys about your experience with the entire creative team.
• 25:35
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Talk to me about uh your director and uh your costumer.
• 25:39
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Like just I like to highlight the crew as well because actors get a lot of the um, you know, you share the spotlight with creative, creative is important.
• 25:50
  Anthony Sanchez: Uh okay, I guess I'll go.
• 25:52
  Anthony Sanchez: Um working with Mark and Alex, it's so fun because you can tell, like, you know, we've done shows before, or at least I've done shows before, where I've like seen a director for our friend, I'm like, oh yeah, they're they're they're like they're doing their job, they're happy.
• 26:04
  Anthony Sanchez: But like Mark and Alex love West Side Story.
• 26:07
  Anthony Sanchez: And you can tell so much because they both get up from their seats and they're like, try this, or like it's like this, or this is the power.
• 26:14
  Anthony Sanchez: And like when you have a creative team that's like that, that is so excited for a piece of work, it's just like it feeds the cast, it feeds the crew, it feeds everyone who wants to do a good job and sharing the story.
• 26:26
  Anthony Sanchez: Um, as well as the like the costume, or like it's fun going in there and we have all these different fittings and and like like asking, like, oh, why are we wearing this, or what is this for?
• 26:36
  Anthony Sanchez: What is that?
• 26:37
  Anthony Sanchez: Like, it's just it it brings the whole story.
• 26:39
  Anthony Sanchez: So it's just we don't have a I don't think we have a run until Tuesday where like the lighting will come in and everything, but like all of those things play such a crucial part in telling the story, you know.
• 26:50
  Anthony Sanchez: We can't do the show without costumes, we can't do the show without music, we can't do the show with like so it's so exciting when we're all gonna be in the same room together and collaborating and making this this show come to life.
• 27:00
  Anthony Sanchez: So props to everybody.
• 27:02
  Kyra Sorce: Yeah, I couldn't have said it better myself.
• 27:04
  Kyra Sorce: I think I I've never seen Mark and Alex sit when they're on their feet, like giving actual like directing and choreographing.
• 27:13
  Kyra Sorce: And I don't think Alex eats lunch, like he is just so he's so in the process.
• 27:18
  Kyra Sorce: Um, I know Mark Hovey, our director, has personal um relationships with the show.
• 27:24
  Kyra Sorce: He did drum robins Broadway in the 80s, and I think he covered 19 tracks.
• 27:31
  Anthony Sanchez: He took it something crazy like that.
• 27:32
  Anthony Sanchez: Yes, yeah, wild like that.
• 27:35
  Kyra Sorce: And I love when Mark is watching, he is so emotional, and I am a cancer zodiac, and I am emotional as well, and it is just so nice.
• 27:46
  Kyra Sorce: You feel you feel safe to fall in love, you feel safe to play and mess up and go on the journey with them because they're both very much in process, because they are actors, they both are dancers, and now they've graduated to choreographer, director, and I know Alex directs as well.
• 28:06
  Kyra Sorce: Mark at one point in time choreographed the show at the Marriott, they've been in the show many times, just like it's blessing Anthony and I's life and career.
• 28:14
  Kyra Sorce: It has also blessed their life and career, which you feel like you're not in the room with egos, you're in the room with actors, which is sweet.
• 28:23
  Kyra Sorce: And I know our costume designer was when the last time they did this 10 years ago at the paper mill, he was the assistant, like assistant stitcher or assistant, you know, seamstress, whatever.
• 28:34
  Kyra Sorce: And now he is designing this show, which that is some cool history for them as well.
• 28:39
  Kyra Sorce: So, yeah, and I'm excited to meet the whole team.
• 28:42
  Kyra Sorce: You know, my favorite part of the process is tech because as actors we like it to be about us, but it's actually not about us.
• 28:48
  Kyra Sorce: So it's it's fun, you know, like it's not about you, it's about you, it's about the lights, like hit your mark.
• 28:55
  Anthony Sanchez: Love that, I love that.
• 28:56
  Anthony Sanchez: Oh gosh.
• 28:58
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I love hearing all of that, especially as a prospective audience member, because when I hear how passionate not only the cast is, but how passionate the creative team is, I know I'm in for a good show.
• 29:10
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: There's no way that this isn't gonna be an amazing show because it means so much to you, and it's so clear.
• 29:15
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: It's so clear that it means so much to you guys.
• 29:18
  Anthony Sanchez: We're excited, we're so excited.
• 29:19
  Anthony Sanchez: I think it'll be in what May 28th to June 28th, I believe.
• 29:23
  Anthony Sanchez: So if you're around, just definitely stop by Paper Mill Playhouse.
• 29:28
  unknown: Woo!
• 29:29
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I know I'm looking forward to it.
• 29:30
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I'm gonna be there opening night with bells on, not with bells on because then you guys will be distracted.
• 29:35
  Anthony Sanchez: Like, who's that?
• 29:36
  Anthony Sanchez: Who's that woman with bells on?
• 29:37
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Yeah, yeah.
• 29:38
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Really loud bangles.
• 29:40
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Get her out of here.
• 29:42
  Kyra Sorce: Oh, I cannot wait for you to see it.
• 29:44
  Kyra Sorce: I'm so excited that this is your first stage production.
• 29:47
  Kyra Sorce: You're gonna love it.
• 29:48
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Me too.
• 29:49
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Me too.
• 29:49
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I'm really excited.
• 29:50
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I I mean, I won't dismiss the high school production that I saw.
• 29:54
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I mean, they were good, but I do think it should be a little bad.
• 29:57
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Respect.
• 29:58
  Speaker 3: Respect.
• 29:59
  Speaker 3: Respect.
• 30:00
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I'm so excited that I had the chance to talk to you guys about this.
• 30:03
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: This was so fun.
• 30:04
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And um, you know, maybe we'll be best friends now.
• 30:06
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I don't know.
• 30:07
  Speaker 3: Yay! Love that.
• 30:09
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Thank you guys for taking the time.
• 30:11
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I appreciate it.
• 30:13
  Speaker 3: Thank you.
• 30:15
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: West Side Story runs May 28th through June 28th at the Papermill Playhouse in Melbourne.
• 30:20
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: For tickets and more information about this show, be sure to visit papermill.org.
• 30:24
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: If you liked this episode, be sure to review, subscribe, and tell your friends.
• 30:29
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: A transcript of this podcast, links relevant to the story, and more about the arts in New Jersey can be found at jerseyarts.com.
• 30:35
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: The Jersey Arts Podcast is presented by Art Pride New Jersey, advancing a state of creativity since 1986.
• 30:42
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: The show was co-founded by and currently supported by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
• 30:47
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by me, Gina Marie Rodriguez.
• 30:52
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Executive producers are Jim Atkinson and Isaac Cernadiaz.
• 30:56
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: And my thanks, of course, to Anthony Sanchez and Kara Sorts for speaking with me today.
• 31:00
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: I'm Gina Marie Rodriguez for the Jersey Arts Podcast.
• 31:03
  Gina Marie Rodriguez: Thanks for listening.