West Side Story Review Civic makes the most of 'West Side'  Some of the cast seems a bit too mature, but performances, staging are first rate Friday, September 16, 2005 BY ROGER LELIEVRE News Arts Writer The Sharks and the Jets are rumbling again, thanks to a revival of "West Side Story,'' the modern-day musical retelling of Shakespeare's tragic "Romeo & Juliet,'' which opened Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's season Thursday night. One thing appears clear: Civic is on a roll. Following a stunning production of "Cabaret'' last June, Civic has mounted a "West Side Story'' that's almost as impressive. Almost. No matter how hard I tried, I found it tough to get past the casting of adults as teenagers. Not only are some Sharks and Jets a little long in the tooth, it's a bit of a stretch to accept AACT veteran Anthony Provenzola as Tony. He's obviously slimmed down for this role, and he acts and sings his heart out, but he's just beyond the point of being able to believably pull off playing such a young character. Vocally, however, Provenzola is above reproach. Solo, his voice just soars. When he and Annie Reinholz as Maria sing together, as in "One Hand, One Heart,'' it's a wondrous combination. At these moments, it's clear why director Wendy Sielaff chose him for the role. For her part, Reinholz is a luminous, absolutely perfect Maria. Her singing alone should be enough to cause rival gangs to make nice. Michelle Gasco, as Maria's sister, Anita, is also strong, while Reynaldo Arceno Jr. as Bernardo, her brother and doomed leader of the Sharks, is appropriately menacing. Riff, his Jet counterpart, played by Dann Smallwood, possesses a muscular singing voice that is a pleasure to hear. Civic veterans Glenn Bugala (Doc) and Curt Waugh (Shrank) are both fine in smaller-than-usual roles, as is January Provenzola (Guadalupe). In the pit, Bill Brokenshire's percussion does a great job setting and maintaining the show's dramatic tension. Previously, director Sielaff promised no surprises in this venerated show, and she's lived up to that vow. And while some may quibble with such reverence - maybe audiences actually like a few surprises - no one can argue that the show's familiar musical numbers are not uniformly well-executed. A lively and absolutely hilarious rendition of "Gee, Officer Krupke'' is a near-show-stopper, while a lilting "I Feel Pretty'' provides a memorable second-act opener. "Tonight'' and "Somewhere,'' two of the show's signature tunes, also fare well, while "America'' is snappy and spicy. Speaking of snap, maybe some of the dance numbers might have benefited from a bit of tightening. On the whole, however, choreographer Tawna Dabney does an impressive job, especially with the Jets and Sharks, rising to what must have been a challenge - making a bunch of guys pirouette on stage while keeping their tough-guy images intact. The fight scenes are 100 percent believable, helped no doubt by cast member Aaron Pohl (one of the Sharks), who is also a member of Ring of Steel, a theatrical combat and stunt troupe based in Ann Arbor. Bottom line: If you can make it past the whole adults-as-teens thing, you're in for a wonderful - and wonderfully familiar - "Story.'' "West Side Story'' continues at 8 p.m. tonight-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, Michigan League, 911 N. University Ave. Tickets: $24 (students and seniors, $21). Information: www.a2ct.org; (734) 971-2228.