American lead stars of ‘West Side Story’ are Lea Salonga fans

“West Side Story” stars Jenna Burns (left) and Kevin Hack

As I got older, I realized that she (Lea Salonga) is much more than the voice of Disney princesses,” said New York-based theater actress Jenna Burns, who grew up listening to songs performed by the Tony Award winner for Disney.

“I love Lea. I got exposed to her work more when I started doing theater,” Jenna said of the Filipino singer-actress and Inquirer Entertainment columnist.

Jenna is in Manila to play the lead character, Maria, of the Broadway production, “West Side Story,” currently running at The Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque City until Aug. 27. With her during the Inquirer interview was Kevin Hack, who plays her love interest, Tony.

“I read that Lea will be doing ‘Once On This Island.’ I did a children’s production of the show and also got to play one of the gods. She will be singing one of the most beautifully written songs in musical theater. I will probably see the show 20 to 25 times just to hear her,” beamed Kevin, who obviously knows so much about the Filipino artist. “Lea also originated Kim in ‘Miss Saigon.’ The show is an absolute dream to do!”

“West Side Story” the musical, with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and choreography by Jerome Robbins, was inspired by William Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo and Juliet.”

The story is set in the Upper West Side neighborhood in New York City in the 1950s. It explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. The Sharks, mostly from Puerto Rico, are taunted by the Jets, a “white gang.” Tony, a former Jets member and the best friend of gang leader Riff, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks.

“This is something that will always be relevant,” Jenna said of the musical’s theme. “Everybody knows how it’s like to have differences with someone, whether it be racial—like what you see in the show—or just disagree with someone that’s minor.”

She further explained: “You can handle [differences] like the Jets and the Sharks do—and your fear of the unknown translates into violence and hatred—or handle them like Tony and Maria do, choose to see the differences and embrace them; choose to see the other person through the heart because, after all, we’re all the same inside.”

A film version, megged by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, of the musical was released in 1961 and features Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer. It won 10 Academy Awards, including best picture. At the time, it was also the record holder for the most wins for a movie musical.

Kevin, who was only 11 when he saw the film, said: “My young brain told me, ‘This is cool.’ There are guys singing and dancing, but they’re fighting.”

He first saw it during a music class in seventh grade.

“Unlike a lot of people who do this, I did not start singing until I was 18. I was an athlete—an ice hockey player—for 12 years,” he shared with the Inquirer.

“After doing the show and letting it be my world for such a long time, it would be nice to see whether the film would affect me differently than how it did when I was younger,” said Jenna.

She added: “I was young enough that I didn’t think I understood some of its bigger themes at the time. But it was something that really spoke to me—its music, the dancing and the storytelling. It inspired me in such a way that I said, ‘I want to do this.’”