West Side Story at the National Theatre

On Sunday, our friends Hil and Richard treated us to the production "West Side Story" at the National Theatre. I was at a disadvantage, because I hadn't seen the production before, and several of the songs and some dialogue was in Spanish, to be more true to the Puerto Rican characters. The people who have seen it before could follow along. Fortunately, I still remember a little spanish, enough to keep me interested in the story- but I think other newcombers to it were lost.
The dancing and singing was wonderful! I read a couple of reviews from sour people who saw it and said that there was no chemistry between the leads "Tony" and "Maria." I totally disagree. They were very believable (with the exception of a passionate kiss on their first meeting).
The story: WEST SIDE STORY transports Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the turbulent streets of the Upper West Side in 1950’s New York City. Two star-crossed lovers, Tony and Maria, find themselves caught between the rival street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds, the “Jets” and the “Sharks.” Their struggle is to exist together in a world of violence, hate and prejudice.(Pictured: Matt Cavenaugh, who plays "Tony") Anyone that knows me well, knows that I want to see a happy ending... so why people like Romeo and Juliet or the ending to this story is beyond me. I wanted to see them have a great life! It was a very good show, and I wouldn't pay attention to any bad reviews. There was a LOT of great talent on that stage. (It just needs to be all in English).