ORANGE CITY | Do Jets and Sharks go well with tulips?
If you ask director Todd Vande Griend, his cast of 30 actors, singers and dancers will be bringing the classic musical "West Side Story" to life as the Night Show musical for the 76th Tulip Festival.
The show -- a legendary retelling of Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" set between warring street gangs in 1950s New York -- will be presented at 8 p.m. May 18-21 at the Knight Center, 216 Michigan Ave. S.W.
"This isn't the first time we've done 'West Side Story' but it remains one of our most ambitious productions," Vande Griend said. "Any time you have seven choreographed dances in a show, you're setting your sights high."
That's especially true when the cast is made up entirely of volunteer thespians.
"I've always thought that was one of the charms of our shows," Vande Griend noted. "You can see one of your neighbors mowing his lawn one day and see him in 'Bye Bye Birdie' the next."
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"You just never know who you're going to see," he continued with a smile.
Well, this isn't really the case with Vande Griend, who has had 16 night shows under his belt.
"My first show was playing a snow child in (Richard Rodger and Oscar Hammerstein's) 'Carousel' when I was 9 year sold,'" the now 29-year-old recalled. "I don't know if my it was my mom getting me involved or if it was something I wanted to do. But after that, I was hooked."
Over time, Vande Griend has graduated from non-speaking parts to lead roles and from producer to director.
While he said he appreciated tamer fare as "The Music Man" and "Fiddler on the Roof," Vande Griend personally preferred an edgier "West Side Story."
"Even though it was written in the 1950s, 'West Side Story' has some adult subject matter," he said. "In addition, it had some language that isn't very politically correct."
Within reason, Vande Griend wants to maintain much of color associated with Arthur Laurents' book and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics.
"'West Side Story' is very emotional and very dramatic," he said. "It's far from being a 'feel good' show but the themes stay with you. That's what you're striving for."
Which is exactly why Vande Griend is working so closely with choreographer Becky Donahue, musical director Tom Hydeen and producer Victoria Karssen.
"We're all doing this as volunteers," he explained. "This is a labor of love for us."
It's also far from normal for Vande Griend, who works for Sioux Tankline in nearby Alton, Iowa, in real life.
"People are always surprised that I enjoy musicals," he said, smiling. "If I listen to the Broadway channel on Sirius, I'll be able to sing by memory the songs we've done as night shows."
"I'm afraid those lyrics will always be with me," Vande Griend said with a shrug.
A few weeks before "West Side Story" is set to hit the 750-seat Knight Center, Vande Griend said he's not nervous.
"No, I'm actually excited," he said. "Not every one will ever see a Broadway musical. This may be the only time our audience will see 'West Side Story.' We want to make the experience as memorable as possible."
