Actress Evy Ortiz went from recreating scenes from the film version of “West Side Story” as a young girl to belting out classic songs like “Tonight” to audiences across the country.

The native New Yorker is currently in Denver playing Maria in the traveling Broadway version of “West Side Story,” playing through Jan. 1, 2012 at The Buell Theatre. The new “Story” doesn’t jettison the timeless bond between Maria (Ortiz) and Tony (R0ss Lekites), but a few language tweaks and number shuffles give it a more modern interpretation.

Ortiz checked in with Big Hollywood to share her thoughts on the role and why “West Side Story” still matters, both to theater lovers and the culture at large.

BH: Do you recall your first exposure to “West Side Story,” and what are the most vibrant memories from it?

Ortiz: My first exposure to “West Side Story” was the film. I remember wanting to be Natalie Wood and dancing around to the music. My family used to sing the music all the time and act out some of the scenes. Imagine my aunt and Mom bursting out into “A Boy Like that”….pretty hilarious.

BH: Do you try to incorporate aspects of past Marias into your performance, or do you try to wipe the slate clean and make her wholly your own creation?

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Something you really appreciate in the gorgeous new Blu-ray transfer of 1961’s Best Picture winner “West Side Story” is the decision co-directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins made to shoot the opening sequence on-location. While a majority of the film looks as though it was shot on large, well-designed sound stages, the opener takes place on the real streets of a real urban city and sets the authentic tone necessary to carry the rest of this racially-charged Romeo and Juliet musical through the full 152 minutes.

And it’s only Romeo and Juliet in the loosest sense. This isn’t the story of warring families; this is the story of warring gangs divided along racial lines (the white Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks) who don’t really understand why they hate each other. But every time a mutual respect begins to develop between the two gangs, a racist cop named Schrank (Simon Oakland) stirs up animosities built on nothing more than hollow notions of pride and turf.

Caught in the middle is Tony (Richard Beymer), the Jets’ one-time leader who’s just started to mature enough to know a better life can be had through hard work, and Maria (a ravishing Natalie Wood), the sister of one of the Sharks’ leaders. Per chance they meet at a dance and as only teenagers can, they immediately fall madly, desperately, passionately in love just as the two gangs prepare to face off to see who will dominate the neighborhood.

Two things make “West Side Story” the timeless classic it is. The first is Leonard Bernstein’s unforgettable score, and the second is how well the story explores some heady themes without ever devolving into a preach-a-thon. A perfect example of this is the film’s highlight (at least for me), the rooftop show-stopper “America” where Anita (a smoldering Rita Moreno) and Bernardo (George Chakins) square off over the pros and cons of immigrant life in America. What you’re watching is both performers win their respective supporting Oscars and more wit, sex, attitude, exuberance, and magic in those six minutes then we’ve seen from Hollywood in the last five years put together. Watch here and tell me it doesn’t make you glad to be alive:

“I think I go back to San Juan.”
“I know a boat you can get on — bye, bye.”
“Everyone there will give big cheer.”
“Everyone there will have moved here.”

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On this week’s episode of the HomeVideodrome podcast, we discuss Ozzy and Dio in Black Sabbath, wonder why Julia Roberts ever became America’s sweetheart and dedicate “Hell Awaits” by Slayer to Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky.  So go listen, and enjoy!

“The Departed” may have won Martin Scorsese a long overdue Oscar, the film doesn’t quite stack up to the source material, “Infernal Affairs.”   Originating from Hong Kong and directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, “Infernal Affairs” has roughly the same basic plot as “The Departed,” in that it follows two moles on opposite ends of the law being driven to the edge of madness as the number of people they can trust dwindles as the body count rises.

“The Departed” is certainly more relatable to western audiences, given Scorsese’s flair for stylish, swear-laden dialogue, however “Infernal Affairs” is not only a tighter picture narratively, it also is a stronger piece of work thematically. Andy Lau and Tony Leung inhabit the roles later filled by Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio, respectively. Lau has a golden-boy sheen about him that can turn sinister and threatening, while Leung has a world-weary demeanor that trumps DiCaprio’s overcooked performance.

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Join Gary Graham, Tim Slagle, Moxie X. Cathedra, Stage Right and many more as Big Hollywood live-blogs the West Coast feed of the Tony Awards.

Tonight, 8:00 PM Pacific Time, Telecast on CBS.

It’s often said during Oscar season that there are two sets of predictions:  Who WILL win, and who SHOULD win.  It’s the same with Broadway’s Tony Awards but I often like to add a third prediction:  What would be the best for business.  Believe it or not, often times the Tony Awards seem to take into account the shows that “need” the award for marketing purposes.  Even though one show stands out and seems to be the obvious choice to win the top prize, a surprise occurs and a David beats a Goliath thus ensuring a longer run for David.  I will list a few examples for Best Musical travesties from the past that many might quarrel with in terms of the validity of the show that won, but the commercial outcome of the shows involved can’t be argued.  You have a right to your own opinion, but not to your own facts.

1991: “Miss Saigon” has a multi-million-dollar advance, leads nominations with 11, wins Best Actor and Best Actress.  Best Musical that year?  “The Will Rogers Follies.”  Without the award, “Will Rogers” would have not made it another six months. After winning the prize, it ran for two more years, had a successful tour and might still be running in Branson, MO.  “Saigon” ran for a decade. (more…)