There are few people who have not heard of West Side Story. Telling the story of two rival gangs in the New York of the 1950's, it is the reincarnation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Over the years, it has been a favorite of many theater companies - both amateur and professional. In April 2001, the Cranford Repertory Theater of New Jersey joined the multitude with their own production of this classic. For several weeks, they became the Jets. They became the Sharks. They donned costumes and created a world that many who watched had lived through. There were shouts of joy, and tears of pain. There were all the elements that come together to make theater.

I have worked on many shows over the years, usually staring up at the cast from the pit behind a piano or some mess of keyboard equipment. There's the excitement when a theater company announces the show. Highs and lows of auditions. The thrill (and at times agony) of organizing an orchestra, props, costumes, and assistance. The pain of working through setbacks and the inevitable obstacles. Parts to learn, and cues which can't be forgotten. There's an amazing high that most I know get from being a performer, from creating something that affects another in some way. When I see an audience member react to what we're creating, I know we've done our job.

The last performance of a run is both the best and the worst. By that time, all of the kinks have been worked out and the show usually goes off with few problems. At the same time, it's the last time that the show will be performed during this run. There are pictures to remember everything by. There are even moments that each will treasure. For me, I love the camaraderie with both the actors and the orchestra. As a musician, what better to remember a performance by than a recording?

The last evening of the performance, a recording was made for for just that purpose; four tracks were recorded on a professional tape deck, and a CD was recorded directly from the sound board. Due to the technologies involved, the recordings are at slightly different speeds. After running the tracks through a computer with some audio software and hardware, things soon were in sync.

At the bottom of this page is a partial list of the songs from the show. The song titles with active links are .mp3s of the digitized recordings. I'll be updating this page with more recordings as I'm finished mixing them. Please be patient, as each mix takes time and effort! I won't bore you with technical details, but rest assured it's not plug-and-play!

So be patient, and check back soon!

ACT I

ACT II