While writing about an upcoming event in an email earlier this week, the lyrics from the song “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story popped into my mind. “Something’s comin’- I don’t know – what it is – but I know – it’s gonna be great…..” And it just stayed there all day, and the next day, and the next. I plunked down ninety-nine cents and downloaded it to my iPod – I just check iTunes and I’ve played it 43 times already. That’s just sick. I hit Youtube and searched for hours for Something’s Coming performance clips and came across quite a few good ones. That led to “Maria” which led to “Tonight”, “America”, and “Cool” – EASY ACTION! My wife pounded on the wall between our bedroom and the office – something about it being one in the morning and why the hell was I belting out show tunes? Why, indeed. I realized that I love West Side Story – probably always have. The movie is okay, but seeing it live on stage sets those Bernstein/Sondheim songs in your mind forever. I saw it for the first time in probably 1975 or ‘76 at El Camino College in Torrance – I think my High School English Honors teacher must have assigned it when we were reading Romeo and Juliette. I remember thinking that it was fantastic. I saw it again about ten years later – but I don’t remember where. On a whim, while analyzing 2008 capital expenditures at work with “Something’s Coming” playing softly in the background, I did an internet search on West-Side-Story-Tickets-California just to see if maybe the show might be running somewhere locally – another junior college, even high school or youth group. BAM, I hit the jackpot! The Hudson Backstage Theatre is one of the small establishments making up the new theatre district in Hollywood and guess what show they’re currently running thru February 14th? “When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way, from your first cigarette, to your last dying day…..” I bought tickets – we’re going next week – I’m dragging the wife and kid along too. They’ll catch the fever and we’ll serenade the neighborhood with such stylings as, “he’ll murder your love, he murdered mine – just wait and see – just wait Maria – just wait and see…..”
