For LA students, the cliche came full circle on the drive to and from Groton School - life imitates art.
By John Bishop
GROTON, Mass. — In 1961, Variety magazine's Whitney Williams wrote of the film adaptation of "West Side Story":
"West Side Story" is a beautifully-mounted, impressive, emotion-ridden and violent musical which, in its stark approach to a raging social problem and realism of unfoldment, may set a pattern for future musical presentations.
The most recent production of the classic story, this one by the arts programs of Groton School and Lawrence Academy, certainly hit the same marks as the original stage and film productions.
However, those significant cultural and social marks were also hit during the preparation of the show by so many Zeebs and Spartans.
Much like Boston University and Boston College — who share Commonwealth Avenue within and about city limits — Groton and LA meet often on the playing fields. Still, with Lawrence in town and Groton on the outskirts, the two student bodies meet nary elsewhere.
So, when the idea of putting on "West Side Story" together first sounded (due mostly to construction on the LA campus), students who might not have understood the play's underlying message heard a scary prospect.
"No, I did not. No," said Evan Labagnara '26 (who played Riff) when asked if he thought it was a good idea, initially.
"But I think the only challenge was the uncertainty of it. You know? And you're scared of what you don't know," he added. "I mean, that's human nature."
But it is in the nature of students of both schools to rise above adversity, and now — in retrospect — Evan wouldn't have wanted the production to unfold any other way.
"It's something that I'm gonna carry past musical theater and into the real world," Evan said. "I mean, you meet new people every day. So I think I have a lot of gratitude towards the opportunity that I was given in meeting these new kids."
Some, thanks to personal circumstances, felt more comfortable but understood the trepidation.
"I've moved around a lot in my life," said Rohan Rege '26, who played Action. "I grew up in New Jersey, and then I moved to a different school district up in Massachusetts. And now I'm here at Lawrence Academy, which I love.
"But then, going over to Groton School, which is one of the schools I applied to in my high school journey, it felt super natural... because even though there's the standard [thought] 'that school is different than us,' it doesn't mean they're completely different people.
"They're all just like us. They're funny. They're weird. Um, and especially that last day of the show, where we just started freestyling during warmups, that was probably my favorite moment.
"That's where we all felt comfortable being around each other, even if it wasn't our place," he said.
Some students seemed to come into their own thanks to the challenge and new environment.
"I played Anita, and it was definitely a thrilling process because before LA... I wasn't really big into theater," said Amy Castellanos '27. "I had a passion for it, but I never pursued it.
"But I think just getting out there and doing what I love feels so natural. [Initially] I was so worried... because I was like, 'Oh my God, this is my opening show. People are coming to see me.'
"And being with the people that I knew, and I love all the people in that cast, I think it just felt weirdly calm, but in a good way, if that makes sense," she said.
It does make sense, and given the overwhelmingly positive experience, Music Director Jenny Cooper explained that a bar had been raised for the programs at both schools. And, as the theatre and music programs move back to the Richardson-Mees Performing Arts Center, she wants to pack the momentum.
"I hope that the members of our community who saw the show continue to hold us to that standard and recognize that we are capable of projects that tell stories like that," she said. "And I hope that all students see opportunities to put themselves in the characters that we have on stage."
Learn more about the production by listening to our podcast, hosted by Dean of Students Dennis Canty.