The cast album for West Side Story is emblematic of what's wrong with the current revival of this musical theater masterpiece. It starts off on a bad note with a sluggish, slack reading of the prologue by music director/conductor Patrick Vaccariello -- but not as sluggish and slack as "The Rumble" that ends Act I. There are plenty of other blunders throughout, such as the ludicrous "soprano sing-off" in "I Feel Pretty," one of the songs that have unwisely been translated into Spanish for this production.
As for the soloists, Josefina Scaglione (Maria) and Karen Olivo (Anita) come off best, as you probably have heard. Matt Cavenaugh displays a pleasing vocal tone as Tony, but his phrasing is questionable, his New York accent is not a success, and his delivery of his spoken lines in the "Dance at the Gym" sequence and at the start of the "Somewhere" track is terribly stilted. As Riff, Cody Green nails an impressive high note at the end of the "Jet Song," but his own attempt to sound "Noo Yawk" actually makes him sound as if he has a speech impediment.
My advice? Pass on this CD and instead get your hands on the original Broadway cast album or the film soundtrack -- or both.
