Wadda ya mean, street gangs don't dance? Just the other day we saw a Crip moonwalk down Tucker Blvd., slide across Pine Street and come to a tip-toe stop after a dazzling plie and triple pirouette. Not really, but what real-life street gang can hope to compete with the Jets and the Sharks? We're talking, of course, about "West Side Story," coming Monday to the Muny.

Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim put a marvelous twist on the Shakespearean tale of star-crossed lovers by setting them down in the middle of a New York slum. Replace the Capulets and Montagues with Jets and Sharks and you've got an irresistible musical.

Ah, yes, who can forget the big-screen version with doe-eyed, lipsyncing Natalie Wood (Marni Nixon provided the real voice belting those heartbreaking ballads), and the delightful, delicious Rita Moreno.

The Muny cast will include Christine Toy as Maria and Susann Fletcher as Anita, her protective cousin. Lewis Cleale is Tony, the once-feared Jet who'd rather skip across rooftops with his Puerto Rican girlfriend than rumble against the intimidating Sharks. Luiz Perez is Bernardo, Maria's brother and leader of the Puerto Rican faction. Michael T. Gruber rounds out the principals as Riff, the happy delinquent who serenades Officer Krupke. Fletcher is a Muny veteran, having performed earlier this season as Portia in "Cinderella." Perez and Gruber have both trod the boards on the great white way. Perez' credits include "The Phantom Of The Opera" and "Grand Hotel." Gruber appeared in the original companies of "Miss Saigon" and "My Favorite Year."

"West Side Story" is the final production of the Muny summer season. West Side Story Where: The Muny, Forest Park When: Aug. 7-13 How Much:$ 6-$ 36 More Info: 361-1900


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