You have to admire Webster Theatre Guild. While so many community-theater groups are content to stage the expected, the tried-and-true - "Guys and Dolls"! "Annie"! "My Fair Lady"! - for the past several seasons WTG has produced well known, but extremely ambitious musicals. Last year the company put on a solid production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita," which it follows up currently with a more-than-solid rendition of "West Side Story." Both are classics of American musical theater, of course, but both require so much of a generally non-professional cast - high-level singing and dancing, extravagant sets, etc. While WTG's "West Side Story" isn't flawless, it is another impressive entry from a community theater group with surprising depth.

One of the issues in staging "West Side Story" - essentially a recasting of "Romeo & Juliet" in 1950's New York City, with the warring families replaced rival street gangs - comes from the ethnic make-up of the characters. Nearly half of them are Puerto Rican, and that can be hard to cast appropriately. The WTG cast is certainly diverse, especially by community-theater standards, but there are many white actors playing Hispanic roles, and several of the leads are clearly much older than the teenage characters they're supposed to be playing. But whether or not the actors fit the physical roles they're playing, the majority live up to the very challenging singing and dancing. And really, that's what matters most.

It's only with a bit of hyperbole that I say certain numbers in WTG's "West Side Story" are near Broadway caliber. The infectious "America" and brilliantly orchestrated "Gee, Officer Krupke" were absolute smashes on opening night, studies in what happens when everything goes right: the right singers, the right dancers, the right direction, the right choreography.

While not all of the musical numbers are of that quality (despite some high-minded direction, "Somewhere" was a bit of a clunky bust), enormous credit must go to choreographer Jillian Miller, as well as the cast that implemented her work. The dancing is one of the other major challenges in staging "West Side Story"; the original choreography was so explosive and tied so closely to the story that the moves are nearly as important as the songs. Miller's dance numbers, and J. Simmons' equally strong fight choreography, meet the challenge admirably. And all of it looks incredible, thanks to the gorgeous sets by Michael Johnston and brilliant costumes by Carol Connors and Jean Arrowsmith.

Samantha T. Lasch returns to the role of Maria, the dewy-eyed Juliet figure, having previously played her in a national touring production of "West Side Story." Her experience with the role shows; Lasch's takes on Maria's often-operatic numbers are unblemished, each note a soaring, crystal-clear cry. Lasch makes everything look effortless, from her giddy romanticism in "I Feel Pretty" to the soul-crushing grief that defines the end of the show.

As Tony, "West Side's" stand-in for Romeo, Michael D. Hall possesses a powerful voice, but is inconsistent in his performance. When he sings - especially in his magnificent upper register - he does an excellent job conveying Tony's complicated emotions. But when he's not singing, or mired in his lower register, he seems to lose focus, and his performance lacks believability. I got the impression on opening night that he may be nervous, but he has no reason to be. Hall has the chops; he just has to commit to using them all the way.

As solid as the leads in the show are, they are arguably eclipsed by two of the secondary characters. As Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, J. Simmons turns in one of the best performances of his long local career. Bernardo is tricky, because on the one hand he's an extremely aggressive, violence-prone hothead. On the other, he's a leader doing what he must to keep his people safe in an unfriendly new land. Simmons plays Bernardo as imposing yet sympathetic, his guarded, tense body language saying far more than his mouth ever could.

Along those lines, only three words can sum up Kelly A. Murray's performance as Anita: ay-yi-yi! Murray is a dynamo, flying through the show as brash Anita, flirting, flitting, fighting, and ultimately failing while trying to do the right thing. The pivotal Act II scene where she tries to speak to Tony at the pharmacy is hard to watch in all the right ways, and Murray is absolutely ferocious in it. The program notes that Murray is soon to leave Rochester for New York City, and that is unquestionably our loss.

"West Side Story"

Through Jan 30.

By the Webster Theatre Guild

Webster Thomas High School, 800 Five Mile Line Rd, Webster.

Fri 7:30 p.m., Sat 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.

$14-$17. 234-1069, webstertheatreguild.org.