West Side Story

Having never visited Tiverton Junior Operatic Club before, I was very excited and interested to see what you guys could offer.  The first thing I discovered, is that you are really lucky to be able to use such a lovely little theatre, with an unexpectedly large stage.  Also, how deceptive is your theatre!  I would never have guessed it holds so many from outside.  A really lovely venue to visit.

As the audience entered the auditorium, the curtains were already open revealing the set for the show.  The set displayed two, graffitied, brick walls separated by a wall covered in a fabric or screen which was lit with coloured lights, giving a very stunning effect.  As the play progressed, it became obvious that this was going to be the basic set for the whole play but with additional props and extra bits to highlight different scenes.  Particularly, impressive was the set for the “rumble” under the bridge, which had a great silhouette of New York showing through the beautifully coloured backdrop and the simple use of two small bits of fencing really set the scene.  Adopting this approach for the whole play was an incredibly clever idea and it meant that most of the scenes, the notable exception being Doc’s, were quick to change.  Even though the set was simple, it looked really effective and was surprisingly changeable.  Well done to Kev Behan and the gang.

The lightening, as mentioned, worked incredibly well and really helped elevate the production.  The colours on the back drop were stunning and visually wise, it doesn’t get much better than finishing a scene with the silhouettes of two lovers against a vibrant coloured back drop.  The sound for this production was very good and it is very rare that I get to visit a show where there are no noticeable feedbacks or sound issues, well done.

The costumes and wardrobe were dealt with very effectively by Wendy Tidborough, Jo Wilson-Hunt, Hannah Eaves and the committee and friends of TJOC.  Although I was not convinced that some of the costumes completely fit the 1960s theme of the production, all the costumes worked well together to deliver the story of two groups of warring young men.  Particularly impressive were the costumes of Anita, all of which were colourful and suitably elaborate.

The choreography was handled by Abbie Weston, and it was very good indeed.  Every single person on that stage seemed to hit every step of the choreography and there was a real feeling of teamwork amongst the whole cast, although on several occasions the cast did seem to get into their positions for the songs a tad too early.  All the dance numbers looked different and they were performed with precision timing, particularly good was the dance routine for “Gee, Officer Krupke” which was fun and energetic and lifted the tone after the very heavy ending/beginning to Acts 1 and 2.

The 9-piece orchestra was under the direction of Dan Kilshaw and the sound quality delivered was beautiful and really helped accentuate the performances upon the stage.

The cast were all well suited to the roles they were playing and all worked well together.  Leading the pack were Emily Rawlings, as Maria and Ben Fitton, as Tony.  Both these actors worked really well together and it was easy to believe that they were star-crossed lovers.  The dancing they performed together was lovely and often ended with the very visual symbolism of their silhouettes against the colourful back drop.  Emily had a lovely singing voice but unfortunately, Ben’s was not quite as strong and some of the duets seemed a little un-balanced, but over-all they both played their parts well.  Also as part of the main principals was Alex Robinson as Bernado, Alex played his part well and was suitably intimidating.  He obviously enjoyed playing the part and this was evident in his portrayal, unfortunately occasionally he seemed to be enjoying it a little too much and the smile on his face didn’t really match Bernado’s attitude, although it is always lovely to see someone really enjoying what they are doing.

Every member of the cast was completely professional in their approach and everyone was in character from the moment they stepped foot on the stage to the second they left, and they could have easily taught some adult companies a thing or two, standing out as being completely in character were a couple of the smaller members of the Jets, I would love to have named them but unfortunately other cast members were not named in the programme.  I was also impressed with, nearly, everyone’s dictation and projection, although it was incredibly difficult to understand a lot of what Curtis Berryman said as Schrank.  This was a shame as he had obviously tried hard with his accent and could have been resolved by simply slowing down his delivery, but this is a minor issue.

As always, in any production, there are always those cast members who really shone on the night and I have to say congratulations to both Ben Elliott and Alice Wilson-Hunt who were both outstanding as Riff, the leader of the Jets, and Anita, Bernado’s girlfriend.  Both these young actors had great singing voices; wonderful dance moves and superb stage presence and I’m sure they both will have long careers in Am Dram.

Overall, this was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and a lesson in how to stage the perfect musical.  I am not a fan of West Side Story and yet I loved every minute which surely shows what a great job was done by everyone involved.  I was really pleased to see that, the night I came, the auditorium was full, sometimes I have seen youth productions struggle to get bums on seat but not here and I can only imagine this is due to Tiverton Juniors reputation.  Well done to everyone involved, Joyce’s loss was definitely my gain.

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