West Side Story

Manor Operatic Society (MOS) presented West Side Story to huge audiences in the impressive City Hall with a cast of over 40.   The size of the venue presents many challenges which MOS are skilled in not only meeting, but in finding ways to surpass the audiences’ expectations.  The set was fabulous and filled the stage providing an excellent setting.  It was well used and manoeuvred to provide all the different scenes required.  The stage crew managed the changes deftly and the cast were climbing ladders and using the props with confidence.

However, despite the scale of the venue the moments of intimacy were not lost and the show had been well directed by Richard Bradford to allow the performers to capture the very romantic and tragic elements within the story line.  Similarly, Linda Kelly’s clever choreography and beautiful interpretation of ‘Somewhere’, the procession and the dream sequence, featuring the beautiful vocals of Emma Flanagan as Graziella, allowed the tenderness to come through even whilst performing in this vast venue.

The ensemble were excellent, dancing and singing with wonderful energy and passion.  The show opened with a danced prologue which clearly illustrated the tensions and hate between the American street gang – The Jets and The Sharks, a group of juvenile Puerto Ricans.  The whole cast really took the performance to another level displaying engaging characters and vibrant personalities.  There were several strong cameos including Gary Rossiter as Doc, Leo Appleton as Lt Schrank and Simon Hance as Officer Krupke.

The members of the Jets and the Sharks were both equally equipped with troubled angst and violent desire to ensure that no one was certain who would win the fight scenes.  The onstage combat had been well choreographed, being both fast and vigorous.   Stuart Daniel Box as Action led The Jets in a wonderful rendition of ‘Officer Krupke’ and Emily Mae Hoyland as Rosalia gave a great comedic portrayal during ‘America’.

Katie Ann Dolling was a fabulous Anita, sharp witted, confident and commanding.  Dolling’s stature may be sleight, but she filled the stage and space by perfectly capturing the emotions of Anita – an excellent performance.  Chris Hanlon, as Bernardo, really was the big brother no teenage girl wants to have.  Leading the Sharks headlong into a rumble with an arrogance and edge that allowed the City Hall audience to see a very different Hanlon.  Dylan Lambert demonstrated his talents in both singing and dancing in the role of Riff, leader of the Jets.

Abigail Yates was perfect for the role of Maria, desperate to be the adult her family won’t allow her to be and eager to move into the realms of womanhood.  Sam Clarkson was excellent as the sensitive Tony, keen to strike away from the violence and gangs of his adolescence, his scenes with Yates were beautiful and touching.

The costumes colour schemes were stunningly selected to represent the different gangs and the changing moods within the show.  The majority of these costumes had been sourced in house which is a great achievement and I commend the wardrobe team on their hard work.  Along with wigs and make-up the cast absolutely looked the part throughout.

The music was excellent, under Musical Director Andrew Collis, the twenty-piece orchestra played this challenging score beautifully.  It really was a joy to listen to.  Sound and light added to this show the scale of which, as referenced earlier, was incredible.  Huge congratulations to all the performers, Production Team, those working backstage and front-of-house as it was a wonderful production which I hope they are very proud of.

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