West Side Story

RTSA returned to their rightful place, Rotherham Civic Theatre this week with their latest offering, West Side Story.  The show, based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is probably more current with today’s society than it was back in the day, and I hope that any young person in the audience who watched this would see the devastation of knife crime. 

At every level, this production, directed and choreographed by Dee Bennie- Marshall, oozes energy, quality and professionalism. Dee’s choreography is some of the best in the business, and here you can tell why she is in high demand as a choreographer. The Dance at the Gym, was a  highlight. Matthew Symonds, Musical Director, has worked with these young performers and created wonderful sounds from each and everyone of them, which breathed new life into Leonard Bernstein’s score. Credit must also be given to Matthew Roberts, Stage Manager, and his crew, as they made the changing of the massive set look easy and seam less. The brilliant costumes and excellent lighting added to the overall appearance of the production. 

RTSA alumni, Josh Roberts and Daniel Fenwick, took part in this production as Lt Shrank and Officer Krupke, and it was wonderful to see them
back performing with the academy. David Hookham portrayed Doc. This role calls for an actor who can pull at our heart strings, and David certainly does that, especially in the final scene. The ensemble worked hard during this show, with many costume
changes, fast dance routines and brilliant singing. 

The principal line up, as one has to expect with RTSA, was perfect. Fresh from her portrayal as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, Sophie Antcliff takes on the role as Maria, and once again smashes it out of the park with clear diction and amazing vocals. New comer to the company, Jake Edwards-Brown, plays Action, and his comedy timing in Gee, Officer Krupke, brought the house down. The leaders of the rivals gangs, Bernardo and Riff were played by Cole Foxton and Theo Cutts respectively.  These two young men acted, sung, danced and fought their way through this show with a brilliance that captivated the audience. The song that everyone knows from this musical is Somewhere, and here it was sung by Eliza Richardson. Eliza’s voice is first class and you could hear a pin drop throughout this song as she took the audience from the streets of Manhattan to a place where they can all live in peace and harmony. William Openshaw, played our Romeo, here in the guise of Tony. What a performance, what an actor, what a voice! William, who has yet to have his 16th birthday, is a star and will surely go far in the business. In fact, I would buy a ticket to hear William sing the phone book. His love and heartache for Maria was so real that I had to wipe a tear or two away. 

However, the night belonged to Brooke Green as Anita. This powerhouse young woman, commanded the stage and captured the many emotions of Anita. Her duet with Antcliff, A Boy Like That, was the highlight of the show for me. The way that Anita goes from the light comedy relief in Act 1, to her dramatic break down in Act 2, would push even the most experienced of adult performers, but Green does this ease. A raw talent. 

Well done RTSA, you enthralled me. Here’s to Legallly Blonde, oh my god you guys!

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