West Side Story

This ‘Romeo and Juliet’ story set amidst the vicious rivalry between teenage gangs in 1950s New York is a challenging show to stage, known for it’s complex musical score and distinct style of choreography, but by the end of the Prologue it was clear that this production was going to be something special. The interplay between the gangs in movement, dance, a ball game, and aggressive confrontations, was delivered with energy and precision.

 

Members of both gangs (the Jets and the Sharks) were consistently in character, always full of feeling – anger, resentment, excitement, despair – and reacting but not pulling focus from the leads, this is particularly impressive given their ages ranged from 12 to 19, they were obviously well coached by director Claire Carr and the production team. I liked how the two communities had distinctly different coloured clothing, correct for the time period and nothing too new looking, while still having some individuality, and everyone dressing up a bit for going to the dance.

 

The rough and rundown multi-level set was an effective backdrop for much of the action, I particularly liked when the lads climbed over the full height fence, and the lighting of sunsets and the moon on the back cloth worked well. Additional scenery created the drugstore, bridal shop and bedroom, each with a good level of detail. Full stage scene changes overran the music at times, though may well fit better as show week continues, that said the transition from Maria’s dress swirling in the spotlight to the ‘dance at the gym’ with gold lame cloth and festoon lighting was beautifully handled.

 

Erin Bayley gave a splendid performance as Maria, with a full range of emotions and glorious singing voice, a highlight being the duet ‘A Boy Like That / I Have A Love’ with Anita, well done ladies. Rocco Watts played Tony with spirit and sensitivity, the balcony scene with Maria was lovely to watch. Gene Gardner as Riff provided the alpha-male figure for the Jets with impressive stage presence and solo vocals. Anita was played by Renee Brown with energy and flair, and Joe Papalie was the strongly principled Bernardo. There were more supporting roles than can be individually mentioned here, displaying the high calibre of talent at Young Gen. There were three adult actors within the cast, giving an authentic look to scenes they were involved in, the interactions between Kieran Bacon as Lieutenant Shrank and the gangs worked well showing the power dynamic and tensions in the community.

 

The iconic sound of West Side Story was provided by Musical Director Bryan Cass, and the 13-piece orchestra. There was a lovely full sound in the well-known songs, and appropriate rhythmic complexity and authentic dissonance that the score asks for to other pieces. The cast did tremendously well to handle dancing to the challenging music, and the choreography was top-notch throughout. The Sharks young ladies gave strong performances in their songs, and the Jets had good vocal dynamics, and comedic moments. The dance in the gym was a joy to watch as an energetic colourful set piece.

 

The romantic moments, taunting scene, fighting, and deaths onstage were sensitively handled, given the age of the performers, with use of intimacy and combat training during the rehearsal process, and good lighting design. Despite the sombre end to the show, with silent bows and the full company singing ‘Somewhere’ to emphasise the dramatic weight of the ending, the audience was eager to show their appreciation with loud clapping and smiles all round. Congratulations to everyone involved in this production, on and off stage, for a job well done.

Justina Bartley on behalf of Victoria Carey

 

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