West Side Story

In keeping with recent presentations by this company BMTC set out on the enormous challenge of presenting Bernstein’s masterpiece. It was a most sensible decision to move along the street to the Electric Palace where there is more space on stage, allowing for the breadth of the show and making room for the all important dancing. Although the audience missed the intimacy of the Arts Centre this was a most suitable venue.

To cope with the lack of room for such purposes BMTC courageously chose to perform, once again, to a backing track. This year we were treated to the full orchestration. Bernstein being a composer and conductor of straight music endowed his score with some magical orchestration and it was great to hear it played by a professional symphony orchestra. Along with enhancing the performance this does add an extra difficulty to performing the show as Bernstein doesn’t necessarily have an instrument playing the melody as he treats the vocal line as another instrument. This did give some actors extra problems, especially in the more complex moments. And yet, the music had been well rehearsed and the slightly wayward moments were hardly noticed by the audience. In some cases actors found tuning difficult. There is a skill in hearing what the orchestra is saying and responding appropriately. The complexities of this did lead to some teeth-clenching moments.

The choice of using backing tracks does rely on a most competent sound engineer with a clear understanding of the script and timing for the entries. On the whole this seemed to be handled well: rarely a cue was missed or a pregnant pause caused. Congratulations to those working this department. Also in Dave Hart you had someone who was on top of the balance of voice and orchestra which was most acceptable. But actors must bear in mind that a microphone, however brilliantly it is operated, cannot enhance poor diction and intonation. 

The composite set worked extremely well, especially with the tasteful back lighting during scene changes. This was most effective, particularly as the crew members were well organised and choreographed for the changes. Change time was minimal and integral to the action as a whole. The set’s design & construction allowed for speedy changes and easy working. The general design highlighted the down town, slightly rundown feel with colours that aided the atmospheric lighting. The inclusion of low and high level entries gave a feeling of spaciousness and emphasised the tunnels and passages so much a part of gangland. The three disciplines of lighting, décor and construction combined effectively to place the action in context and create atmospheres that aided the drama.

The costumes worked well, with subtle colour co-ordination matching the characters and complementing the settings, while maintaining a familiar look to the piece. This is so important in such a well-known piece, and yet at no point did the design and direction become a slave to the original production or the well-loved film. As with the set, the co-ordination of colours matched the intensity of scenes and worked well under the well-thought out lighting.

West Side Story is universally known for its exciting dancing. BMTC had this well covered with some very exciting movement led by the principal girls, complemented by the rest of the company and in particular the energetic men. While paying lip-service to the original choreography the design and execution was sensibly tailored where necessary to match the abilities of the performers. This is no way reduced the impact of the dances, but ensured there were no embarrassing moments. This showed intelligence and common sense. As expected the dances proved to be the highlight of the musical, aided by the standard of the accompaniment and the appropriateness of the costumes.

The fights were well handled with a nice mix between naturalism and ballet.  It is so vital that the violence should be appropriately aggressive so that there is a tension always running beneath the surface. The use of some suitable moves and gestures linked with some evocative groupings brought this to the fore. Particularly impressive was how this was reflected in the girls. Also effective was the electric comedy in “America” and “Officer Krupke”. In both cases the characters and attitudes were well maintained through these comic scenes. 

Unlike many musicals, West Side Story relies on some well worked naturalistic acting to ensure the emotions are not overplayed. The whole company entered into this, and it was good to watch some very powerful crowd scenes. It can be so easy to rely on the old clichés in these situations but everyone seemed genuinely involved.  Each participant had their own individual character which was used to provide contrast. The relationships between the principal characters were extremely well judged and there was some excellent bonding especially in the two gangs. The “adults” helped greatly with this, offering strong contrasts to the “youths” and some well presented dialogue. Highlight of the evening was the bedroom scene between Chino and Maria. The difficult scene of the retelling of Bernardo’s death was beautifully handled from every angle. Genuinely moving Chino reached out for comfort which Maria in her own despair could not give. His anger and sorrow was so palpable the audience was silenced feeling his grief.

Equally moving was the ingenious playing of the finale, with Maria so eloquently bringing the two factions together leaving the audience filled with hope that the peace would last. This was set up effectively with the previous scene leading so naturally to what was to come and then followed by the gentle simplicity of Maria’s reaction to Tony’s death. Once again the audience was held in emotional silence until Bernstein released it into the vibrant calls.

This presentation was so well planned, designed and rehearsed that it was difficult to find fault with this exciting production. Everyone worked hard and as a team to present this well-loved show in all its glory. It was a courageous portrayal of the well-known story employing many contrasts and, particularly welcome, some very genuine simply acted scenes. The company should feel well pleased with its efforts. As the years go by and the production standards are equalled by the participation it will prove difficult to choose future year’s challenges, but the audience will look forward to it with keen anticipation.

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