West Side Story School Edition

Eaton Bank Academy were back on stage with their production of ‘West Side Story School Edition’, directed by Verity Porter. The set was simple, but worked effectively, with a scaffolding structure upstage, where the band was housed. This structure allowed for a variety of entrances and exits. There was a ladder with a platform next to it stage right, which was used for the balcony scene, which was beautifully staged. Two mesh fences were also used throughout to create different locations. There was a catwalk leading from the auditorium to the stage. The catwalk was used effectively throughout, staging key moments there which really drew the audience’s focus. The deaths of Riff and Bernardo happened on the catwalk, which worked well, bringing the action to the forefront. There was just the awkward moment of the actors getting up and exiting through the audience before the interval, which impacted the end of the first act. Costumes were very good and in keeping with the 1950s, with the Jets being dressed in blues and the Sharks in reds.

Sophie Walker and Chloe Travis were the musical directors for this production. The band was led well, and it was great seeing students and teachers performing together. The vocals from the cast were very good throughout, and it was clear that a lot of work had gone into this. There were some lovely harmonies throughout.

The choreographer was Vicky Sheard. The choreography was good throughout, and there were some lovely moments throughout. The opening was strong, ‘America’ was vibrant and full of energy, and ‘Gee, Officer Krupke’ was full of fun and humour.

Technical elements were good throughout. The sound balance between the band and microphones was very good – everything could be heard. The lighting design was good, and helped with the emotion of the production, with different states used to really capture the quieter moments of the production.

Arran Johnstone gave a fantastic performance as Tony. It was a captivating performance and Arran had the audience in the palm of his hands throughout. He had excellent stage presence and was able to show a range of emotions throughout. The conflict was apparent, especially at the end of act one. Arran’s vocals were breath-taking. He appeared to be completely at ease with the challenging songs, and delivered them effortlessly.

Opposite Arran was Rosey Pemberton as Maria. Again, this performance equalled Arran’s. The change from young and in love to completely heartbroken was devastating and so emotional. Rosey’s vocals were lovely and she sustained the accent throughout, ensuring that everything she said could be heard. This was a truly captivating performance.

Isla Johnstone gave another great performance as Anita. Isla’s Anita was protective over Maria and showed a real strength in the aftermath of Bernardo’s death. Isla’s vocals were very good throughout. The scene where she is attacked was powerful and extremely well performed by Isla.

Harry Gill played Riff, the leader of the Jets. This was a good performance from Harry, creating a believable friendship with Arran’s Tony. He was a strong leader of the gang and worked well with the rest of the Jets.

Lewis Robinson put in a good performance as Bernardo. The accent was generally good, and he had a good relationship with Isla. Lewis had great authority as the leader of the Sharks, and this could be seen in his interactions with the rest of the cast.

The Jets – Finley Hayes (Diesel), Charlie Gill (Baby John), Ryan Moors (A-Rab), Ollie Whitter (Action), Eugene Millington (Big Deal), Louie Barnett (Snowboy), Chloe Olsen (Anybodys), Cerys Jones (Velma) and Gabriella Heathcote (Graziella) – were a cohesive unit. Their performance of ‘Gee, Officer Krupke’ was fantastic and so well performed. The choreography was slick and the vocals were great. It was an excellent number. The sudden change in character from them all during Anita’s attack was well played.

The Sharks – Fahren Jones (Chino), Rohan Bradley (Pepe), Vayun Bradley (Indio), Kaylee Eddy (Consuela), Rose Bromley-Musah (Rosalia) and Amélie Skelding (Francisca) performed well as a group. Fahren put in a good performance as Chino, and impressed with is dancing.

Ashton Elms and Jack Langton-Miller worked well together as Shrank and Officer Krupke. Ashton commanded the stage whenever he appeared and Jack added some lovely comic moments during his appearances.

Lily Clowes did well as the respectable Doc. There was a strong relationship formed with Arran’s Tony – you really did believe that Doc was protective of Tony. The confrontation with the Jets was well performed by Lily, which was full of truth and meaning.

Wilson Davies impressed in the cameo role of Glad Hand, adding some light-heartedness to proceedings. Wilson had good stage presence and his delivery was very good.

The huge ensemble of young people worked well throughout the production, and the power when they all sang together was great. The staging of ‘Somewhere’ was simple, but so effective. It was a complete spine tingling moment. The simplicity of the number made it powerful. Just one note: make sure that your focus is on the production. Most of you were entering and exiting through the auditorium, which meant you were likely to bump into audience members, especially at the end of the production. Make sure that you head straight backstage.

Overall, this was a great production. The principal performers were excellent, the emotion was there, and there was some good staging of numbers.

A big thank you to everyone at Eaton Bank Academy for their kind invite and their hospitality.

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