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West Side Story, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is loosely based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and explores the rivalry between two teenage gangs of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. This was a sophisticated production, executed with notable professionalism and enthusiasm.
Charis Lawry-Wright captured the grief of Maria (sister of the leader of a Puerto Rican gang), torn between love and tribal ties. With the flair of a West End performer, Will Lowry played the hard, yet sensitive, Tony, member of a rival white gang. Passion and intimacy combined in this complicated score to create a true sense of tragic desperation.
Anita (Cecily Money-Coutts), despite her small frame, filled the hall with sound, sustaining her Puerto Rican accent and Hispanic body language with admirable consistency.
Bernardo (Ross Jennings) was impressive in his acrobatic quest to earn respect and Will Hooker, playing Action, revealed an impressive vocal range in the hilariously staged 'Gee, Officer Krupke' and the Jet's song, 'Cool'.
Greased, tanned and hair-dyed Sharks, and aggressively territorial and dysfunctional Jets danced their routines to perfection, with Andrew Stansbury, Louise Harvey, John Linnet and Alison Poloumieva executing some particularly advanced acrobatic lifts.
Stage action was heavily underpinned by a hugely supportive orchestra. Following his on-stage murder, Andrew Stansbury was soon running to take up his place in the orchestral ranks as soprano saxophinist!
This is a demanding musical with sophisticated score and choreography: it was executed with a flair and maturity that belied the age and experience of its young performers.
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