West Side Story
By Kathryn Lynch
West Side Story has been
revived once again in Melbourne. A favorite amongst the high school
musical scene, this interpretation comes from the Amatuer Repertory
Company.
West Side Story
is a romantic story filled with high-drama emotions of betrayal, hope,
love, anger, and trust. It is the tale of Tony and Maria, an American
boy and Puerto Rican girl, and their battle to make love survive
amongst the racial tension on the New York streets.
It is well known to be a modern take on the classical romance of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet (and we all know how that ended!)
ARC has successfully bought life and raw emotion to the stage, heightened with some amazing voices and colorful choreography.
Considering
the large Artistic Team of seven talented young people, the production
was a well stitched together quilt that was almost seamless.
The Direction (Matt Spiteri,
Anthony Ventura, Rebecca Mignone and Stephen Valeri), Choreography
(Carla Gianinotti and Stephanie Laiacona) and Musical Direction
Christine Munro) was clearly all woven together under one vision, a
difficult feat for most amateur companies.
Production design
used the Banyule Theatre facilities available effectively. The costume
design was an obvious highlight, with traditional 1950’s cuffed jeans
and full circle skirts.
The set design was simple, with a New
York painted skyline backdrop and transformable standing back drop,
which changed the space from Doc’s to the dress shop to Maria’s bedroom
quickly and easily.
At times the deep stage did feel a bit
empty and sparse; it would have felt more alive with more set pieces
downstage. The fire escape serenade (Tonight) between the lovers was romantic, but got somewhat lost being too far upstage, mostly covered by the mist of smoke machine.
In
terms of choreography the whole cast performance of the ‘The Dance at
the Gym’ was reminiscent of the school dance in the Australian Wicked production.
It
had a similar symmetry and variation of movement and pace. The slow
motion of the cast dancing behind Tony and Maria when they first see
each other, dance together and kiss, was enchanting and entrancing. A
wonderful sequence!
The leading roles were all successfully
performed and portrayed, despite the seemingly unlikely casting of the
couples. When Robert Clark first appeared in overalls and work boots, I
was a little confused as to whether I was watching West Side Story or the musical production of Kenny.
However, as soon as Clark began to sing Something’s Coming I bit my tongue... This guy can sing!
And although I never really felt the young lovers were a match made in heaven (certainly no chemistry like R&J lovers Leonardo Di Caprio and Claire Danes), this Maria and Tony were definitely meant to sing on stage together.
Their stunning duet One Hand, One Heart
showing the teenagers playfully enact a wedding ceremony in the dress
shop was outstanding and beautiful. Lydia Killerby’s Maria was innocent
and sweet, with the angelical voice to match.
These two young actors have a great future ahead of them!
Anita
and Bernardo were played with deep emotion and credibility, although
again Adrian Ventura looked a little young for his mature and
boisterous Puerto Rican partner Lara Ishkan.
Anita was a
welcoming voice of guidance to both Bernardo and Maria’s whimsical and
hasty decisions. Her playful outstanding number ‘America’ was a hit!
Anita was a standout all round. Her voice was mature and demanding
against the innocence of Maria. Her anger following Bernardo’s death
was heartfelt and she made the audience feel great empathy for the love
she had lost.
The principle cast was rounded off by superb
talent Julian Campobasso as Riff, leader of the Jets. His character was
a strong leader that oozed charisma and authority over the other gang
members.
Campobasso used his stunning voice to lead the Jets in a strong Jet song and Cool. His facial expression and gestures were particularly impressive, as the hatred towards the Sharks came mostly from him.
Although
most of the characterization by the ensemble was in depth and supported
by animated facial expression, Phillips and Durbridge’s policemen were
somewhat lacking in personality. Perhaps focusing too much on the New
Yorker accents, the pace of these scenes were considerable slowed down
creating frustration rather than dramatic tension or authority.
I have seen the film, and many variations of this show before, but the new favorite I came out humming was Gee, Officer Krupke.
The Jet ensemble really excelled at the comedy of this number, assisted
by the clever choreography that used a slapstick style to add to the
frivolity of the hoodlums taking the piss out of the policemen.
The
Jets and Sharks played out their racial tension on the streets with
very well choreographed fight sequences. A standout performance was
from Nicholas Kyriacou, the youngest cast member being in Year 10
Parade College, who was constantly reacting emotionally and physically
to each scene creating one of the more believable teenage hoodlums of
the Jets, alongside Baby John played by Nicholas Barca.
Baby John provided great comic relief amongst all the anger and hatred of the gangs.
Standout
ensemble mentions go to the Jet girls Portia Chiminello and Meaghan
Kominiarski for their animation and presence. And of the Shark ladies,
Michaela Ryan and Natalie Torcaso, for their flair and attitude as
Puerto Rican girls.
Overall, West Side Story
has had successful audiences and it is clear that a well meshed
collaborative team put in a lot of effort and time into building an
entertaining show!
"West Side Story"
More Information: www.arc-theatre.com
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