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West Side Story
Date of Show:
Sunday, 22nd August 2010 (All day)
Venue:
Regent Theatre Everyone there will give big cheer.
West Side Story is back in a streamlined production that puts the focus squarely on the dancing, singing and acting. Fresh from an out of town tryout in the harbour city, the cast of incredibly talented young triple threats are on fire, filling the cavernous Regent auditorium with their energy and passion.
Working with one of the best known score/books, director Joey McKneely has managed to bring fresh life to the show without resorting to any sort of gimmickry. Integrity reigns supreme and the material holds up beautifully. McKneely’s recreation of master choreographer Jerome Robbins’ iconic work is a great achievement, aided of course by the supreme dance skills of the company. Number after number thrills, especially Prologue, Dance at the Gym and the full Somewhere ballet. You haven’t seen West Side Story unless you have seen a professional production like this.Another achievement of McKneely’s is the development of distinct characters within the ensemble. Company scenes have terrific vocal energy and the momentum never falters. Also strongly developed are the relationships between the leads. The close friendships between Tony & Riff and Maria & Anita heighten the eventual tragedy.
Music Director Vanessa Scammell leads an 18 piece orchestra in a flawless rendition of the deceptively difficult score. Immaculate sound design from the pit allows the full colour of the score to be heard as each instrument is heard distinctly. Singing is uniformly strong and sound reproduction of the vocals is clear but could use a little boosting to balance with orchestra volume.Rather than have the Jets and Sharks in simplistic reds versus blues, costume designer Renate Schmitzer presents a varied palette that adds to the characterisation and realism. Jet boys are particularly well served, apart from their satin bomber jackets for Dance at the Gym. Anita could have benefited from more of a different look from Maria, particularly hairstyle, to highlight the differences in maturity and experience between the two.
Set design by Paul Gallis is functional but a bit hit and miss. Large multi-tiered mobile scaffolds effectively create the claustrophobic landscape of high rise New York, with giant projected vintage photos adding texture. A black curtain is used at times presumably to create a clean line but this is a bit minimal for a high budget production. The set pieces for Doc’s Drugstore move off stage for the number Cool but then do not return for the second half of the scene. Similarly, act two’s Taunting Scene makes little sense in the street rather than with Anita trapped in Doc’s. A beautiful image closes Tonight as Maria’s balcony swings back separating the lovers on their final note.
Creative elements reach their optimal level of fusion for the Somewhere sequence. The all white backdrop and costumes startle the audience and, cleverly, the characters too, as they run on to find themselves in a world where the barriers of colour have been removed. A joyous, unified version of Dance at the Gym plays to the haunting Somewhere until the entrance of the blood stained Rumble victims seems to suck the oxygen away and the company are left gasping and shuddering for breath. A nightmarish re-enactment of the Rumble ensues until everything melts away leaving Tony and Maria alone in bed again.Each year a very small number of stars join the constellation of Australian theatrical talent. Verity 
Hunt-Ballard has made a splash as Mary Poppins and now we have Australia’s newest leading man, Josh Piterman. With charisma and good looks to spare, Piterman’s star turn as Tony is a dream to watch. The thought that a Broadway actor was flown in to play Tony 16 years ago seems laughable now. Piterman nails the acting and his singing is divine, building through Something’s Coming to a soaring Maria then reaching new heights in harmony with Julie Goodwin’s golden soprano in Tonight and One Hand, One Heart. Goodwin captures Maria’s youth and innocence, and has the dramatic chops for the tense finale. We will also surely see and hear more of her in the future.
Hunt-Ballard has made a splash as Mary Poppins and now we have Australia’s newest leading man, Josh Piterman. With charisma and good looks to spare, Piterman’s star turn as Tony is a dream to watch. The thought that a Broadway actor was flown in to play Tony 16 years ago seems laughable now. Piterman nails the acting and his singing is divine, building through Something’s Coming to a soaring Maria then reaching new heights in harmony with Julie Goodwin’s golden soprano in Tonight and One Hand, One Heart. Goodwin captures Maria’s youth and innocence, and has the dramatic chops for the tense finale. We will also surely see and hear more of her in the future.Rohan Browne is a sensational, sexy Riff, his natural masculinity suiting the Robbins choreography brilliantly. He and Piterman deserve extra credit for making the dated buddy boy language of the Jets sound perfectly natural. Browne is an electrifying singer/dancer/actor who commands the stage to the extent that, spoiler alert, his presence is notably missed in act two.
Alinta Chidzey is another triple threat as Anita. She really comes into her own during A Boy Like That/I Have A Love, in which she and Goodwin ensure that this is the most dramatically grounded scene of the night. Nigel Turner-Carroll oozes smarmy confidence as Bernardo and his dancing is strong and sexy.
Frank Garfield is a suitably world-weary Doc, and Christopher Connelly really highlights the malicious side of Lieutenant Schrank. Mention must be made again of the strong character work from the ensemble. This is a tremendous bonus in addition to the amazing dancing and singing. The youth of the entire company adds greatly to the authenticity and impact of the show.
West Side Story plays at the Regent Theatre until October 3. Do not miss out on seeing these fabulous performances.
Photos by Branco Gaica
State:
VIC