West Side Story

What an absolute joy it is to see this classic come together so well! The dance, the music, the colours, lights, set, costumes, direction—this production shows meticulous attention to detail and it is glorious. Stylistically, this production has as its inspiration the 1961 movie, reproducing many of the colours, tones and dance style, while refining and intensifying for the stage. Beautiful primary reds and blues, deep purples and rich oranges make stunning backdrops for the dancers. The choreography is rooted in 1950s jazz, but overlaid with muscularity, violence and a hint of homoeroticism. The Latin dance is vibrant and exciting, especially the extraordinarily talented Chloe Zuel as Anita. The dances have a near-ballet level of precision. The costumes are superb, with the gangs colour coded, the Jets in cool khaki and orange and the Sharks in passionate reds and purples.

While the styling is firmly influenced by the movie, the direction injects layers of meaning, nuance, grit and depth. Lt. Schrank (Paul Dawber) and Officer Krupke (Berynn Schwerdt) are even more bigoted and intimidating. The number “Gee, Officer Krupke” occurs in its original place after the murders, and is imbued with a kind of anxious bravado: these boys are making fun of Krupke to shake off obvious trauma of the killings they witnessed. What in the movie stops before a sexual assault becomes a stylised rape. The emotions feel very real all the way through.

The cast is stacked sideways with talent and I hope they forgive me for not name checking each and every one, but Noah Mullins and Keanu Gonzalez as Riff and Bernardo respectively, balance each other perfectly as leaders of their respective gangs. Chloe Zuel as Anita steals every scene she’s in. The leads are excellent. Todd Jacobsson is perfectly cast as the idealistic Tony and Sophie Salvesani is angelic as Maria. 

If I have one quibble, it’s that there seemed to be a slight balance issue with the voices not quite carrying over the orchestra, but that could have been because I was so close to the pit. In the Balcony Scene, Maria seemed to be overpowering Tony’s voice and sometimes seemed to be lagging a bit, perhaps singing with the echo? But this was well compensated by both leads’ stunning phrasing with achingly beautiful crescendos, reflecting Donald Chan’s superb musical direction.

Energetic, vibrant, meticulously styled and choreographed, this West Side Story blew me away. If you love musicals, this production is a must see.

Cathy Bannister

Photographer: Jeff Busby