The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester- until 25th May 2019
Reviewed by Joseph Everton.
5*****
West Side Story is a ground-breaking adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, modernised to replace Montagues and Capulets with Puerto Rican Sharks and White American Jets. Renowned for its brilliant Leonard Bernstein music with Sondheim lyrics, West Side Story blends together bebop, latino and operatic musical styles in a clash of cultures, to create a story of gang warfare, fuelled by racism, with a foot tapping musicality. This modern production, directed by Sarah Frankcom, made use of the incredible Royal Exchange space, a three-tiered structure and largest theatre in the round in the country, set within and cocooned by a beautiful grade II listed building. On the ground level, the audience were almost immersed by the performance, with actors thundering down surrounding steps, with an all-too-relevant clash of knives close enough to have you leaning back in your seat.
The story? Maria (Gabriela Garcia), a Puerto Rican immigrant to the States, is to be matched with Chino (Manuel Pacific) whom she is underwhelmed by. In a war-like climate, Maria meets Tony (Andy Coxon), a former member of the Jets, and they fall in love. Their love was as believable as it was beautiful to watch, both actors excelling vocally and each appearing to genuinely quite like the other. Maria’s brother Bernardo (Fernando Mariano), leader of the Puerto Rican Sharks, skin suitably adorned with religious iconography, forbids the match and, within 24 hours, the rival gangs clash with devastating results. The Shakespearian story, originally set in Verona, set in Manhattan for West Side Story and later dropped into a fictional Verona Beach in America for Baz Luhrmann’s movie remake, could easily be played out on the streets of London or a hundred cities around the globe, making the story line as fresh and relevant as ever.
The music, played by an orchestra tucked away in a hidden booth but feeling as though they may have been seated with the audience, was accompanied by some outstanding, modern choreography by Aletta Collins and probably the highlight of an excellent show. The cast, highly skilled in dance, brought incredible energy and aggression to the Gym scene and, later, the rumble under the highway which contrasted sharply with the beautiful moments of tenderness shared by Garcia’s Maria and Coxon’s Tony. The former delighting with her stunning operatic style.