WEST SIDE STORY. Directed by Matthew Wild, with musical direction by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder. Choreography by Louisa Talbot. Presented by Eric Abraham and The Fugard Theatre. At the Artscape Opera House until August 23. DEBBIE HATHWAY reviews
THE stage production of West Side Story, the musical rated by The Guardian as the eighth best ever, and ranked sixth in its top 100 by the online movie authority IMDb, has opened at the Artscape Theatre Opera House. By all accounts, it’s number one for local patrons.
Any fears that the cast wouldn’t cut it, and that I might be bored, were dispelled the instant Jonathan Roxmouth made his entrance, followed shortly thereafter by his rendition of Something’s Coming. He is Tony, taking the lead role with such ease and conviction the part could have been written for him.
Practically a household name in musical theatre, with a string of productions and recordings to his name, Roxmouth has an uncanny connection with Lynelle Kenned as Maria, which makes their on-stage relationship as believable, as their singing is mesmerising. Live accompaniment by The Cape Philharmonic Orchestra is the cherry on top, completing a powerful combination that makes one fall in love with the familiar music all over again.
“Every musical uses its songs to express big feelings, but few go bigger than West Side Story, which embraces the passions of youth to make an epic out of a pointless turf war, and a new love that gets tragically caught in the middle... Like a Rothko painting, or an Eames chair, West Side Story is mid-century modernism that will never go out of style,” wrote one reviewer.
The 1961 film, which followed its Broadway debut in 1957, won 10 Oscars and a Grammy for the soundtrack. At its 50th-anniversary revival, author Arthur Laurents noted the need to create a “fresh, original look for the show”, largely because of the challenge in portraying the “kids in gangs today... as angry heedless killers”, instead of “likable, tough little thugs”.
Matthew Wild, director of the musical currently on at Artscape, has based his version on the original by Jerome Robbins, the book by Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. He has remained true to the nationalities of the rival Jets and Sharks gangs, shrewdly deciding against localising the work and emphasising instead the universality of its story and themes.
Unlike the movie, which saw Natalie Wood’s singing dubbed (uncredited) by Marni Nixon, local audiences have the privilege of appreciating the true artistry of Kenned as Maria. The award-winning soprano, who most recently starred as Julie in Cape Town Opera’s UK tour of Show Boat and David Kramer’s Blood Brothers and Orpheus in Africa, more than does justice to Bernstein’s complicated score, which Nixon described as having to be done at the “exact right pitch; the notes have to be held as long as they’re written”.
In addition to singing and dancing ability demonstrated by much of the cast, equally impressive and key to the success of the show is the acting talent. While I would still like there to be more consistency in the holding of the accents, particularly notable are the parts played by Christopher Jaftha as Bernardo, Bianca Le Grange as Anita and Daniel Richards as Chino – all members of the Sharks gang which, overall, was the stronger group.
Richard Lothian did a brilliant job as the fight choreographer and will also be remembered for the amusing physical manipulations the Jets execute at his expense in Gee, Officer Krupke. The Dance at the Gym scene is one of the most magical and gives the choreography time to shine.
I would have liked to have seen more authentic references to the Latino dance styles of the era though, particularly the mambo, which could have been incorporated into Talbot’s brief for a “tougher physical language”.
Musically, Maria, One Hand, One Heart, I Feel Pretty and Tonight are all stand-out hits, with every duet by Roxmouth and Kenned quite spectacular, but the set has a star quality all of its own. I’ll give too much away if I describe it in detail, but the fact that it took 4 900 hours should give you insight into its complexities.
Think of the 5 800kg of aluminium, 10 784kg of steel and 4 500 bolts that contribute to the manifestation of an inner-city design visualisation inspired by Johan Engels’s designs before his untimely passing. West Side Story is worth seeing just for that.
This is one of the most compelling re-enactments of the Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers theme I’ve seen.
You couldn’t hear a pin drop at the end and despite the cast already having had their fair share of standing ovations during the previews, they were clearly overwhelmed at the response from the opening night audience.
There is no doubt that this is a must-see for all ages. West Side Story is destined for sell-out success and is not to be missed.
l West Side Story performances are Tuesday to Friday at 8pm, on Saturday at 4pm and 8pm and on Sunday at 2pm and 6pm. Tickets: R95 to R400. Book: Computicket, 0861 915 8000, Artscape Dial-a-Seat 021 421 7695.