West Side Story

One of my favourite musicals of all time... a feat for any am dram group to pull off.

The set and design was good, the direction on the whole was impressive and appropriate... However, I felt the singing lacked power (chorus numbers mainly) and the choreography was untidy.
The lighting was often out of sync and the audible sounds of MSN messenger coming from the sound/lighting desk was embarassing.

Many of the vocal solos were of a high standard (Maria, Tony & Anita) - well done you.

I hope that by the end of the run it had become a little tidier for an eager Oxford audience.

I await your next production...!

sq (Unverified), 14/12/06

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A single spot light starts and finishes the production. I was extremely unsure of what to expect from a production of West Side Story from a 'Local' group. What I recieved was way beyond my expectations. I have to put this show down as one of the best I have seen in Oxfordshire for a long, long time and the 1000 or so people around me seemed to agree. What really made this was the believability of the two leads 'love'. I have never seen such natural chemistry and there were times when I wondered if they even knew there was a theatre full of people watching. Edward Blagrove managed to put 3 dimensions into a normally 2 dimensional character and Emily Booth performed beyond her years and gave us a great Maria! The lights were interesting and effective and the casts enthusiasm was never in doubt! What a wonderful piece of theatre!

Impressed Indeed!! (Unverified), 07/12/06

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Oxford Operatic Society takes us to downtown Manhattan where a benevolent social worker, the Gladhand, is holding a dance to try to heal the rift between two rival gangs, the Sharks and the Jets. But it’s no dice: the Jets, second generation Polish immigrants, have just seen off the Emeralds and are not about to give up their turf to the newly arrived Puerto Ricans, even though these mean streets are not worth much anyway, as the sleazy Lt Shrank is quick to point out. Meanwhile Tony, the founder of the Jets and Maria, the sister of the Sharks’ leader, have fallen in love, but this is a New York plagued by volatile bigotry and short-lived romances. Director Dave Crewe has done his job well in telling the story of the West Side. By the final curtain no one in this packed house is seeking the easy escapism of a happy ending.

Much of the action is conducted through swing, such as the captivating mambo and cha cha at the glittering “Dance at the Gym” scene. Three choreographers work to provide an interesting mix of syncopated contemporary rhythms in one of the Society’s most creative productions to date. Each member of the cast stays in character while dancing to avoid the uniform block of movement that musicals are often associated with. The large orchestra, conducted expertly by Michael Evans, plays Leonard Bernstein’s music beautifully and each musician deserves much credit. The moving duets between Maria (Emily Booth) and Tony (Edward Blagrove) as the star-crossed lovers are pitch perfect.

Whilst animated classics such as ‘America’, ‘I feel Pretty’ and ‘Officer Krupke’ are belted out with grit and gusto from the cast, the audience is only too aware that Maria is heading for a fall. The tale follows that of Romeo and Juliet, with every character on stage contributing to the story of the tragedy that loving someone unconditionally can cause. Riff, the strong charismatic leader of the Jets (Alex Williams) is stabbed when Tony tries to stop him fighting with Shark leader, Bernardo. Tony lashes out and knifes Bernardo. Hot-blooded Anita (Susanne Sheehy) runs to warn Tony that Chino is out to kill him and is almost raped by the Jets for her trouble. As a parting shot Anita deceives her tormentors into believing that Maria is dead.

The spartan set of 1950’s billboards with graffiti is dimly lit and complete with city smoke creates a buzzing downtown atmosphere. The costumes add to the drama with Puerto Ricans wearing hot red colours and the self styled ‘Americans’ wearing cool neutral shades. Bernstein is quoted as saying, ‘this show can’t depend on stars, being about kids’. To celebrate their sixtieth anniversary Oxford Operatic Society have welcomed on board a raft of exciting new talent to express the heady emotions of the teenage years. They’re gonna rock it tonight!

Lita Doolan (DI Reviewer), 29/11/06

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