Rotherham Civic Theatre - West Side Story

The dancers and singers of the Gillian Banks Theatre School were finally back at the Civic with West Side Story, their first performance at the venue since Covid.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, the original musical had music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and this is a faithful production — a feast for the eyes and ears, with the colourful and energetic cast supported ably by an 11-piece orchestra.

Two teenage street gangs from different ethnic backgrounds — the Sharks, immigrants from Puerto Rico, and the Jets — vie for dominance of the neighbourhood and are planning a “rumble” with the outcome deciding the victors.

All, of course, while the police try to keep order.

However, Jet Tony (Jonny White) meets Maria (Leah Keys), the sister of Shark Bernardo (Mark Kelwick), at a dance and the pair fall immediately in love.

Those well-known tunes come thick and fast in act one including Something’s Coming, America, and Tonight.

Special praise must go to Keys whose singing voice belies her diminutive size, while her Latina accent — as with that of Emma Bland, who plays Bernardo’s girlfriend Anita with a warm blend of sass and vulnerability — is excellent.

But, for me, act two has the highlights of the show.

Opening with I Feel Pretty, Maria’s song — with pitch perfect backing from her Shark friends Consuela (Laura Smith), Rosalia (Nicola Cuts), and Francisca (Jess Kennedy) — is a delight.

Meanwhile, Gee Officer Krupke, powerfully and playfully sung by the Jets including Big Deal (Christian Nutbrown), is a funny but frank reminder of the theme of the musical’s social issues, as the downtrodden sing in an upbeat way about how: “We ain’t no delinquents, we’re just misunderstood, Deep down inside us, there is good.”

The young cast shine through in numbers like this, and lend this production a real authenticity.