This is Bristol -- This is a truly 24 carat gold production of a much-loved classic of modern musical theatre. It will make you smile, it will make you want to sing, it will tug at your heartstrings and it will hold you in awe. At times the stage is a kaleidoscope of colour and celebration and at others it is a coldly-lit and sombre backdrop to an intense human drama. Here is a production that is true to Jerome Robbins 1957 show directed by his former assistant Joey McKneely who recreates the original choreography. It is a show where nothing gets in the way of the dancing, the songs and the story. It has a cast of brilliant performers who give their all. Marvel at their sinew-stretching, fast-paced, complicated routines. Marvel too at their timing. It is just perfect. The show broadly takes Romeo and Juliet and places it in 1950s Upper Manhattan and tells of the rivalry between two street gangs, one white and one Puerto Rican. Caught up in their conflict are Tony and Maria. As these star-crossed lovers Louis Maskell and Katie Hall deliver outstanding performances. We believe in their lives and their love and we share in their tragedy. Of course Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's songs from West Side Story are instantly familiar. Something's Coming, Maria, Tonight, America, Somewhere and I Feel Pretty are in our musical DNA. Here they are presented faithfully and sincerely. Exactly as they should be and with the backing of an 18-piece orchestra. The cantilevered wooden skeletal like set rises three storeys above the stage representing the run-down blocks where the rival gangs of the Sharks and the Jets live, laugh, love, fight and die. Behind them regularly appear giant monochrome shots of New York complete a spellbinding illusion. There are many outstanding moments throughout this show. The heaven-like ballet sequence at the start of the second half and Gee, Officer Krupke parody performed by the Jets among them. This show is a spectacle of dance, a feast of music and a tension filled drama. A production where all of those involved should share the plaudits. It is stylish, graceful, moving and memorable. And if you have a ticket for one of the shows during this sell-out fortnight at the Hippodrome you are in for a very special treat. West Side Story runs until February 8.
Reported by This is 13 hours ago.
This is Bristol -- This is a truly 24 carat gold production of a much-loved classic of modern musical theatre. It will make you smile, it will make you want to sing, it will tug at your heartstrings and it will hold you in awe. At times the stage is a kaleidoscope of colour and celebration and at others it is a coldly-lit and sombre backdrop to an intense human drama. Here is a production that is true to Jerome Robbins 1957 show directed by his former assistant Joey McKneely who recreates the original choreography. It is a show where nothing gets in the way of the dancing, the songs and the story. It has a cast of brilliant performers who give their all. Marvel at their sinew-stretching, fast-paced, complicated routines. Marvel too at their timing. It is just perfect. The show broadly takes Romeo and Juliet and places it in 1950s Upper Manhattan and tells of the rivalry between two street gangs, one white and one Puerto Rican. Caught up in their conflict are Tony and Maria. As these star-crossed lovers Louis Maskell and Katie Hall deliver outstanding performances. We believe in their lives and their love and we share in their tragedy. Of course Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's songs from West Side Story are instantly familiar. Something's Coming, Maria, Tonight, America, Somewhere and I Feel Pretty are in our musical DNA. Here they are presented faithfully and sincerely. Exactly as they should be and with the backing of an 18-piece orchestra. The cantilevered wooden skeletal like set rises three storeys above the stage representing the run-down blocks where the rival gangs of the Sharks and the Jets live, laugh, love, fight and die. Behind them regularly appear giant monochrome shots of New York complete a spellbinding illusion. There are many outstanding moments throughout this show. The heaven-like ballet sequence at the start of the second half and Gee, Officer Krupke parody performed by the Jets among them. This show is a spectacle of dance, a feast of music and a tension filled drama. A production where all of those involved should share the plaudits. It is stylish, graceful, moving and memorable. And if you have a ticket for one of the shows during this sell-out fortnight at the Hippodrome you are in for a very special treat. West Side Story runs until February 8.
Reported by This is 13 hours ago.