West Side Story - WAAPA

WEST SIDE STORY REVIEW – WAAPA. I attended the Western Australian Academy of Performing Art’s performance of ‘West Side Story’ on three consecutive nights, at the all famous Geoff Gibbs Theatre held so richly in that great academy! Well I feel almost stuck for words writing this review because the quality of these performances was just absolutely phenomenal. I can honestly say, being someone who has grown up in theatre, this production was one of the best things that I have ever seen on stage before, and I have seen a lot! Let me begin with the overall concept and direction of the show. Crispin Taylor deserves a Tony award for what he did with the show. Being very familiar with WSS, I was at first worries Id be very picky, yet how could I when the show was perfect perfect perfect! The way Crispin has directed this show was like something that I have never seen. It was brilliant the way he used almost the entire theatre to enclose the audience into the world that is musical theatre. It worked so well having the environment of the show surrounding you everywhere you looked, and this created a brilliant atmosphere that captivated the emotion and essence of the show so very well. I commend the outstanding use of stage space, and how sharp and jazzed up the show was. Gemma-Ashley Kaplan as Maria was absolutely incredible! Her voice stole the show, and her charm and innocence in her characterisation was flawless. Each time the lights came up on her, the audience would just appear very excited to catch her energy and amazing vocal range and tone. I especially liked her in the final shooting scene, the emotion that she brought to the scene through excellent acting ability created something magical on stage. There were people around me crying, her performance was just so well done! THIS GIRL WILL GO FAR!! The same can be said for Gareth Keegan who fulfilled my expectations of this character further than I ever could have thought. Gareth brought something to this character that gave such a solid and well rounded performance in the role, something that always made him become an extreme pleasure to watch on stage. There is something deep down that came across in his characterisation, something which I felt cannot be explained, and rather you had to be there to see it. I again commend Gareth on such strong acting ability and he certainly out shone the portrayal in the film, ‘his’ Tony was magnificent! The vocals that came along with this were grippingly strong and energised the show with an immense sense of emotion and confidence. I have never seen such ‘real’ chemistry between two people on stage. Gareth and Gemma were perfect together and when in scene and song, the vibe was magical; it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. There voice patterned so well, creating everything from a smile, a laugh, and a tear from nearly every audience member present. Well done Gemma and Gareth, STUNNING performances. The list of positives just is too big to mention all here, but I was particularly impressed with the lighting design. Glen Hunter designed colourful, captivating and eye opening visuals of light that pieced the overall look to the show, and was ever so intriguing to watch. On the design side of things, Ian Kanik pieced a very simple set design that worked so well I was shocked! His use of a main staircase situated up stage, however that could move, was a brilliant way of alternating and transitioning scenes, as well as creating a fluid flow of energy and anticipation in the show. At first when I heard that this was to be the design, my initial reaction was that is seemed a little dull and boring, yet it was anything but that. The way the cast and crew moved the stairs during scenes looked exceptional, and worked well in creating the overall dramatic mood and feeling to the show. The design was captivating and worked brilliantly in the Gibbs Theatre! Something simple created an amazing impact on the shows look and feel. David King and the West Australian Jazz Orchestra produced perfectly sound instrumentation, with a magical touch that sounded the brilliance of this beautiful music. Well done to David on yet again, producing such brilliance in the show. I thought the way they positioned the orchestra underneath the main star bridge way was very effective, and mastered excellently with the shows look and running! Everything was slick, sharp and just looked extremely well polished. As usual Jenny Lynd provided exciting choreography that was diverse, interesting, and always created an inviting look into the many aspects to this wonderful show. She managed to work in amazing large group pieces that blended so well with all other design and production aspects of the show. Well done Jenny, Crispin and David, you all created a VERY sharp and incredibly strong show! Well done to the incredibly talented third and second years of the BA Music Theatre students! You all did so much just to such a well respected musical. I could go on forever because I was that amazed at how incredible this show truly was, but I will finish up with just one word. WOOOOOW! If only they could do a cast recording of the show, such a talented year group to go through! And well done to the second years also who proved excellence in their many ensemble features. Good luck to these guys in their next production, Jane Eyre, which hits in august. It will be one not to be missed. West Side Story – WAAPA – Thankyou! I could die happy after seeing your production of such a great musical! Ben 