The classic American musical West Side Story has well and truly stood the test of time. The touring version now on stage at The Civic is closely modeled on the Broadway original by dream team Robbins, Bernstein, Sondheim and Laurents, and is a superbly presented production to delight in.
With a nod to Shakespeare's tragic love story Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is set amongst the tenements of 1950s Manhattan. The action plays out between rival street gangs, the Euro-American Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks, and their respective female associates.
The tragic love story ensues between Tony (Kevin Hack) a former leader of the Jets, and Maria (Jenna Burns), newly-arrived sister to the leader of the Sharks.
A clever set by Paul Gallis sets the mood with rolling metal tenement balconies and fire escapes set against sepia-toned photographic streetscapes or occasional colour wash lighting. The men wear tshirts or collar-and-tie with jeans or chinos, sneakers or wingtips, bright colours for the Sharks and muted for the Jets.
The Shark women wear strappy ruffled dresses in multiple bright colours, while the Jet women wear modestly draped v-neck dresses. All the women have bare feet rather than the ballet slippers worm in the original production.
