From now ’til forever
22 May 2018
The action takes place over a few hours on two consecutive days, but all the love, passion, anger, hate, frustration, fear, and turbulence of growing up and finding a place in the world, are packed into that compressed space and time.
Right from the get go, the Rangi Ruru Girls’ School and Christ’s College co-production of West Side Story drew their audience into this timeless tale of turf wars, race relations and star-crossed love.
After months of rehearsals, the cast appeared to slink as opposed to burst on to the stage – a low-key beginning that soon exploded into action, mirroring the violence and passion simmering under the skin of the city. With every finger snap, stamp, strut, swish of skirts, leap or twirl, or parry and thrust, the sharp choreography in both the dance and fight scenes helped propel the story forward to its dramatic conclusion.
Performing some of the most memorable songs in musical theatre with the necessary balance of emotion and timing, and with standout performances from lead actors Year 13 students Holly Evans as Maria and Angus Mossman as Riff, and Year 11 students Dominic Edmonds as Tony, Georgina Scott as Anita and Fletcher Anderson as Bernardo, the whole cast, crew and orchestra hit the right note for every aspect of the show.
It is easy to see why West Side Story is rated one of the best musicals of all time, it is a story that still resonates today and likely will for many years to come.
