Book by Arthur Laurents. Music by Leonard Bernstein. Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Opera Australia. Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour. 22 Mar – 21 Apr, 2024.
West Side Story is the musical theatre standard bearer for “all killer, no filler”. Almost every song in the show is a classic thanks to Leonard Bernstein’s music and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics. Opera Australia’s production takes these foundations and adds a layer of spectacle to events that actually elevates the story. This is less about two young lovers, and more about two communities that are both unique, but all too similar.
This “Romeo and Juliet in 50s New York” still suffers from the same flaws as the original – the love story is actually deeply stupid. This is where the music helps out the most, using the swelling melodies and urgent percussion to carry us along so swiftly you don’t have time to stop and think “they just met a few hours ago”. The language may have dated, and the dance-fights seem quaint, but here they become features, not bugs. This America is a fantasy.
There is a remarkable freshness to the performances. Both Billy Bourchier as Tony and Nina Korbe as Maria feel childlike enough to justify their actions. Their infatuation radiates across the harbour as their youthful faces beam. Patrick Whitbread’s Riff may be all singing and all dancing (excelling at both) but has enough rough edges to feel authentic. Scott Irwin plays Lieutenant Schrank as if he’s in a drama, with no touch of musical theatre camp. Even the smaller roles sparkle with Ewan Herdman’s Baby John, Luke Jarvis’s Action and Rebecca Ordiz’s Rosalia cutting through to make an impact. Of course, West Side Story is all about Anita, giving Kimberly Hodgson room to really strut her stuff.
Watching a show of this size makes you truly appreciate the choreography. Revival choreographer Kiira Schmidt Carper adapts Jerome Robbins’ original balletic moves to seamless effect. Stretched out before the vista of the Sydney skyline, watching the Jets and Sharks dance on the “streets”, they’ve never felt more similar, or their arguments more pointless.
Being a Handa Opera production, yes there are fireworks – timed to cap off “America” with a burst of celebration and perhaps irony. The perfect weather of opening night made the moment even more glorious. For an open air event the sound felt surprisingly natural (obviously amplified but not distractingly so). The 40 strong ensemble were dynamite when they gathered for “Tonight (Quintet & Chorus)” near the end of Act One, the competing melodies blending beautifully.
West Side Story may not be the cherriest of musicals, but with an unbeatable score, a production this good and the backdrop of the harbour city lights it is a perfect Sydney night out.
Cultural Binge 
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