West Side Story as presented by Bravo Theatre Group

Bravo Theatre Group 

West Side Story 

Saturday 28th September 2024 

There is a line in ‘West Side Story’ that hits me every time. After breaking up their disturbing assault of Anita, a visibly emotional Doc castigates the Jets telling them “You make this world lousy!” Action’s response, “That’s the way we found it Doc”, is profoundly indicative of the show’s teenage delinquents being a direct product of their deprived social, cultural and economic environment. Sixty-seven years after its premiere, Bravo Theatre Group produced a gritty, exhilarating production of this ground-breaking musical, which tackled those very themes head-on, shining a light on the racism, violence and pent-up anger which moulded the world of its rival gangs. 

Returning to the Temperance Hall in Loughrea this year, Bravo ran from Wednesday to Saturday, with a night off on the Friday for a spot of bingo. By the time Saturday night came round, the show was like a tightly coiled spring, ready to be unleashed upon an expectant audience. Front of house could not have been more welcoming to all. Friendly efficiency ensured that everyone was seated quickly, soaking up the atmosphere as the sixteen-piece orchestra went through their final preparations. 

Director, Aoife McClafferty, did a superb job with this timeless tale of star-crossed lovers. She balanced romance and rage, whilst ensuring that a bleak tension ran right through the show. From the testosterone-charged Prologue, to Maria’s heart-breaking exit, leaving the four adults to reflect upon their tragic surroundings, Ms. McClafferty’s direction was strong and detailed throughout. ‘West Side Story’ requires very strong collaboration between director and choreographer, who need to work ‘as one’ for many of the show’s iconic scenes. This was clearly the case for this production, most notably in the rumble. It was as good as I’ve seen, with cast cleverly utilising trucked fencing to help create a violent cage-fight. There was a wonderful pace to the whole production, helped in no small way by exceptionally good stage management. 

Shane Farrell earned his stripes as MD on this one. And what a job he did! His sixteen-piece orchestra brought the complex combination of Latin rhythms, jazz and classical music styles to life in a beautifully balanced and exhilarating way. We knew from the overture that this was going to be a wonderful musical interpretation of one of the most iconic musical scores. And it was. Underscored dialogue was crystal clear, an almost impossible achievement for this show. Vocally, the show was very strong. The final choral version of ‘Somewhere’ was simply stunning. 

‘West Side Story’ is, of course, famed for the myriad styles of its choreography. Jay Molyneux did a really fine job choreographing a very large and committed cast. The Prologue morphed some inspiration from Jerome Robbins’ iconic style with some excellent, original touches from Mr. Molyneux. His choreography was energetic, explosive and even aggressive when required; carefully propelling the narrative. ‘America’, with its syncopated, Latin rhythms, was superbly performed and the ‘Dance at the Gym’ was a crowded, sweaty mess of exhilarating movement and hormonal turbulence; exactly as it should be. ‘Cool’ was a wonderfully choreographed and executed number. However, I did feel that cast needed a bit more direction when it came to keeping a lid on the pressure cooker of frustration, hostility and rage. The poignant ‘Scherzo’/dream ballet sequence, featuring the magnificent Teagan Farrell and Aran McMenamin as younger versions of Maria and Tony, was so beautifully realised. The rumble was brilliantly choreographed. It was so violent and real, yet so controlled. 

Emily Lohan played Maria with remarkable honesty and sensitivity. This really was a wonderful portrayal. She had a beautifully lyrical soprano voice, which was at its very best in ‘Tonight’. Her emotional range was so impressive in ‘A Boy Like That’ and in the final, gut-wrenching scene as she guarded Tony’s lifeless body. 

Eoghan Mann looked every inch the former gang leader as Tony. He had a fine, tenor voice and a lovely pure falsetto at the end of ‘Something’s Coming’. ‘Tonight’ was a beautiful number with Ms. Lohan. He covered the end of ‘Maria’ cleverly and showed good emotional range throughout the show. There were times when I felt that he was a little over the top and needed to pull back, trusting the book and his director but overall, this was an impressive portrayal. 

Keith Hanley was an excellent Riff, and we knew from the outset exactly why he had taken over from Tony as the leader of the Jets. Mr. Hanley had a commanding stage presence and led from the front in every scene. He sang very well in ‘Jet Song’, which was full of macho bravado. His stonewalling of Schrank in the drugstore was very nicely played and he showed great physicality and athleticism in the Rumble. 

Hannah Wright delivered a powerhouse performance as Anita. Ms. Wright got every last nuance out of her characterisation, demonstrating an exceptional understanding of the text. Her ‘America’ was passionate, capturing the immigrant experience with a bleak, sardonic humour. ‘A Boy Like That’ was the musical and dramatic highlight that it should be. Ms. Wright’s barely audible but disturbingly real sobbing, in the silent aftermath of the taunting scene, cut a knife through the audience. A superb performance on every level. 

Cian Forde had good presence as Puerto Rican gang leader Bernardo. He was very strong in the war council, his intimidating demeanour adding greatly to the tension as the teenage rivals set the tragic sequence of events in motion. Mr. Forde’s rumble with Mr. Hanley was excellent in its execution. 

Jamie Callanan’s Action was a gritty, raw bundle of pent-up rage. Mr. Callanan was fully committed to the role, always focused and always in character. He was appropriately explosive when needed and we knew that he was capable of taking Lieutenant Schrank out had he not been restrained. 

Charlie Barry will have gained great experience from playing the role of Chino, whose act of vengeance in the aftermath of the rumble, brought about the catastrophic climax. Mr. Barry did well in his emotional scene with Anita. 

Adam O’Kane as A-Rab was impressive in his post-rumble scene with Baby John, played by Éanna Moloney. I thought that Mr. Moloney underplayed the immaturity at times and needed to project more. However, he was at his very best in ‘Gee, Officer Krupke’ as the very funny social worker, appropriately brash and over the top. 

Dylan O’Keefe, Oisín Dowling and John Morley were all very strong Jets as Diesel, Snowboy and Big Deal respectively. Paul Massé, Nathan Canning, Daniel Lynch and Daniel Foran all gave great support as Shark boys Pepe, Indio, Toro and Moose.

I felt that Niamh McSweeney, as Anybody’s, was a very talented actress but needed more edge to be a bit more credible as a wannabe teenage hoodlum. Her menacing demeanour in the taunting scene, as she got caught up in the awful violation of Anita, was quite disturbing and showed that Ms. McSweeney was definitely able to portray a more aggressive side.

Sarah Corcoran shone brightly as Rosalia in ‘America’ and ‘I Feel Pretty’. Her vocal in ‘Somewhere’ was simply stunning, a standout moment of the show. Emilia Fallon and Izzy Tuohy were also in great voice as Consuelo and Francisca. 

Raphael McKenna Short and Ruth O’Neill as gang ‘WAGs’ did well as Graziella and Velma, quick to show their disdain for the boys’ war council games. 

Gladhand was played by the very talented Yvonne Earls, who made a big impact trying to contain the rival gangs at the dance in the gym in her own inimitable way. Her hilarious facial expressions were a joy, contrasting greatly with her genuine melancholy in the final scene. 

Norman Quinn was a very funny Officer Krupke, filling the role of an authority figure who was so easy to imitate and ridicule. 

Patrick Byrne brought quite the despicable quality to the unapologetically racist cop, Schrank. We were very conscious that this stressed-out Lieutenant was always only one step away from a coronary. Mr. Byrne excellently balanced his less than endearing persona with what felt like a genuine moment of remorse in the heartbreaking final moments. 

Doc was played with great sensitivity and heart by Declan Finn. His performance was underpinned by a genuine concern for and frustration with the teenagers who frequented his drugstore. He knew where it would all lead to, yet he was powerless to change the pre determined course of events. His anger and upset in saving Anita from the Jets was so authentic and well-judged. 

The ensemble was so strong and committed throughout the show. And what a large cast it was too! The energy levels were off the scale in ‘Dance at the Gym’ and their choral singing was just stunning. I could genuinely have listened to the finale ‘Somewhere’ number all night long. It was that good! 

Set design was perfect for the relatively tight space that is the Temperance Hall. Evoking the backstreets of New York City, we had wire fencing, corrugated hoarding, distressed signage, gang graffiti and grimy building flats. The iconic balcony was a fine feature on stage left. Two high, trucked platforms were utilised by Ms. McClafferty to great effect, especially in the ‘Tonight Quintet’ and at the end of the dream ballet sequence. Attention to detail was everywhere with this brilliantly textured set which took light so well. 

Stage Manager, Niall Heaney, did a wonderful job. His crew ensured that we had exceptionally slick and fast transitions between scenes. With so much coming on and off for each change and so little room side stage to manoeuvre, this was such an impressive display from all involved. 

For the most part, props were all very era appropriate. Prop dressing for the drugstore was super, although the miniature Wurlitzer looked a little out of place. Everything in the bridal shop looked perfect, including the brilliantly dressed tailors’ dummies. Herbal cigarettes brought a great air of authenticity to the war council. 

There were moments of brilliance in the very busy lighting plot. The dramatic gobos on the front tabs as the overture kicked off were perfectly chosen. There was excellent work in the prologue reflecting the intensity of the brawl. There was great use of haze throughout to create atmospheric shafts of light when needed and the windows in the bridal shop were nicely backlit. There were some timing issues with cues though, especially in the ‘Tonight Quintet’. Additional tech time may have been needed for this number. A very good job complementing the director’s vision. 

If you can hear the finger clicks in the prologue of ‘West Side Story’, you can bet your life that the sound is going to be pretty good for the rest of the show. Sound in this show was superb throughout. There was an excellent balance between pit and stage, with vocals always sitting above the music, even in the loudest numbers. This is as it should always be. Lose that and we lose the narrative. Not being able to hear underscored dialogue is a real bugbear of mine. However, we heard every single word. Full credit to Mr. Farrell, Ms. McClafferty and the sound team for ensuring that this was prioritised. 

Costumes were extremely well coordinated. The subtle colour palettes for Jets and Sharks were well chosen and I really liked how each gang member had their own individual look. The pastel colours in the dream ballet sequence were a lovely touch and Maria’s red dress for the final scene was strikingly foreshadowing. 

Hair and make-up were all in order. There was great attention to detail, with lots of suitable hair accessories complementing the overall look in ‘America’. 

A wonderful production overall from Bravo Theatre Group, so well directed, musically directed and choreographed. It was an absolute pleasure to sit and watch one of my favourite shows getting the talent and high production values it deserves. congratulations to everyone involved on a visually stunning show with some standout performances. A worthy ten-year celebration. Bravo! 

Pat McElwain 

Gilbert Adjudicator 2024/2025

Photos by Paul Kelly - Indigo Lighting