West Side Story @ The King's Theatre, Glasgow
The famous reworking of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet appears on the Glasgow stage as part of a UK-wide tour. The age-old love story of Tony and Maria follows a similar plotline to its parent play, but tackles the issue of racial segregation and prejudice, as well as gang violence, rather than family vendettas.
Directed and choreographed by Joey McKneely, who made the artistic decision to use the original (and challenging) choreography by Jerome Robbins, West Side Story unravels the tragedy of two lovers separated by racial prejudice. While Tony (Louis Maskell) and Maria (Katie Hall) get along, their friends, family, and by extension, their respective gangs – the Jets and the Sharks – are prepared to kill on sight. The only barrier to this is often the law; in this case, Officer Krupke (Sion Tudor Owen). And, of course, as in Romeo and Juliet, when the lovers try to escape together, things go terribly wrong.
Featuring the timeless musical and lyrical collaboration of Sondheim and Bernstein, the production includes heart-breaking ballads like There's A Place For Us, but also songs about making fun of the law (Gee, Officer Krupke), and about the joys of being in love, like Tonight and I Feel Pretty (potentially revitalised by its use in the film Anger Management).
For those who might consider the love story to be soppy and irrelevant to today's world, it seems worth remembering that Glasgow in particular has a reputation for its history of gang violence and sectarianism. Whether you're in it for the love story, the action, or the dancing, this is not a production to be missed. [Eric Karoulla]
For bookings and/or further information: Box Office: 0844 871 7648 http://westsidestorytheshow.com