Fabulous show for the festive season at the Curve
Classic musical has been revived for the Curve this Christmas
THE Curve in Leicester has reworked the classic musical West Side Story for its festive season this year.
And what a force of nature the show is.
In what has been a great year for the Curve, this is perhaps the strongest and best show yet.
West Side Story was first staged in the 1950s in America and is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet.
The musical tells the tale of the battle between two gangs in New York.
The Jets, a white gang, are led by Riff (Ronan Burns) while the Puerto Rican Sharks are led by Bernardo (Jonathan Hermosa-Lopez).
A DRAMATIC education programme taught pupils in Stoke Golding about being responsible with litter and waste disposal.
Bin it! visited St Martin’s Catholic Academy as part of its annual nationwide tour, appearing before 350 students aged 11 to 13 and Hinckley and Bosworth Borough councillor Martin Cartwright.
The show encourages young people to work
When a brawl breaks out at a dance, the two gangs decide on a fight to decide who controls the neighbourhood.
Former Jets gang member Tony (Jamie Muscato) then gets involved and Riff tries to get Tony to go along to the fight.
At the same time Tony falls for the beautiful Maria (Adriana Ivelisse) at the dance.
Trouble is, Maria is the sister of Bernardo which is bound to cause trouble.
The setting of the show is deliberately a bit bleak. The Jets hang out at Doc’s bar and this is a gritty concrete together to make a lasting change to local areas and keep their environment tidy, with 80 per cent of students who viewed it last year saying they would be sure to dispose of chewing gum in the bin.
Cllr Cartwright said: “Important messages received via acting is much more profound than any other way of delivering the same message. affair. Above is the apartment of Maria.
Also on the stage is a heap of rubbish which has old fridges and TVs sticking out while a tatty American flag hangs about.
Strong lighting help to make this a dramatic background for the powerful, pacy story.
What makes this simple tale such a strong one for the stage is the music of Leonard Bernstein and the lyrics of Stephen Sondheim which is possibly the finest of all musical scores.
Right from the very first moment, it’s the music that almost takes the starring role.
“This was totally evident in the response, engagement and concentration from the young people involved.
“I thoroughly enjoyed watching the performance and seeing the students so engaged in this important issue.
“Working with young people to tackle litter in our community will help us to make positive change for the future.”
The Bin it! team of actors stark concrete works to engage pupils to make positive choices about the responsible disposal of litter in their environment and urges them to take pride in their community.
The group is profiled in the Litter Strategy for England, and as part of Mars Wrigley’s support for the strategy, the company has committed to reaching a further 100,000 students across the UK by the end of 2020.
It is performed beautifully by a 15-piece orchestra. They do appear for a short period during the show although remain hidden for the rest of it which seems a little unfair considering their importance.
The music to the opening scene is so dramatic and intense it sets up the show superbly. The choreography keeps pace with the music and is simply stunning.
The opening sequence breath away.
There are three or four routines in this show which were so passionate and energetic as well as powerful and precise they were mesmerising. takes your
The performance of I Feel Pretty and Gee, Officer Krupke were faultless. By the time the second of these were performed, the crowd were clapping and cheering as much as they do at the end of other shows.
The cast is superb and perhaps the pick of the bunch are the two female leads Maria and Anita (Carly Mercedes Dyer) who is Bernardo’s girlfriend.
The story is set to return to the big screen in 2020 when a film version by Steven Spielberg is released.
But why wait until then when you can see something special at the Curve until January 11.