“NEVER WAS A STORY OF MORE WOE”
Our incredibly talented pupils truly captivated audiences with stunning performances, showcasing their dedication and passion for the arts.
On the final night at the Athenaeum, the energy was electric, culminating in a well-deserved standing ovation! The audience was spellbound by the powerful vocals, dynamic choreography, and the raw emotion brought to the stage by our gifted pupils. It was a beautiful reminder of the hard work and creativity that went into every aspect of this production.
“Never Was a Story of More Woe”
West Side Story – The Athenaeum
The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is ubiquitous. Whether it is through being taught it in school, Zefferelli or Baz Luhrmann’s films, the recent musical “& Juliet” or even ‘Gnomeo and Juliet’, most people know the tale of the doomed lovers. Perhaps the most famous adaptation is Bernstein and Sondheim’s ‘West Side Story’, which itself has spawned two films and, now, Warminster School have brought it to the stage of the Athenaeum.
This must have been an immensely challenging production as it relies as much on choreography as it does on vocal talents. However, the cast rose to all its challenges with a number of spectacular performances.
The two gangs – the Sharks and the Jets – were cleverly separated with contrasting red and blue costumes, with the female Sharks having some strong Puerto Rican-style dresses to swirl round during America. As Riff, the leader of the Jets, Alfie Crinion ably opened the proceedings, and we quickly entered into the gang warfare between the two groups. In an attempt to bring the gangs together we had The Dance at the Gym which was brilliantly ‘organised’ by Tillie Humphris as Glad Hand, a great comic performance. Once Tony (Sam Milner-Smith) entered and caught sight of Maria (an outstanding Georgina Johns) we knew their love was doomed. Their tender love story was conveyed strongly by both of them and Sam’s rendition of Maria showed his feelings perfectly.
The fact that this was juxtaposed with America really showed the strength of the production. Isis Strange as Anita and Lucie Hawley as Rosalia really commanded this number but they were supported wonderfully by the other girls including Isla Wright, whose splits at the end really made me wince!
The first act ended in tragedy as Riff was stabbed by Bernardo (an imposing Barnaby Craven-Smith) who was then stabbed in turn by Tony. Whilst many knew this was coming, it was still a shocking ending to the half, made more poignant by Maria’s I Feel Pretty which opened the second act, as she revels in her developing relationship with Tony, unaware of the tragedy which is unfolding.
The highlight of the second half was the intensely moving Somewhere, played like a dream sequence with all the characters wearing white whilst the spirits of Bernardo and Riff haunted the stage. This was wonderfully sung by Jess Saunders, her voice and the touching ballet of Isla Wright and Bryn Lewis bringing an immense tenderness to the proceedings. The fact that this was choreographed by the pupils just shows the depth of talent in the cast.
Again, this was juxtaposed with humour; this time it was Gee, Officer Krupke in which the Jets entertainingly mocked Krupke, Leon Marshall’s grumpy cop.
The tragic finale was well-staged with Tony finding Maria after believing her to be dead, only to be shot (loudly!) by Henry Williams’ brutal Chino.
The use of metal fencing to represent the divide between the gangs was effective, especially as Tony and Maria’s final doomed meeting bridged the gap between the fences.
The orchestra were very strong and it certainly worked to have them on the upper level of the stage, rather than separating the audience from the action.
As well as the entire cast, congratulations must go to Mrs Harris for the direction and Mr Bridges for leading the orchestra and music. Everyone involved should be very proud to have brought such a challenging production to life.
Jeremy Robertson