Westside Story

While an interesting appropriation of Shakespeare’s infamous ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Westside Story’ can, in no way, replace the original. The story tells of an American boy and Puerto-Rican immigrant girl who meet and fall in love in the mean streets of New York, where their respective ‘gangs’ are in the middle of a turf war. Obviously, the romance is doomed from the beginning as Tony and Maria struggle to legitimise their love in an intolerant world.

This is an interesting premise for an adaptation of Shakespeare’s feuding families, and one that should, like the Montague and Capulet war, resonate throughout time and geography. And yet, the version of the Broadway classic that I saw at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre, seemed dated and uneven throughout. While the dancing was superb – performed in a style that my limited dancing vocabulary could only describe as ‘contemporary ballet’ for the 21st century – the rest of the production seemed to have been left behind in the 1950s when the play debuted.

Furthermore I suspect that the leads were chosen not for their acting prowess, but rather for their abilities to hold a really high and long tune. This would be completely acceptable if they were, say, auditioning for a choir; but one would assume that a theatre production of this calibre could find two people who can sing and act equally well. Josh Piterman and Julie Goodwin’s portrayal of the ill-fated lovers was flat, apathetic and without any real passion.

The only stand-out performance was from Alinta Chidzey who plays Maria’s sassy and fully-Americanised confident Anita. Her performance was charismatic, witty and full of biting humour. In fact, she received the loudest applause at the end of the show.

Perhaps I’m being too harsh, as I’m subconsciously comparing this production with ‘Wicked’, which, in my mind, cannot be beaten. Having said that, I suspect that no-one was supposed to laugh when Maria realised that Tony was dead. Well, I did. [Image from http://www.theaustralian.com/]

Wicked the Musical

‘Wicked the Musical’ was absolutely fantastic! I must admit, I was a little sceptical about how good it was really going to be, because it seemed to be a little too hyped up for me, and I tend to be wary about getting into something just because others have (I tend to be more judgemental when there’s something that everyone likes), so I went into the theatre with my over-judgement persona on, but that quickly washed away. I am jumping on that bandwagon, and let me tell you, there’s a reason why that wagon is so big and full! This musical was so much better than I expected.

Not only was the story itself great, with telling parallels between the Land of Oz and the world, but its lessons and themes were delivered in a way that was not condescending or accusatory of the darker aspects of humanity. Rather, the commentaries on friendship, familial obligations, political tyranny and loyalty were cleverly delivered with wit, comedic personalities and some very contemporary jazz-hands. The creators deserve huge kudos in their ability to explore the processes of good and evil, and to present this duality in the main characters organically. And of course these characters were played by fine actors whose performances blew the audience away. Jemma Rix’s portrayal of Elphaba, the misunderstood wicked witch of the West, was touching and allowed the audience to really empathise with the character and her position as a victim of circumstance. Meanwhile, as Glinda the Good, Lucy Durack played superficial and self-serving in a way that made it charming, endearing and actually quite becoming. And the relationship which grows from these two completely different, but equally ambitious young women speaks volumes of the real human capacity for the love that exists within a strong friendship to overcome everything from superficial differences to deeper disparities in values and ambitions. One really believes that these two people – one good, the other wicked – really are the best of friends.

Finally, the overall production was phenomenal. The sets and costumes really take the audience into that magical Land of Oz. And of course, the music. The Wicked soundtrack is amazing, and is a real work of art in its own right. I’ve been listening to nothing but this record all week. The songs only enhance the depth and complexity of the story, telling their own little story, in and of themselves.