It was choreographer Jerome Robbins who conceived the idea of a contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet. Robbins enlisted Leonard Bernstein (music) and Arthur Laurents (book) to work with him on the project. However it took them five years before a news report of gang violence between Puerto Rican and Anglo-American street kids sparked the creative impetus which resulted in one of the most celebrated and constantly revived Broadway musicals of all time.
But not even Robbins, Bernstein, Laurents or Stephen Sondheim, who by that time had joined the team, could have imagined their creation about two rival street gangs being performed outdoors on a perfect autumn night, on a giant stage, two and a half times larger than any indoor stage in Australia, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House and dazzling skyline forming a spectacular backdrop to a story that remains as timeless and relevant as when it was created 67 years ago.
In a remarkable display of directorial finesse, Associate Director, Eric Sean Fogel has exploited every surprise contained in Brian Thomson’s deceivingly minimalist set design; John Rayment’s extraordinary lighting design which kept the audience attention focussed with pinpoint accuracy; and Des O’Neill’s masterful sound design, carefully reproduced by Jake Luther to ensure that every note of Bernstein’s ground-breaking score, and every word of Sondheim’s lyrics and Laurent’s dialogue was heard with stunning clarity, to expose previously unsuspected nuance in this revival of Francesco Zambello’s acclaimed 2019 production.
Although Zambello’s concept for an outdoor production requires radical technical departures in the staging, she has insisted on staying with the original Robbins choreography, which for this revival is reproduced by Kiira Schmidt Carper, together with assistants, Brendan Yeates and Luca Dinardo. Admirably they have been meticulous in insisting that their large team of accomplished dancers master even the finest details of Robbins’ still remarkable choreography.
The size of the stage requires the dancers to cover huge distances quickly, and the fact that the stage is raked adds an extra degree of difficulty. But spurred on by Bernstein’s extraordinary score, which has rarely sounded more compelling than as interpreted here by the magnificent Opera Australia Orchestra under the experienced baton of Guy Simpson, the dancers enthusiastically embraced these challenges, attacking the choreography with exhilarating joie de vivre and purpose so that Robbins’ choreography became more than just spectacle. It was also an essential component of the storytelling.
Appropriately Opera Australia has chosen an essentially young cast of this production. Unusually though it has entrusted the two lead roles to emerging artists both of whom are making their professional theatrical debuts in leading roles in a major musical. For both Nina Korbe and Billy Bourchier these roles will be star-makers.
First Nations soprano, Nina Korbe, is a beautiful, vivacious Maria. It’s easy to see why Tony would fall in love with her on first sight. She is also a resourceful actress who managed to make convincing the difficult I Feel Pretty scene in which Maria is so giddily in love that her friends can barely recognise her.
If her operatically trained voice occasionally sounded too mature for her character, it should be remembered that when Bernstein made a studio recording of this show, he chose opera stars Kiri Te Kanawa and Jose Carreras for his Maria and Tony.
Although he’s covered leading roles on Opera Australia’s production of The Phantom of the Opera as well as professional productions of Les Miserables, The Book of Mormon and The Last Five Years, handsome Canberra born tenor, Billy Bourchier, thrilled with his confident singing and stage presence as the love-struck Tony.
From the moment he launched into Something’s Coming, the audience realised that it was witnessing something special. However it was his soaring rendition of Maria, when midway through, he held an unusually long sustained, Maria over the orchestra that earned him cheers. Questioned after the performance, Bourchier confided that there are two versions of this song. Most Tonys choose the version without that spectacular interpolation.
Kimberley Hodgson, so impressive as Gigi in Miss Saigon, confirmed her versatility as the fiery Anita, opposite experienced Broadway performer, Manuel Stark Santos, in his first Australian production, as her possessive boyfriend, Bernardo.
Given that every member of the cast offered strong, committed performances, it seems invidious to single out individual members However particularly eye-catching, were Molly Bugeja, who bought an unexpected vulnerability to her interpretation of Anybodys; Luke Jarvis seething dangerously with suppressed anger as the headstrong Action, and Wayne Scott Kermond who offered a masterclass in how to make a small role memorable with his authoritive performance as the café owner, Doc.
Over the years this reviewer has been fortunate to have experienced many versions of West Side Story. Most have been excellent, but none have eclipsed vivid memories of the original 1960 Australian production in the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, performed by an American cast which included dancer, Ronne Arnold, and conductor, Dobbs Franks, both of whom stayed on to enrich Australia’s theatre history.
Memories of Jean Rosenthal’s remarkable lighting design, the red fire-escapes which appeared magically out of the blackness, the remarkable ribbon curtain which preceded the dance at the Gym, and the stunning first act curtain, are seared indelibly into the memory.
Although none of those moments are duplicated in this production, it produced that same sense of excitement and discovery as experienced all those years ago, and will now join those memories for the authenticity with which it has captured the creators intentions.
West Side Story on Sydney Harbour
Fleet Steps – Mrs Macquaries Point, Sydney
Performance: Friday 22 March 2024
Season continues to 21 April 2024
Information and Bookings: www.opera.org.au
Images: The Jets in West Side Story on Sydney Harbour – photo by Keith Saunders | Jayme Jo Massoud as Francisca, Rebecca Ordiz at Rosalia, Nina Korbe as Maria and Emma Feliciano as Consuelo in West Side Story on Sydney Harbour – photo by Keith Saunders | Billy Bourchier as Tony and Nina Korbe as Maria in West Side Story on Sydney Harbour – photo by Keith Saunders | The Sharks in West Side Story on Sydney Harbour – photo by Keith Saunders | The Jets in West Side Story on Sydney Harbour – photo by Keith Saunders
Review: Bill Stephens OAM