Tag Archives: West Side Story

Concept:  Jerome Robbins Book: Arthur Laurents Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim. Director:  Sarah Frankcom Reviewer: Dave Cunningham Nowadays audiences are accustomed to perceiving West Side Story as a classic musical perfect for viewing on Sunday afternoons so it is hard to accept that, when first staged, its depiction of gang violence was controversial.  Now the UK has become a racially divided ...

After twenty years of working at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, Sarah Frankcom has announced that she is stepping down as the theatre’s Artistic Director. Frankcom joined the Company as Literary Manager in 1998; ten years later she was made Joint Artistic Director and in 2014 took up her current position as sole Artistic Director. Frankcom is leaving the Royal Exchange ...

Book: Arthur Laurents Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Director: Pollyann Tanner Reviewer: Carol Lovatt Stage Experience at the New Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham is an opportunity for young performers to showcase their talents in a professional setting and this year’s choice of the musical West Side Story, the iconic tale of the trials of youth is both inspirational and memorable.  ...

Reviewer: Holly Spanner Currently performing with The Midtown Men, a high-octane band performing hits from the sixties, Michael Longoria made his Broadway debut in Hairspray, after graduating with a BFA in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. This is Longoria’s debut Solo Broadway Album, and as the title of the album suggests, Broadway Brick by Brick is a ...

Writers: Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows Music and Lyrics: Frank Loesser Director: Gordon Greenberg Choreographer: Carlos Acosta and Andrew Wright Reviewer: Marina Spark The latest large-scale touring production of the 1950s classic Broadway musicalGuys and Dollsis in Plymouth this week bringing swing and jazz to the Theatre Royal’s Lyric stage. The much-loved show has stood the test of time and ...

Writers: Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows Music: Frank Loesser Lyrics: Frank Loesser Director: Gordon Greenberg Choreographer: Carlos Acosta and Andrew Wright Reviewer: Sue Collier Guys and Dolls tells the story of a group of New York underground gambling men during the American prohibition period. In this Chichester Festival Theatre production, the two principal male characters of Sky Masterson and Nathan ...

Music:Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Choreographer: Rachel Catherall Artistic Director: David McNeill Reviewer: Julia Taylor   West Side Story is a popular production for youth groups. Stage Experience’s version made up of young people aged 11–22 must be one of the best – and they’ve only had 10 days of rehearsals. The sheer enthusiasm and expertise of the cast is ...

Arranged by Contempo Productions Ltd Reviewer: Janet Jepson The clue is in the name; the Opera Boys do opera – but as we soon find out, not always as we know it. From the moment these guys walk onto the stage and open their mouths, it is obvious that this will be a special evening, and their talent and training ...