West Side Story - Curve Leicester

[AddisonMizner]

I thoroughly enjoyed the matinee today.

The show really is a jewel. The material is so current and fresh over 50 years since it was premiered, and it could quite easily have been written yesterday. Themes of gang violence, loss of innocence and love are eternally relevant. The theme of immigration is brought to the fore by the beautiful opening tableaux. The score is as glorious as ever, played by a stunning 16 piece orchestra. Vocally, it is mostly well served, but I do like to hear classically trained voices in this material. I think I am the only person in the world who loves Bernstein’s own recording with Kiri Te Kanawa and Jose Carreras.

The production is modern, vibrant and has lots of attack. I loved how they didn’t allow time for applause after certain numbers, so as to keep the dramatic momentum. I loved the set, and thought that the use of lighting to punctuate different moments was excellent.

I liked most of the direction, however I felt they could have slowed some moments to allow them to land more emotionally. The scene where Maria is told of Bernardo’s murder was one such moment. They could have held that moment even longer then they did. Saying that, STORY. I was welling up during the Balcony Scene, and I Have A Love (one of my favourite moments in the score - it is just so simple both musically and lyrically, and therefore beautiful) in particular.

I wasn’t overly enamoured by the new choreography. For me, there really didn’t seem that much to it. It really is easy to see why Jerome Robbins choreography has been used consistently up until this point.

Despite clear reservations, this is well worth going to see.

For those who have seen both, how does it compare to the Exchange production? I am thinking of booking that now, as I missed it last year.

[xanady]

Some spoilers....

At the Saturday evening show tonight and along with a packed and expectant crowd was blessed to see the definitive version of the worlds’ greatest ever musical.Saw the REX version and enjoyed it,but this is on a different level altogether.The huge spacious Curve stage is utilised brilliantly for the sharp energetic and perfectly drilled choreography by Ellen Kane.
A very gritty and visceral production with not a weak link in the lead roles or the ensemble.Muscato,Ivelisse and Mercedes Dyer are simply brilliant.Fight scenes look like the actors are genuinely out for blood!
Nice to see the Curve Youth Theatre group getting a moment or two to shine especially in ‘Somewhere’.
Triple level set for the interior rooms and exteriors that reek of urban decay.The giant American flag used is faded,tattered and torn to match the broken American dreams of the warring gangs who fight for a scrap of worthless territory because that is all they know and all they have left.
The 16 piece orchestra bring real depth and richness to the score.Vocal performances were some of the best I have ever heard.Hats off to the sound designers.
Saw the show in 84 and again in 97/8 in the UK with the original staging,but Nikolai Foster has re-invented this and made it feel frighteningly topically and relevant.Some wonderful dramatic flourishes including the ethereal desending dresses,the flashback to the killings staged MMA style and the cleverest ever staging of ‘Gee Officer Krupke’ as a cheesy music hall pastiche (Archie Rice in The Entertainer came to mind)which is a work of genius.
Personally had many unforgettable MT memories this calendar year with DEH,CFA,Madison County,Fiddler etc,but this ranks with the best.
Miss it and miss out IMO.

[Steve]

Saw the matinée today, and loved this! Stagecraft, choreography, orchestra all perfection, and in Adriana Ivelisse you've got a really youthful, spontaneous and pliant Maria who is just heartbreaking! Wonderful!

Some spoilers follow. . .

I agree with most of the positive comments above, so I'll be brief.

Jerome Robbins may have been replaced as choreographer here, but what is so noticeable is how much he's still there: in all the spaces he created for the choreography to take the full weight of the show, keeping Sondheim silent at critical moments so that vigorous, staccato and muscular dance can convey all the exuberance, abandon, bravado and mindlessness of gang life! Ellen Kane fills these spaces intelligently and exhilaratingly!

I assume there's a good chance this won't transfer to London because of rights issues, in which case we in London are lucky Leicester is so close (only an hour by train, but also doable by the much cheaper coach). And given how brilliant the score is, how dramatic and dreamy the story, this is well worth the trip I feel.

Jamie Muscato has a beautiful sonorous voice, and plays Tony as a sensitive dreamer, if one limited in the full range of emotional expression by his macho history. But if Tony's emotional expression is a tad limited, Adriana Ivelisse more than makes up for this, as she is a river of youthful feelings, an avatar of first love of the most tender, thrilling and open kind, a perfect Juliet!

Ivelisse's lips, mouth, face, hands, her whole body, all seem to bend her Maria to Tony's shape when he is near, beckoning him on. From the moment she falls in love, you believe that Tony is the only thing on her mind, as she embraces mannequins, pillars, anything to keep him constantly alive in her mind. It's a really touching performance, and it makes her duets with Muscato electric, and her solos mesmerising.

What is most beautiful about the production for me, is how, despite the dirty makeup of the Jets, despite fences caging the gangs like prisons, despite the muscular and buoyant choreography of gang violence from an energised and aggressive ensemble, the choreographer and director always carve a delicate and gentle space through it all for Ivelisse and Muscato to float through the production like love's young fleeting dream. Exquisite!

4 and a half stars.

[dazzerlump]

Have they removed the aisles for this show, or is it just how the seating plan appears on the website?

[stevej678]

Dec 4, 2019 9:25:24 GMT dazzerlump said:

Have they removed the aisles for this show, or is it just how the seating plan appears on the website?

The seating plan changed after The Color Purple so the stalls is all one block now. 

[djdan14]

[djdan14]

Same again for both performances today

[terrylondon79]

We was there Thursday night. Show went up late due to cast illness. They did a fully staged production then. Illness must be spreading.

[Dr Tom]

I'd be interested to know who is performing at the concert version. I did look to see if it was worth making the trip to Leicester, but they've pulled today's performances from sale.

[sophie92]

Dec 7, 2019 12:26:05 GMT Dr Tom said:

I'd be interested to know who is performing at the concert version. I did look to see if it was worth making the trip to Leicester, but they've pulled today's performances from sale.

From the photos I’ve seen of last night’s curtain call, they were short of three Jets (no Action, Big Deal or Baby John) and it sounds like the Jet girls filled in

[Deleted]

Dec 4, 2019 9:25:24 GMT dazzerlump said:

Have they removed the aisles for this show, or is it just how the seating plan appears on the website?

My pet peeve lol - don't even get me started ;-) Front stalls layout used to be so lovely there. Now those of us that need an aisle seat are once again consigned to the edges!

[Someone in a tree]

travelled up yesterday from London, so excited to this. BO handed us the tickets and programme and then I overheard punters complaining about the concert performance.

Not happy but what can you do? Well you can put more posters up around the building and get the BO staff to inform you when handing out tickets. We got a refund including for the programme and then went to the pub.

Still tickets available for the rest of the run. But the train is stupid money and some coach journeys take 1hr ish and the return takes 3ish hours. Owing to the latter I won't bother and hope it comes back to the Curve or somewhere else.

Shame as the production sounds great. Hey hum

[xanady]

The production is world class MT in my opinion...sorry you didnt get to see it,Someone In A Tree.

[Someone in a tree]

Thanks @xandy.

I don't read reviews and this board until after I've seen a show (I want no spoilers). I am now resigned to the fact that I won't be seeing this production so reading about it today makes it sound great. I love the concept for the prologue and Krupke (a song I have always questioned it's place in the show). But hey hum.

My partner and I have had a terrible two weeks due to his ongoing treatment for Myeloma and the prospect of jazz hands and gang warfare was going to be a perfect tonic but in actual fact the myeloma puts a semi staged concert performance in Leicester into perspective, no one lost an eye!

[FrontroverPaul]

Dec 8, 2019 10:59:32 GMT Someone in a tree said:

travelled up yesterday from London, so excited to this. BO handed us the tickets and programme and then I overheard punters complaining about the concert performance.

Not happy but what can you do? Well you can put more posters up around the building and get the BO staff to inform you when handing out tickets. We got a refund including for the programme and then went to the pub.

Still tickets available for the rest of the run. But the train is stupid money and some coach journeys take 1hr ish and the return takes 3ish hours. Owing to the latter I won't bother and hope it comes back to the Curve or somewhere else.

Shame as the production sounds great. Hey hum

I'm really sorry you had a wasted journey yesterday. I live in Kent but regularly travel to see shows at the Curve and find it an easy and economical journey.

The train from London to Leicester costs from £39 return booked in advance, a third less with a (eg Two Together) railcard. The Curve is an easy 8-10 minutes walk from the railway station. If you just pay at the station on the day an off peak return starts at £64. Not cheap but it is a quick journey taking just over an hour and  there are very frequent departures. Can only be done for matinees though.

The National Express coach from Golders Green takes twice as long, plus a further half hour from/to Victoria, but the cost is much lower, typically £11 return booked in advance or about £16 return booked the day before travel.

I usually travel to Leicester by train and return by coach on the 17.45 departure. I do have a senior railcard and therefore pay around £20 total return when I book from London. I can do it from Kent for £28 return.

It's a fabulous production of West Side story and well worth having another try to see it.

[Someone in a tree]

Dec 8, 2019 15:01:34 GMT FrontroverPaul said:

Dec 8, 2019 10:59:32 GMT Someone in a tree said:

travelled up yesterday from London, so excited to this. BO handed us the tickets and programme and then I overheard punters complaining about the concert performance.

Not happy but what can you do? Well you can put more posters up around the building and get the BO staff to inform you when handing out tickets. We got a refund including for the programme and then went to the pub.

Still tickets available for the rest of the run. But the train is stupid money and some coach journeys take 1hr ish and the return takes 3ish hours. Owing to the latter I won't bother and hope it comes back to the Curve or somewhere else.

Shame as the production sounds great. Hey hum

I'm really sorry you had a wasted journey yesterday. I live in Kent but regularly travel to see shows at the Curve and find it an easy and economical journey.

The train from London to Leicester costs from £39 return booked in advance, a third less with a (eg Two Together) railcard. The Curve is an easy 8-10 minutes walk from the railway station. If you just pay at the station on the day an off peak return starts at £64. Not cheap but it is a quick journey taking just over an hour and  there are very frequent departures. Can only be done for matinees though.

The National Express coach from Golders Green takes twice as long, plus a further half hour from/to Victoria, but the cost is much lower, typically £11 return booked in advance or about £16 return booked the day before travel.

I usually travel to Leicester by train and return by coach on the 17.45 departure. I do have a senior railcard and therefore pay around £20 total return when I book from London. I can do it from Kent for £28 return.

It's a fabulous production of West Side story and well worth having another try to see it.

FrontroverPaul after westside did you get the 17.45 coach?

Please and ta

[FrontroverPaul]

I didn't actually, I had  booked Dear Evan Hansen the same evening so I  travelled back to London on the 17.13 train with an advance ticket

West Side story started at 14.07 when I saw it and finished at 16.25ish.

I'm next in Leicester for Phantom Of The opera in March and will return by the 17.45 coach then unless I again book a London show the same evening.

[sophie92]

Dec 8, 2019 18:21:47 GMT Someone in a tree said:

Dec 8, 2019 15:01:34 GMT FrontroverPaul said:

I'm really sorry you had a wasted journey yesterday. I live in Kent but regularly travel to see shows at the Curve and find it an easy and economical journey.

The train from London to Leicester costs from £39 return booked in advance, a third less with a (eg Two Together) railcard. The Curve is an easy 8-10 minutes walk from the railway station. If you just pay at the station on the day an off peak return starts at £64. Not cheap but it is a quick journey taking just over an hour and  there are very frequent departures. Can only be done for matinees though.

The National Express coach from Golders Green takes twice as long, plus a further half hour from/to Victoria, but the cost is much lower, typically £11 return booked in advance or about £16 return booked the day before travel.

I usually travel to Leicester by train and return by coach on the 17.45 departure. I do have a senior railcard and therefore pay around £20 total return when I book from London. I can do it from Kent for £28 return.

It's a fabulous production of West Side story and well worth having another try to see it.

FrontroverPaul after westside did you get the 17.45 coach?

Please and ta

I had booked the 19.00 coach back to London but there is absolutely enough time to make the 17.45 after a matinee

[TallPaul]

As Megabus is part of Stagecoach, I assumed that when the East Midlands franchise transferred to Abelio, it would no longer be possible to book relatively affordable travel on that route. Reader, I was wrong.

For travel on 11 January 2020, for example, it is currently possible to book a ticket on the 11:34 service from St Pancras, returning on the 19:13 from Leicester, for only £10.11 each way.

Hope that helps!

[FrontroverPaul]

Dec 9, 2019 9:40:26 GMT TallPaul said:

As Megabus is part of Stagecoach, I assumed that when the East Midlands franchise transferred to Abelio, it would no longer be possible to book relatively affordable travel on that route. Reader, I was wrong.

For travel on 11 January 2020, for example, it is currently possible to book a ticket on the 11:34 service from St Pancras, returning on the 19:13 from Leicester, for only £10.11 each way.

Hope that helps!

Yes Megabus (Stagecoach) came to an agreement with Abellio to continue the Megatrain service on a limited number of routes and services.

Unless the system has changed Megatrain tickets go on sale at the stroke of midnight 45 days in advance. They used to start @ £1 plus a 50p booking fee for any number of tickets purchased in one transaction but there was usually only one seat on each included service sold at that price and by 00.03  the £1 tickets would all be gone so you had to be in the know and quick. They currently start @ £10.11.

I would sit at the computer from 23.58 when I needed to travel 45 days ahead and had about an 80% success rate at getting a return for £2.50 between London and Leicester or Sheffield to see matinees at the Curve or Crucible and also at the Bristol Hippodrome.  It was a few complaints about the difficulty in getting £1 tickets on Megabus services that led to the Advertising Standards Agency banning advertising for them and Megabus dropping them (and Sid) but I made about 400 £1 journeys in nine years @ £1 including around 50 by train. Megabus even had a free travel promotion in January February though that didn't include trains.

I didn't qualify for a railcard then so it saved me a heap of money. Happy Days.

Slightly OT but may help a few more people see West Side Story in Leicester so hopefully an acceptable post.

[sophie92]

Matt Trevorrow has now joined the cast as a swing

[Someone in a tree]

Dec 9, 2019 16:51:55 GMT @theatremonkey said:

Dec 8, 2019 12:52:14 GMT Someone in a tree said:

My partner and I have had a terrible two weeks due to his ongoing treatment for Myeloma

Hope your partner gets better soon, Someone in a tree.

Thankyou xx

[sophie92]

Dec 9, 2019 17:30:53 GMT sophie92 said:

Matt Trevorrow has now joined the cast as a swing

Michael Anderson has also joined - both performed last night with one day of rehearsal

[ABr]

I don't want to say I told them so, but Curve have always played a risky game with never having official Understudies or Swings for the majority of their bigger shows.
They had to throw on Darren Bennet who was playing Fizzywig with 48 hours notice when Jasper Britton who was playing Scrooge fell ill. We were booked and actually saw his second performance, he was amazing, half off book, half script in hand. They had a less dicey situation with Legally Blonde where one of the 3 Delta Nu girls left the production early on, so because they had no swings, for the majority of the run, they only had 2, for her only to be replaced in the last week of the run.
Its remarkable what some performers can do with such short notice, but even if they don't display/advertise there Understudy system, I do think most major shows with significant runs should have that safety male and female swing, for situations just like this.

[Someone in a tree]

I do agree but it does drive up the cost and maybe the unplanned approach generally works.

The only time I've had a performance actually cancelled was La Cage at the Chocolate Starfish. The MCF always now recuit understudies.