A Tipperary-based academy of performing arts stages a magical West Side Story

Anyone who attended Bellvue Academy Of Performing Arts’ production of West Side Story, in Clonmel’s Clonmel'sWhite Memorial Theatre witnessed an incredible show which, although performed entirely by young actors not even out of secondary school, seemed like the work of seasoned professionals.

The show itself is Stephen Sondheim's reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic drama Romeo & Juliet, turning it into a musical set in 1950s Manhattan. It tells the story of racially motivated gang violence between teenagers on the Upper West Side.
The plot deals with mature themes that are still topical, told through emotional acting, intensive singing and complex choreography.

Therefore it was quite surprising to find that Bellvue, a youth theatre who have in the past mostly done lighthearted musicals like Grease and Hairspray, were taking on such an adult show.

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Of course it is not something completely new to them, as last year’s fantastic production of Les Miserablés was their first step towards more dramatic and mature shows.

Lisa Kelly, who directed both Les Mis and West Side, said that “Many of these young people have been with us for years and I can see so much more of their talent from them now that they are getting proper drama and character arcs. They come to us for training on how to be a great actor, and with shows like this we can show them so much more around script analysis and building their character.”

Ciarán Cotter, who played the male lead of Tony, said that “Lisa couldn’t have done a better job preparing us for our roles. She helped us to find our characters goals and motives, and understanding these makes connecting to the characters feelings so much easier.”

EMOTIONAL SCENES
This really shone through in the show’s highly emotional scenes, as it was clear the actors knew exactly where their characters' emotions were coming from.

Aoibhe Condon, who played the female lead of Maria, said “Lisa helped me to break down emotions and find the real triggers for them, making it more authentic. In the scene after Tony’s death, the analysis helped me to understand how my character would react to such raw loss, so I could show vulnerability and pain in a real way. I definitely think I’ll use that process in future roles. It’s something that’ll stick with me, especially for more complex, layered characters.”

There are some very mature scenes in the show as well, often shied away from or seen as “taboo” when working with young actors.

However, from speaking to the actors involved in those scenes, it seems that Bellvue did an excellent job of creating a trusting and safe environment where they would all be comfortable doing scenes that are designed to make an audience uncomfortable.

Saoirse Scully played the part of Anita, and her character has one such scene where she is harassed by members of a rival gang. Saoirse said that “Lisa took charge of that scene and treated it with such delicacy. We kept reminding each other we’re only telling a story. I’ve known everyone in that scene for so long, and there was not one second where my trust for any of them wavered.

They made me feel really safe and I want to thank them all for that. It’s a really heavy scene but we’re always able to walk off stage and have a laugh afterwards, which I think is a really healthy dynamic that Bellvue helped to create.It really is a testament to Bellvue that we can tackle scenes like that in such an environment where it feels so safe for all of us.”

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FIGHT SEQUENCES
Just these things alone would already make for an incredible show, but then there was also the mesmerizing choreography by Keith Greene. The cast were performing breathtaking displays of gymnastics at times, or exhilarating fight sequences such as that between Nathan Dalton and Conor O’ Donoghue’s characters Riff and Bernardo. This was all set to the powerful sound of a live 12 piece orchestra conducted by the musical director Niall Kelly, with impeccable sound by Pat Marnane and lights by Alan McCormack.

It’s important to remember also that while the cast are performing these intense dances, they are also singing the harmonies taught to them by chorus mistress Mary Rose McNally. The cherry on top is an atmospheric set by Anthony Lawless and it’s easy to see how an audience could forget they were watching an amateur performance by a youth theatre and not a professional performance somewhere in the West End.