Love and hate unite in New Lyric’s ‘West Side Story’

This week New Lyric are taking the Grand Opera House audience on an emotional rollercoaster with their latest remarkable production of West Side Story.

The cast may be young but their performances were nothing short of professional and I defy anyone not to shed a tear as the curtain falls.

Lisburn man David McCrossan stepped into his first romantic lead role when he took on the American ‘Romeo’ Tony. Anyone who has seen David perform with Fusion Theatre in Lisburn will know what he is capable of but to hear him fill the Opera House with his voice was a wonderful experience.

His ‘Juliet’, Rebecca Murphy as Maria, was equally fantastic. Her classical training was very evident throughout the show and the difficult Bernstein and Sondheim score did not appear to pose a challenge for the twenty year old.

New Lyric stalwart Karen Hawthorne was powerful in her role as Anita and her experience shone through, particularly in her centrepiece song - America.

Whilst the direction by Kieran Griffiths was innovative, with the use of petals to portray love and hate being a particularly lovely touch, it was the choreography that really stood out in this production.

Choreographer Sarah Collyer is to be commended for her adventurous routines, which were as important to the production as the vocals.

Without a doubt this is a must see show for fans 
of musical theatre. It is difficult show to tackle but New Lyric have pulled it off with aplomb.

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