As part of an ambitious double-bill in the New Bury Theatre, Romeo and Juliet ran alongside West Side Story - on different nights - to great acclaim. Both productions shared a simple scaffold set along with timeless universal themes (as much in evidence today as ever) of young love, adolescent rebellion, family feuds and fate, each with their individual modern take on traditional texts.

Students mastered the art of verse-speaking, stage combat, complex arias and dance routines to great effect with the ensemble forming the backbone of each cast. Creating present day parallels, both pieces explored the crisis, tensions and tragedy brought about by a world of conflicting identity, uncertainty, suspicion and had their audience convinced that they would have to go a long way to watch a better, more professional production of either show.
Sara Markland, Associate Director Drama

Romeo and Juliet
When any director is given the challenge of presenting Shakespeare to a young group of actors the biggest issue is how to make it feel relevant to them. Shakespeare’s language remains a key component of young people’s education in this country, as well it should, and once accessed it is easy to understand why it has survived for as long as it has in the world of theatre.

In Romeo and Juliet there is the even tougher task of bringing originality to the production without doing anything for the sake of it. In Sara Markland’s production a perfect balance of these challenges was achieved. Set in modern surroundings and sharing a visual overview with its partner show West Side Story, Verona was depicted as a very youthful and vibrant town, of which the audience was cleverly reminded throughout the performance. Whether through the free delivery of the Elizabethan text, the fantastic costuming or the plethora of musical variety in the score, it was clear that these star-crossed lovers were existing in a world very much akin to 2019. There were hints towards feminism, gender fluidity and a feeling that perhaps the youth of today are losing faith in what the ‘grown-ups’ are doing with our world.

Mason Robinson (Upper Sixth) and Juliette Willis (Lower Sixth) were an ideal match as Romeo and Juliet as they fed off each other’s energy with genuine ease. In Hamish Ford (Upper Sixth) the audience were given a Mercutio to remember: “a combination of the late Rick Mayall and Jonny Lee Miller” was how one audience member described it. His Queen Mab, in particular, was excellent in balancing comedy with genuine moments of fear and the addition of Hope Wishart’s (Upper Sixth) ghostly Prologue character - whose appearances on stage throughout the performance gave a different texture to the piece - towards the climax of the speech was extremely effective. Across the board there were performances of quality and the casting choices were spot on for this interpretation. Harry Drew (Upper Sixth) as a suitably fiery Tybalt and Jack Wills Popely (Fifth Form) as the gentle Benvolio added a lovely balance and both were very comfortable with the language.

It is not easy to play adult roles in any student production but, again, Markland was able to extract a genuine sense of the age gap from her cast. Katie Tuson (Upper Sixth) gave a superb performance as Nurse - delightfully supported by Shell student Alice Knight as Peta - with a real sense of care for her charge; Annie McMenemy (Lower Sixth) as a female Friar Laurence, with a definite Woodstock-vibe, was a calming influence and her timing with moments of pathos was first class. Thomas Creswell and Zara Ewen (both Upper Sixth) as the Capulets created a real sense of parental angst in their performances, whilst Tom Spurin (Upper Sixth) and Bella Shepard (Lower Sixth) mirrored this well as the Montagues. Scott Macken as Prince Escalus and Marcus Ostler-Holt (both Upper Sixth) as Paris were strong presences and provided the perfect contrast to the energetic and youthful atmosphere that dominated this production.

Perhaps the most exciting element of the performances throughout the week was the depth provided by the very large ensemble. At no stage did you feel they were out of character or making up the numbers, the direction here was spot on and allowed younger members of the company to be part of the storytelling. The movement sequences had the control worthy of Frantic Assembly or Complicite and there was a real sense that this group of young actors wanted to leave the audience with a message.

There are very few occasions in student-based theatre where you can pick out one or two elements that identify the production as it is, but this was one of those moments. What this company of actors did was deliver a powerful and moving rendition of one of the most told stories of all time with the clarity and understanding of a professional cast. One that will live long in Hurst Drama memory and a perfectly fitting way for the oldest Shakespeare Society in the country to open its wonderful new theatre.

Luke Gasper, Director of Drama

West Side Story

To begin with a cliché: from the moment we took our exceedingly comfortable seats in the New Bury Theatre, it was clear that this was not going to be just any night. There was a buzz in the air even out in the magnificent foyer and a tense feeling of something exciting was about to happen.

In the directors’ note, Neil Matthews and Luke Gasper quoted Leonard Bernstein’s recollection of peoples’ first reactions to the idea of West Side Story: “everyone told us that it was going to be an impossible project“ - and I confess now that there was many a similar mumbled conversation in the Drama Department when Luke first announced his grand plan. The first Senior School musical in the New Bury Theatre would be West Side Story, which would run during the same week, on alternate nights, alongside this year’s Shakespeare, appropriately and neatly, Romeo and Juliet.

Doubts and fears were masked in true Drama Department style by convincing grins of enthusiasm and encouragement - and anyway, we are Hurst Johnians, if there’s one thing we like, it’s a challenge! The Leavers’ Challenge, the DofE, House Shout, the Chapel service held at the top of a hill in a howling gale. We do challenges, and we do them well, with spirit and gusto. This was just on a slighter larger scale. Bring it on...

Fast forward to January, after months of rehearsals, sandwiched between various challenges, sporting fixtures and prep. Friday night arrives, and I am just another audience member. We gather in the foyer, making general chit-chat about how many members of the audience were still full of adrenaline from the previous night’s performance of West Side Story’s older cousin, Romeo and Juliet. There was a palpable sense of excitement and anticipation, almost imperceptibly infiltrated by the sudden brawly arrival of some tetchy Jets and the odd antsy Shark, as we were seamlessly manoeuvered into the auditorium.

At this point, maybe some of us were momentarily distracted as we settled into our plush warm seats and felt very spoilt to be watching our students/friends/offspring perform in such salubrious surroundings. As soon as the overture struck, we were bewitched and transported to NYC, and an impressive three-storey, beautifully-lit set worthy of any West End stage.

Two paragraphs in, and the curtain was still not raised, such is the stealth of good theatre, silkily capturing our senses, drawing us into another world without us even noticing. The thing that struck me most about this production was the sense of company. Year-after-year, the Senior School musical works this kind of magic, uniting the students and teachers across all the year groups and, suddenly, you see all these performers on stage together. Maybe for the first few rehearsals Shell students were a little nervous of the Sixth Formers, but gradually as the show took on a character of its own, nobody blinked when Ethan Walker (aged 14) from Remove swaggered on stage and chastised his ‘little sister’ Hattie Masters (aged 19) from the Upper Sixth for dancing with the enemy! This feeling of unity was noticeable throughout. It can be very easy for principal characters to be the focus in a large-scale musical, but my attention was grabbed by each and every one on stage, as they all had their own character and never let it slip. This was no mean feat with close to 50 actors in total. The ensemble were an excellent example of 'no small parts only small actors'.

At this point, I would like to mention the Orchestra. From their new position, truly in the depths of the pit, we are no longer so visually aware of our excellent musicians and the sorcerer Neil Matthews, who effortlessly - or so it seems - conjures up something magical. This visual lack of awareness has the effect of honing our other senses and the interpretation was a real treat - indeed, the musicality was a highlight for me.

The voices of Hattie Masters and Louis Dobbin combined exquisitely in their mature rendition of Tonight. It was not just our leads who showed incredible talent, the whole vocal standard was as impressive as any adult production of the show I have seen. I loved Cally Callaghan’s sassy, spirited Anita and in particular America - especially how the choreography emerged so naturally and seamlessly in all the musical numbers, showing off the skills of not only the notable dancers (special mention to Izzy Sheeran), but also of those who never thought they were dancers! The skill of an extremely talented choreographer, Amanda Schofield.

Other memorable moments included Angus Atkinson, who’s Riff was perfectly placed, setting the bar high right from the start. His command of the stage was exactly what was needed to pull everyone together. In fact, all the Sixth Form boys deserve huge credit for the kudos they brought to this production. Extra special mention to Milo Gardiner and James Pearson-Miles who, along with Tom Bettle, managed to find time to appear in both productions - and all whilst revising quietly in the background for their A-levels.

Sean Heaney definitely has a future in some dark TV detective role, as he gave an incredibly mature, low-key, and beautifully-underplayed performance as Schrank. The same applies to Georgia Ellis, who in my opinion, played one of the trickiest parts in the whole show, but was utterly convincing in her role as Anybody’s and who never came out of character – and I was watching her, a lot.

Tom Bettle’s performance of Officer Krupke had us all in stitches and almost stole the show for me. Yet another great example of the director cleverly dragging our focus back at just the right moment, so nobody sits in the limelight for too long, which would distract from the bigger picture and main message of the story. As is only right, it was the story which held the strongest presence. A tale - which transcends time - of forbidden love, of division, of immigration and gang warfare. You were left wondering who the real villains were and whether there is any such thing as a hero anymore.

Well yes, heroes actually do exist, and they are called Ollie and Steve - the true heroes of both major productions. In fact, I would almost suggest that they are our resident ‘Phantoms of the Opera’, virtually living in the theatre since way before the official opening, spending countless hours working into the night to have things ready in time for a crucial deadline.

Finally, for all its comic content, energetic and frenetic dance routines, raucous gang fights (credit due to fight director Andrew Young) and teenage angst, West Side Story is ultimately a love story. Beautifully told, and this version really was, but there was no happy ever after this time. Maybe next year - now there’s a challenge!
Helen Schlüter, Visiting Drama staff member

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