Clare casting flavour for West Side Story

Two Clare talents will be making their debut with the Cecilian Musical Society this week as they take to the Lime Tree Theatre stage in leading roles in the society’s big annual production, West Side Story.
Shannon’s Orla Walsh takes on the part of Anita, while Sixmilebridge man Derek McMahon plays Bernardo in the Cecilians’ production of West Side Story.
The Cecilian Musical Society will presents West Side Story at the Lime Tree Theatre in Limerick this Wednesday night for a four night run bringing a little bit of New York to the Mid-West.
It has been 19 years since the Cecilian’s have staged West Side Story and Paul Donnellan, treasurer of the society, explains why this year sees its return.
“The last time we did it was in 1993 and that’s the only time we’ve done it. It is a very difficult show to put on because it involves a huge amount of male singers and dancers. This year, I’ve never seen so many guys involved with the society so it’s a fantastic opportunity to do it. In addition, The Lime Tree Theatre is a fabulous venue and the fact that it has a proscenium arch and that it is a purpose-built theatre for stage production makes it a lot easier to put it on,” Paul said.
Also featuring the voices of Jean Wallace and Nigel Dugdale as Maria and Tony, Michael O’Dwyer as Riff, and Jared Nadin as Action, the production is directed by Des Henn and choreographed by Barbara Meany.
West Side Story is the winner of 10 Academy Awards and shows how love transcends language, time and place.
While Manhattan’s west side rumbles with the clash of Jets and Sharks, Maria and Tony seek “a somewhere” where their romance can thrive. In their revolutionary work that changed the course of the American musical, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents bring their award-winning genius to the story of star-crossed lovers caught in a turf war of rival ethnic gangs.
Musical direction for this production is being provided by Noel Lennon with costume design by Jacinta Florish and the Celician’s have just welcomed Tom Enright on board as production manager with Ray Burke returning as stage manager.
While their most vivid memories of West Side Story are related to the film version, director Des Henn noted that Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins originally conceived the piece in an abstract locale.
“The setting should feel urban, New York-like, without New York specifics, because so much of the musical is explored through explosive dance and movement,” Mr Henn said.
The Grammy-winning score includes well-known songs, Something’s Coming, Maria, America, Somewhere, Tonight, I Feel Pretty, Jet Song, and Cool.
The show runs from Wednesday, November 28 until Saturday December 1 and full details as well as booking information can be obtained by calling 061 774774 or visit www.limetreetheatre.ie.