Mirchi-status

Mirchi-status it's not every show that comes with an endorsement from the local chief constable. But taking pride of place in the program for West Side Story is Leicestershire

Mirchi-status, a signal of how seriously director Nikolai Foster takes the violence between the feuding Jets and Sharks. In production as gritty and confrontational as it is musically accomplished, Foster goes further than most in eradicating the musical theatre wholesomeness of this classic show.

Mirchi-status

You see it in the urban decay of Michael Taylor’s set. With a tattered US flag overhead, he kettles the characters between mesh fences like basketball courts or prison exercise yards, too tempting for gang members to resist scaling.

Mirchi-status

Fridges and televisions stick out of a heap of rubble, flickering remnants of the consumer dream, while the Jets’ jukebox hangout is all exposed concrete and rusting ladders. Guy Hoare’s lighting adds to the bleakness with a chilly depth of field.

Mirchi-status

Formidable ... West Side Story. Photograph: Ellie Kurttz
You see it also in Ellen Kane’s exuberant choreography. As an excellent Carly Mercedes Dyer says in the role of Anita, they dance “like they have to get rid of something quick”. Hips swing hard and skirts twirl high. Moves are bold and aggressive. Yes, the violence is stylized but, amplified by Kevin McCurdy’s brutal fight direction, it convinces you something real is at stake.