Guise magazine writes an precise review about the production focused mainly on the costumes of the show which rates as the most noticeable part of the show. Described as "vibrant" and "brash", they are stated as an ideal example which could never be worn in real life but at the same accured to the historical period and the romantic them of the story.
The magazine also focuses on the great opposition of colors and styles between the two gangs:
The magazine also focuses on the great opposition of colors and styles between the two gangs:
"Costume Designer Renate Schmitzer (read an interview with her here) uses colour to convey the rift between rival gangs the 'Sharks' (Puerto Rican immigrants) and the 'Jets' (white Americans). 'PR's' - don a kaleidoscope of colour, wildly clashing outfits of reds, oranges, purples and pinks, wearing their 'otherness' for all to see. The men wear chinos and matching blazers in a range of colours while the women wear flamboyant dresses of layered tulle and taffeta that stop just above the knee and flare dangerously as the dancers dip and spin in a flurry of colour across the stage.
The 'jets' wear blue jeans - a symbol of their 'all-American' breeding and cream baseball jackets and caps, contrasting dramatically with their Puerto-Rican counterparts on stage. Other costume choices include beige / cream chinos and shirts and orange ties for the 'jets', referencing army-issue style US uniform."
The 'jets' wear blue jeans - a symbol of their 'all-American' breeding and cream baseball jackets and caps, contrasting dramatically with their Puerto-Rican counterparts on stage. Other costume choices include beige / cream chinos and shirts and orange ties for the 'jets', referencing army-issue style US uniform."
The only critism of the review concerns the lenght of the skirts and the short of the american girls in one of the scenes. I couldn't find any images of that scene from the latest UK tour but I found one from the production in 2008. Pressumably, the creative team decided to keep the approach for this scene.
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| image from West side story |
These costumes could be considered as a failure to achieve a historical accuracy but at the same time they could be define as contemporary notes refering to the rebelious teenagers nowadays.
On the other hand The Guardian focus their review mostly on the choreography and they way it applies classic dance form such as ballet keeping the spirit of the original movements of the production.
"The strength of this particular revival lies in the dancing. Joey McKneely seems content to reproduce Robbins's original choreography as faithfully as possible: the dream-sequence ballet is particularly well done with the idealised, white-uniformed Jets and Sharks shifting in a second from Balanchine-like beauty to knife-wielding brutality."
The York press also adds some interesting comments about the costumes:
"Renate Schmitzer's costume designs are first class too, especially the palette of colours for the Sharks, and the effect of placing lovers Tony and Maria in white is to make them stand out even more from those around them."
"The strength of this particular revival lies in the dancing. Joey McKneely seems content to reproduce Robbins's original choreography as faithfully as possible: the dream-sequence ballet is particularly well done with the idealised, white-uniformed Jets and Sharks shifting in a second from Balanchine-like beauty to knife-wielding brutality."
The York press also adds some interesting comments about the costumes:
"Renate Schmitzer's costume designs are first class too, especially the palette of colours for the Sharks, and the effect of placing lovers Tony and Maria in white is to make them stand out even more from those around them."
The white colors used for the main characters can also act as a symbol of their innocence.
References:
http://www.guisemagazine.com/theatre/west-side-story-sadler-s-wells/
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/aug/09/west-side-story-billington-review
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/theatre/11238225.review__west_side_story__leeds_grand_theatre/
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