Harmonize students bring a classic musical up to date
The Harmonize students wowed us again this week with their fantastic end of term show, North West Side Story. Performed on 31st March in the King’s Hall Auditorium, the show was a modern re-telling of the classic musical, West Side Story. The original show was written by Stephen Sondheim and inspired by Romeo and Juliet. It was set in 1950s New York and told the story of Tony and Maria, two ill-fated lovers from rival teenage gangs. Emphasising how the issue of gang crime amongst youngsters still exists in today’s society, North West Side Story brought the tale into the 21st Century, setting it on the streets of Liverpool, where feuding gangs the Jets and the Sharks are locked in a constant battle for turf and respect.
With performances from both the full-time and part-time Harmonize students, the production gave the teens the opportunity to really showcase their multiple talents. It featured dynamic dance routines, beautiful singing and impressive rapping and was set to a soundtrack of popular R&B and Hip Hop music, including well known tracks such as Hallelujah and I Got Soul.
Highlights of the show included a vibrant ‘dance-off’ sequence, which demonstrated the youngsters’ skills in various styles of street dance, and a heartfelt rendition of Tonight sung by the two leads, which left the auditorium ringing with applause. The audience, which was made up of Lighthouse staff and members of the general public, were extremely impressed with the hour-long show and were full of praise for the youngsters. One audience member said,
“Not only are they talented, but they’ve got so much confidence too! I wish I was brave enough to get up on a stage and do that!”