“WHY do you kids live like there’s a war on?” is the despairing question of an older man in this Romeo and Juliet tale, and it’s sad that not much seems to have changed in the 60 years since West Side Story exploded into our consciousness.

The original production, conceived and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, electrified audiences with the raw energy of its dancing, combined with the powerful and often lyrical music of Leonard Bernstein.

Hats off, then, to DOS director and choreographer Joanne Hand, who has somehow taken a group of enthusiastic singers with little or no formal dance training and fashioned dance and movement which is evocative of the original while not being beyond her talented cast. They are confident in what they’re doing, and Joanne must be a hard taskmaster or they must love her very much to produce such performances.

I have to say that the acting leaves something to be desired; the gang members with one or two notable exceptions are lacking in intensity, with some of the Sharks owing more to Nemo than Jaws. The singing, as we’ve come to expect from DOS, is top-notch; principals Neil Harland and Rhiannon Walker, together with Karen Stone as a spirited Anita, really deliver the goods. As always, the ensemble piece is the stand-out performance of the evening; “Somewhere”, with solo by Aoiffe Ni Chaoilte, raised goose bumps and bought a lump to the throat.

Strictly Musicals Two coming in Autumn 2017 – I can’t wait!

Sue Heath