Opera North - Trouble in Tahiti / Symphonic Dances

Berstein has always been a favourite, especially West Side Story, and this did not disappoint. At all.

The night began with the opera, composed by Bernstein, ‘Trouble in Tahiti’. Following the story of a married man and woman, it shows the troubles of married life and the possibilities of growing apart, falling out of love and affairs. The man, Sam, played by the amazing Quirijn de Lang, was debonair and hardworking, whilst ignoring his wife and her needs. The wife, Dinah, played by the phenomenal Sandra Piques Eddy, is a suffering, stay-at-home wife and mother, who wants the joy of the beginning of love back. She wants it to be like how it is in the movies. Simple, easy and ever-lasting. The story shows how real life and love is none of those things.

Despite having a love of Bernstein, I had never seen, or heard any music from, ‘Trouble in Tahiti’, but was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The trio, played by Laura Kelly-McInroy, Joseph Shovelton, and Nicholas Butterfield, respectively, provided the performance with that extra spark of something special, by underscoring the couples’ life with their joyful singing, which beautifully juxtaposed the tension of the married couple. The couples’ son, Junior, who is forgotten in the chaos of trying to sort themselves out (which is shown through Sam and Dinah missing his school play) was played by the ever-present (and adorable) Issac Sarsfield. He was always there, but never said anything, highlighting the strain that his parents' crumbling relationship had on him. It was beautiful, raw and real and, despite being set in the 50’s, still resonates with audiences today.

After the interval, we were treated to ‘Halfway and Beyond’, a spoken word piece, spoken by Khadijah Ibrahiim. The dancers of the Phoenix Dance Theatre danced to spoken word, never missing a beat and expressing the words through their movements. It made the words come alive. It was absolutely mesmerising.

Then came the ‘West Side Story Symphonic Dances’. One word: wow. With being familiar with the style of Jerome Robbins, and both the film and stage versions of West Side Story, it was nice to see a different element of the West Side Story score and story. The symphonic dances, being composed of different sections of music from the hit musical, provides a sense of familiar and brand new, at the same time. I was blown away. The clever use of set and different pairings of dancers throughout the piece made me entranced. I seriously could not look away. I was honestly close to tears by the end, it was that beautiful. Each and every dancer was phenomenal and brought their own flair to the movement and story being told, with the lifts and synchronised sections looking effortless for them. Choreographer, Dane Hurst, is a genius, using his dancer’s strengths to create a stunning effect on the audience.

The pairing of ‘Trouble in Tahiti’ and the ‘West Side Story Symphonic Dances’ show conflict and the pains it brings effortlessly and beautifully. I would highly recommend this, even for those who don’t think it is ‘their thing’. I think, like me, you would love it.

WE SCORE OPERA NORTH - 10/10