Vintage

West Side Story 1970 - Directed by John Fowler

Tony - Tom Tompsett
Maria - Anne Luker

Bernardo - Alan Farmer

Anita - Lutena Meller
Riff - Malcolm Sutcliffe

Schrank - Brian Head

West Side Story 1970. One of our veteran members from the 1970s has updated this page with his thoughts and reminiscences.

"1970 was a big year for me. I entered the exciting world of amateur dramatics for the first time. It started with the dramatic arrival home of my wife Maggie. " Guess what!  I've got a part in West Side Story"! " The London show"? I said, "No, you fool, the HAODS at the Kenton Theatre. I'm one of the Shark 's girls and they want more men" !

I cringed, how could I get out of this one? "Darling, they don't want people who can't act, can't sing and certainly can't dance" I said triumphantly . "Don't be silly " she said " you'll be perfect"!

And I was!  There were about 10 of us, all nervous, all trying to gently ease ourselves to the back so we wouldn't be noticed. Nobody professed to be able to act, sing or dance and I thought this is going to be a disaster!

It wasn't. The head guy ,name of John Fowler, was  a rock. He had so much confidence in us that we started to believe it. Jo Pontin, a brilliant pianist, (ever tried to play this score?) was like a mother to us all. We loved her!  She got us all through the bad times,and we had plenty of those.

Weeks passed and a miracle stared to happen, we began to meld  together as a gang! I was one of the Jets, with Malcolm Sutcliffe as the leader and I remember Jeremy Newton as one of the gang. Although I can remember their faces I cannot remember the names of the other members of the gang. We started to work together outside the theatre trying to sharpen up the dialogue and if we were honest, to impress John.

We worked in small groups, concentrating on our own parts in the big scene so it was a big shock when for the first time we all came together for a first run through and we started to realise we were sharing the stage with extremely talented people.

To hear Tom Tompset sing "Maria" brought tears to our eyes, To hear Anne Luker sing was like listening to an angel. To see Lutena Meller as Anita with the beautiful  Shark girls ( one of them my wife, five months pregnant but not showing) dancing " I like to be in America"  made the whole thing real. We had a show!

The opening night went like a dream and we all felt we were improving  as the week progressed. There had been many calls for an encore for Officer Krupkie but John Fowler insisted that there would be no encores as he did not want the mood we had created to be lost. He gave in  however on the last night and the audience  went mad. They would not let us off the stage and I felt so proud.

I cannot remember the details but we were later asked to perform Officer Krupkie again for the Annual Noda awards with the best bits from other societies. I think we won a prize but the memory fades. All I know  is I will never forget my first show."

Ken Beedell