Local High School takes on Broadway classic

A truly beautiful production by Carolina Forest High School, West Side Story was exquisite and emotional in its entirety. The set design, scene changes and sound were perfectly blended at ease to the eyes and ears, which kept the audience engaged and not looking down at their cell phones wondering when the show would be over.

Instead, the flow was at a pace that allowed people to sing the familiar songs and cry at the emotion behind the movement of the piece, and the ending made it a a heartfelt tearjerker.

Maria, played by Bailey Strawn, delivered her dialect with poise and care. She also sang phenomenally: hitting every note, not missing a beat and never off pitch. She connected well with Tony amongst the other characters on stage. She paid strong attention to moving with her given beats to Maria’s objectives within the whole show. Her emotion was shown, and the audience easily connected with her.

Tony, played by Chattan Johnson, had a phenomenal stage presence, and it was unreal how well he sang. His vocal range is out of the park. He hit every note perfectly and managed to still have the connectivity to his counterpart, Strawn. Both of them, together, created a strong force that filled the entire room.

The other main leads of Anita, played by Kenley Juback; Riff, played by Noah Kessler; and Bernardo played by Alberto Gomez; did a great job on their delivery techniques and voices.

The show in its entirety was wonderful.