Talents shine in Flinders' musical, Westside Story

Flinders' musical, Westside Story, has won high praise in the College's 20th anniversary year.

Matthew Flinders Anglican College brought the Broadway classic to life at the Nambour Civic Centre from May 21-23.

As a school, Flinders has now established a reputation on the Sunshine Coast for producing musicals of a very high standard.  

Combining the talents of nearly 100 students on stage and in the orchestra, Westside Story exploded onto the stage with a four-performance season.

The roles of Maria and Tony were beautifully played by Lauren Lodge-Campbell and Charles Sells, pictured left, while Anita and Bernardo were brought to life by Aimee Liesegang, right, and Jack Huntley.

This  tale of "Romeo and Juliet" is transported to New York City in the 1950s in the now classic musical Westside Story. The two feuding families are replaced by brawling street gangs. The Montagues become the Anglo Jets, led by Riff, and the Capulets become the Puerto Rican Sharks, led by Bernardo.

At a dance, Tony, former leader of the Jets and Riff's best friend, and Maria, Bernardo's little sister, see each other across the room and it's love at first sight. With opposition from both sides, they meet secretly and their love grows deeper. However, the gangs are plotting one last rumble, a fight that will finally end the battle for control of the streets. Will Tony and Maria's love carry through a battle that threatens to destroy the people they love around them?

This year Flinders also welcomed to the production team Mr Brian Hewitt, who is the founding director of SCADA – Sunshine Coast Academy of Dance Arts (www.scada.org.au) - which operates from its base in Nambour.

After training at the Royal Ballet School in London, Brian embarked on a career that included both performing and teaching dance. Before coming to Nambour, Brian established the dance department at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), whose graduates include Hugh Jackman and our very own Old Flinderian, Patrice Tipoki.

Patrice Tipoki and Lachlan Buchanan - Flinders'
home-grown stars of stage and screen

Student review of Westside Story

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