Life might be hard in the street gangs of New York City, but surely not as tough as joining the Jets bootcamp for West Side Story.
The Jets, one of the warring gangs in Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's classic musical, have finished their first week of rehearsals for the upcoming Opera Australia production, staged beside Sydney Harbour.
It's musical theatre bootcamp for the 16 Jets members and so far rehearsals have been ... sweaty, assistant director and choreographer Brendan Yeates told AAP.
They need a head start as they must learn vastly more material than the rest of the company, he explains, and they have already run through much of the choreography for hits such as America, Tonight, Maria, and I Feel Pretty.
The West Side Story ensemble performers must also build their stamina to perform on the massive Handa Opera harbourside stage, which is almost two-and-a-half times larger than any indoor stage in Australia.
"Right now their cardiovascular endurance is increasing, but it's going to take another step up when we hit that stage and I have full trust this team will absolutely kill it," said Yeates.
While Yeates has worked on three previous productions of West Side Story, the challenge of the outdoor shows drew him back for another go.
The sheer size of the stage means that where performers might usually stride into position, in this production they have to run, he said.
West Side Story was the first musical staged in Opera Australia's Handa Opera series in 2019, selling a record 65,000 tickets in a success the company hopes to repeat.
Yeates and revival choreographer Kiira Schmidt Carper are both seasoned ensemble performers, and agree that while the ensemble may not attract the accolades of principal singers, it is the mainstay of the production.
"It is well known and accepted that an ensemble is the backbone of a show, and nowhere is this truer than in West Side Story," said Schmidt Carper.
The musical became a hit on Broadway in 1957, having given ensemble performers new freedoms to interpret their roles, and the show's dance sequences became some of the most iconic in the musical theatre canon.
Its repertoire is also some of the most difficult to master: Schmidt Carper's job is to teach the Australian cast Jerome Robbins' original choreography, expanded to fit the harbourside stage.
One of the hardest numbers for male ensemble dancers, explained Yeates, is the song Cool - it's a combination of intense cardio, singing, and flexing muscles throughout to express their frustration.
"It's like they're lifting weights with their bodies the entire time, but their weights are their own muscles working against themselves," he said.
Performer Luke Jarvis was a Jet in Opera Australia's 2019 production, and has rejoined the gang in 2024 as the character Action, finding himself once again in what he describes as the potent pool of creative energy that is an ensemble.
He explains that the dynamic between the Sharks and the Jets is what delineates the contrast between the main characters, Tony and Maria, and ultimately leads the two lovers to realise how similar they really are.
The serendipitous combination of choreography and music in telling this tale is what keeps West Side Story exciting, he said.
"It's why I keep coming back, because it's just a genius show, it's really very good."
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour West Side Story runs from March 22 to April 21.
