In the past three years, we’ve seen the likes of animals, Bohemians and witches gracing the stage in the North Hall of Cempaka Cheras. The quality of the productions improved vastly in every aspect with each coming year, though undoubtedly they were all spectacular in their own unique ways. We’ve seen theatrics, costumes and performances very rarely achieved by just any other school in Malaysia. Who could forget the time when a young lion cub grew up in exile only to reclaim his throne as king of the jungle in ‘Simba’, or when a young Bohemian rose to rebel against the virtual oppression of his world in ‘We Will Rock You’, or when a misunderstood witch dared to defy gravity in ‘Witches of Oz’? Though 2008 has come to an end, the memory of that year’s box office production is still fresh in the minds of the students who helped bring the story of forbidden lovers to life.

West Side Story was the school’s choice for its biggest production to date in conjunction with Cempaka’s 25th anniversary in 2008. Following the likes of its predecessors, West Side Story did not fail to dazzle the hearts and minds of a captivated audience, night after night. For those who are not familiar with West Side Story, think of it as a modern day Romeo and Juliet tale. Set in the west side of New York City in the late 1950’s, the story revolves around the romance between two young lovers from rival gangs. The Jets, Polish born Americans, are the modern day Montagues complete with their own Romeo, this one named Tony. The Sharks, Puerto Rican immigrants, play the part of the Capulets, with Juliet reborn as Maria. Both gangs harbour a thorough dislike of each other as they constantly battle to claim the streets as their own. This was clearly shown in the opening number ‘Prologue’, where the boys of Cempaka strutted their stuff and gave their meanest dance moves. The leaders of the two gangs - Bernardo from the Sharks (played by Abdul Muhaimin from the Cheras campus) and Riff from the Jets (played by Khalmayn Shamia, also from the Cheras campus) - get special mention for their outstanding performances in embodying their respective characters. Every night, without fail, someone in the audience would leave the hall praising Muhaimin’s ability to put on a most believable Puerto Rican accent and laughing at Khal’s on-stage cockiness that just made his character more loveable. I say amen to that!

Delving deeper into the story, we are introduced to the rest of the principal cast and learn what roles they play in the tale yet to unfold. There were of course the star-crossed lovers, Tony and Maria were played brilliantly by Leon Ang and Claudillea Holloway respectively. And who could forget the sassy Anita, Bernardo’s girlfriend, played by a very talented Annatasha Saifol, who was very much in her element. We even had Mr Alphonsus, a teacher from Cheras, playing Lieutenant Schrank. In a nutshell, Tony and Maria meet at a dance and it’s love at first sight but they are kept apart by the rivalry of each other’s kind. Their meeting sparks a series of events, all of which do not end well. The tale of two lovers ends tragically with Tony’s death. I cannot speak for you, dear reader but let’s just say the rubbish bins of Cempaka Cheras were always full of tear-soaked napkins at the end of each performance.

Having participated in West Side Story myself, I may just be a little bit biased when I say that it was the most amazing show I have ever seen any school put up. And that is as it should be, judging by all the grueling rehearsals the cast have had to go through. From speech lessons to vocal training to dance practices, we were completely wrung out at the end of each day but jubilation, the end result made everything worthwhile. I will never forget Ms Judi’s intensive warm-ups that usually left most of us panting, or that rush of euphoria when I was first handed my costume, or the lovely fluttery feeling in my stomach listening to the audience filing into the hall before a performance. These are memories I will take to my grave.

Now, two months after the last performance of Cempaka’s West Side Story, people still talk about it, still reminisce of the good times we had, still remember the new friends we made and still quote the most ridiculous lines they had, like ‘no thank you, oo, ooblee-ooh’ (unfortunately, I do believe I’m the only one still doing that). West Side Story was not just a production; it was an experience of a lifetime. It brought a large group of lucky Cempakans together and made us all a family working towards one goal: to make the audience happy (or in our tragic story case, devastated) and have the time of our lives. So thank you to all the CPAC teachers who managed to take a bunch of normal school children under their wings and transform them into Jets, Sharks, Jet Girls, Shark Girls, various other characters, magnificent orchestra members, highly creative production crew members and professional stage crew members. And of course, thank you to all the students I’ve been so lucky to work with, from my fellow Jet Girls right down to the stage crew who thankfully kept us all in check backstage.

You, dear reader, should not have missed out on West Side Story, but in the unlikely event that you did, never fear. 2009 is sure to see another amazing production from Cempaka. Till then, we will all continue snapping our fingers as we walk down the school corridor and we will all continue humming the catchiest songs from WSS. Most of all, we will all continue looking back at fond memories and smiling like a Cheshire cat.