Despite being a ‘seasoned’ screen veteran at just 19, music student Dominic Applewhite tells Katherine MacAlister how directing West Side Story is anything but straightforward

Considering Dominic Applewhite has already starred in The King’s Speech, Les Miserables and The In Betweeners, you’d think that putting on a student production would be a doddle.

However, the Oxford University music scholar is finding it a real challenge, while loving every moment of directing classic musical West Side Story.

He admits that it’s still a mammoth undertaking, and perhaps one he underestimated when bidding for the week-long residency at Oxford Playhouse.

You will be able to see the results for yourself from Wednesday, when the famous American 1950s show rolls on stage complete with an all-singing, all-dancing cast to recount the classic tale of deadly gang rivalry in New York.

So why West Side Story? “It is my favourite musical and I’ve always wanted to direct it,” Dom says, “so I aim to avoid a cliched reinterpretation and instead aim to make it come alive and get to the heart of the characters rather than just recreating tired old stereotypes.

“I don’t want any thin 2D characters, so we’ve concentrated on that and made the characters as relatable as possible, especially the women.”

Aged only 19 it’s a tall order, but Dom is confident he will “uncover the depths of this musical and freshen it up a bit. I hope it’s something very special.”

The New College student hails from a grammar school in Aylesbury. Enrolling in the Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe, which has its own agency, Dom was quickly cast in The King’s Speech as Valentine Logue, the son of King George VI’s speech therapist, Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush. This was followed closely by playing a revolutionary in Les Mis, “lots of guns and fighting,” which finished filming a week before Dom’s A-levels, although judging by his current education it didn’t seem to do him any harm. He has also played Andrew Cooper, the brother of Simon Cooper, through-out hit TV series The Inbetweeners.

Now concentrating on film and theatre directing Dom intends to pursue his acting career when he leaves Oxford, but in the meantime is exploiting the rich seam of artistic talent found here in Oxford. “The Oxford drama scene is very alive, with endless talent, innovative minds and a real exciting buzz to it. I am really enjoying getting so involved, although it is a bit like being plunged into a big sea. But then I have always been a hard worker and this has been a really satisfying collaborative process and experience.”

Whether he’ll do anything on this scale again remains to be seen: “West Side Story has rather taken over my life, and while I’m really enjoying it I don't think I’ll do anything as big as this again while I’m a student. I think I’d better study a bit harder instead.”

SEE IT
West Side Story opens at Oxford Playhouse from Wednesday, February 4, until Saturday, February 7. Call 01865 305305 or see oxfordplayhouse.com

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