Maybe it was the light breeze coming off the water, ruffling the performers’ hair just so. Maybe it was the brightness and hopeful promise of the orchestra as young Tony (Billy Bourchier) promised us that something was coming to change it all. Maybe it was the gentle spin of a disco ball, held aloft by a crane and slowly spilling new stars over the stage.
Or maybe it was just this: when Tony and Maria (Nina Korbe) locked eyes for the first time during the opening night of West Side Story at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, it felt like falling in love for the first time.