Northside prison musical plans plunged into drama

PLANS to stage a production of West Side Story in front of a paying audience n Mountjoy Prison have received mixed reviews from politicians and the Prison Officers Association. The Government has responded to the critics by withdrawing tickets and promising a review of sales to date.

Rehearsals begin next week on Bernstein's classic, which transfers the plot of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the street-gang culture of 1950s New York.

It is a heartening and Department of Justice-friendly tale of two young lovers trying to escape a life of crime and violence. But the Progressive Democrats, responding to criticisms from the POA, warned the Dail last night that the project could become another exercise in escapism.

"How will prison officers be sure that the crowd they let in at the start of the night will be the crowd who walk out at the end?" the party's spokeswoman on justice, Ms Liz O'Donnell, asked.

In the musical, the starcrossed lovers get caught in the tribal enmity between the Jets and the Sharks, and the PDs are also concerned that a few sharks could turn up in the audience. "How will the authorities ensure that the drugs crisis in the prison is not further exacerbated by the event?" Ms O'Donnell continued.

Both prisoners and professional actors will take part in the production which features a string of hit songs, including Tonight, I Feel Pretty and the poignant Somewhere.

But, say the PDs, "this is a crazy plan . . . Over the summer, three prisoners escaped from Mountjoy. Surely efforts should be going into improving security in the prison, rather than allowing members of the public into the precinct on production of a ticket?"

But even though the Government has agreed to a review, Mountjoy's governor, Mr John Lonergan, rejects suggestions of a security threat. The venue is an exercise yard, not any of the buildings, he says. The prison can refuse admission to undesirables, and there will be tight security for the projected week-long run.

"People won't be strip-searched or anything like that, no more than visitors to the prison in the normal way. But they will be screened and there'll be no contact between the prisoners and the audience."

Bouquets thrown on the stage afterwards may be regarded with suspicion, he concedes.

West Side Story is due to open on November 18th.