INTERVIEW: Lavinia Byrne and Jane McBride

Lavinia Byrne and Jane McBride introduce their new Lent course, A Place For Us, based on the Steven Spielberg film version of the classic musical, West Side Story …

Why choose the title, A Place For Us?

A Place For Us is the title of one of the most memorable songs from the musical/movie West Side Story, with which this Lent book interacts. It evokes the idea of practically setting aside space during Lent, and also points towards the resurrection promise of the place that is prepared for all of us after death.

West Side Story is, of course, more than a love story – what themes do you tease out of it in your book for readers to explore?

West Side Story, like Romeo and Juliet on which it is based is, first and foremost, a love story. As with all human love stories, where there is love there are also other complicated emotions such as jealousy, betrayal, exclusion and inclusion, anger, and frustration. All of these emotions explode when Jets meet Sharks. They are also present in the Gospel stories around Holy Week when divine love and human interest collide.

How is the Lent course set out so that these themes can be explored?

There are different sections each week based on scenes from the movie, a Bible passage, reflections, questions for discussion, and a poem. The five sessions of the Lent book explore the themes of belonging, otherness and difference, the gift of love, the promise of a place for us, and the tragedy of betrayal.  These sessions may be followed individually or in a group.

Which character in West Side Story do you most identify with and why?

Lavinia: Valentina has an exceptional role to play in the story. For me she epitomises wisdom and experience, but also, tragically, realism. She is powerless to stop the violence around her.

Jane: I’m intrigued by the character of Anita. She is a figure of contrasts, a strong character with a great capacity for joy, who is also subject to the racism of the society in which she has to work, and the machismo of the man she loves. We see her dance and we see her mourn, we see her angry and we see her tender.

There is a lot of violence in West Side Story. How should we as Christians respond to or reconcile violence as portrayed in the musical and, indeed, in the world, with our faith?

There is a lot of violence everywhere you look in society today, as there was in the time when Jesus lived and died. We are obliged to live in this world, with all its violence and sadness. If our faith as Christians cannot engage with the world around us then we cannot bring a message of hope.

Phil Lane has written poems to embellish the book, how can poetry enrich our faith and our enjoyment of West Side Story?

The lyrics of West Side Story are, in themselves, extremely poetic. Setting them to music adds further punch. In the same way Phil’s poetic words bring an added dimension to our engagement with the themes of Lent.

Where can interested study groups and individuals get hold of a copy of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story to watch along with the book?

Wherever one would normally shop for a movie, via online streaming channels, or on DVD.

Lavinia Byrne is the author of many books including Woman at the Altar and The Journey is My Home. She has broadcast regularly as a Catholic contributor to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day and the Daily Service. Lavinia now lives in retirement in Wells, Somerset.

Jane McBride was born in Northern Ireland and now lives in Belgium. She is studying at Leuven University for a doctorate in feminist practical theology, telling the stories of missionary women religious.  Brought up in the Church of Ireland, Jane is now a member of the Episcopal Church.

A Place For Us: A Lent Course based on West Side Story is available now in paperback and as an eBook from dltbooks.com and all good bookstores.