West Side Story (Tour – Birmingham)

Broadway’s most famous love story, West Side Story, makes its way to Birmingham’s New Alexandra Theatre this week for a spring engagement. Bringing Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein across the pond with classic songs "Tonight", "Maria", "I Feel Pretty" and "America", this is American musical theatre at its highest standard.

Based on Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the story follows Tony and Maria, a pair of lovers from rival gangs on the mean streets of New York. Puerto Rican Maria (Charlotte Baptie) is forbidden by her family from dating American Tony (Louis Maskell), whose family also rival that of the Puerto Rican’s.

With choreography and direction from Jerome Robbins and Joey McKneely, this production is super sleek in its dance movements (which Paul Gallis‘ simple set design allows), ensuring West Side Story is as relevant today as it always has been. The extremely strong dance ensemble carry out their choreography to perfection.

The extended orchestra, lead by Ben Van Tienen, fill the auditorium with rich and sublime orchestrations that can only be attributed to Bernstein’s tremendous creativity. His music, along with Sondheim’s lyrics, firmly cements West Side Story as one of the greatest musicals of all time.

Maskell’s "Maria" is note perfect; loving and romantic but equally masculine and touching. His Tony is likeable and his relationship with understudy Baptie as Maria is mesmerising. Their duet "Tonight" is a true account of admiration.

This is a five star production of a five star musical if ever there was one. West Side Story is one the most slick productions of recent years. A certain highlight of the New Alexandra Theatre’s calendar this year.

West Side Story plays at the New Alexandra Theatre until April 19.