West Side Story at the New Alexandra Theatre Birmingham Review

Reviewed by Catherine Brown

Stage Experience is in its 14th year at the New Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham. Over 100 young actors and technicians have worked together for only 2 weeks to put on an impressive performance of ‘West Side Story’. While it was obvious the cast were young, the quality was amazing and it was unbelievable that this was created in such a short time scale.

The Midlands theatre is easily accessible by car or train and has plenty of parking nearby. We were welcomed into the bar before the show, which is a lovely room to relax with a drink or snacks listening to a talented pianist. It was possible to pre-order drinks for the interval using a handy phone app and there was only a short queue for the toilets.

The show is set in New York where rival street gangs Jets and Sharks are embroiled in a bitter turf war. Co-founder of the Jets Riff wants his friend and previous gang member Tony (Elliot Gooch) to return to the group, so takes him along to a local dance. Maria, played superbly by Grace Whyte, is the sister of the Sharks leader Bernardo. Despite being rivals, when she meets Tony they become involved in a modern-day Romeo and Juliet love story.

The gangs have arranged a rumble which Maria pleads with Tony to put a stop to. However, things go disastrously wrong for enemies Riff and Bernardo. This triggers a series of events which impact on the forbidden lovers.

The show is directed and choreographed by Polly Ann Tanner, who uses the Jerome Robins original choreography. The voices of the lead roles were all strong; I particularly enjoyed Maria’s innocence singing ‘I feel pretty’ and the energy from her friend Anita in ‘America’. Comedy moments broke the tension of the serious themes and the complex Latin American themed dances gave no indication that the group had only been working together for such a short time.

I found the show captivating from start to finish and the quality of the performances, both acting and musically was excellent. Stage experience is a fantastic opportunity for young people from the area to get a taste of what being in a professional production is like. I would give this entertaining show a 4 out of 5 rating.

Rating: 4/5

Tickets cost from £16.90 to £26.90 (plus £4 transaction fee).

West Side Story the New Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham from 23-26 August 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/birmingham or call the box office on 0844 871 3011.

New Alexandra Theatre, Suffolk Queensway, Birmingham, West Midlands, B5 4DS