WEST SIDE STORY - THEATRE REVIEW

WEST SIDE STORY AT THE BIRMINGHAM NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE

Theatre Run: Tuesday 01 - Saturday 19 April 2014
Performance Reviewed: Wednesday 02 April 2014 (Gala Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Few musical productions come with as great a repute and standing as West Side Story. With a cavalcade of plaudits and gongs to its name, from Tony’s and Grammy’s through to a staggering 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture (being one of the most awarded movies of all time), to it repeatedly heading up any number of ‘greatest musicals of all time’ lists and polls (including the Number 1 spot in our 2012 countdown of The Greatest Movie Musicals), there is no doubting the prestige, clout and indeed, love, that has become synonymous with the name. As such, any revival or touring production is accepting a heavy mantle of responsibility to do such a fabled piece of musical theatre justice, and it is with a heady swell of both pride and relief that one can safely say that this current touring production of West Side Story, arriving at the Birmingham New Alexandra this week, does a somewhat exceptional job of doing precisely that.

WEST SIDE STORY - THEATRE PREVIEW

‘SOMETHING’S COMING’ AND IT’S GOING TO BE BIG AS ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ COMES TO THE MIDLANDS!

Birmingham gets ready for a Manhattan musical makeover as one of the most celebrated musicals of all time takes to the stage at the City’s New Alexandra Theatre next month.

Dates: Tuesday 01 - Saturday 19 April 2014

Preview by Kyle Pedley

Birmingham and the Midlands are in for a veritable musical theatre extravaganza next week as BB Promotion and ATG’s highly acclaimed revival tour of West Side Story takes residence at the New Alexandra Theatre for a three week run commencing Tuesday 1st April.

West Side Story changed the course of musical theatre when it opened on Broadway in 1957 and it remains one of the most successful stage shows of all time. The 1961 film adaptation went on to win a staggering 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, with only 3 other films in history surpassing this. In 2012, I myself selected the film adaptation as Number 1 on my countdown of The Top 20 Movie Musicals Of All Time. 

THE 20 GREATEST MOVIE MUSICALS - DAY 5 (NUMBER 1)

DAY 5: Greatest Movie Musical Number 1

Over the past fortnight I have counted down the top 20 greatest movie musicals of all time, from celebrated classics such as The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz through to more controversial choices such as South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. But for all the also-rans, it has led to this final entry; the cream of the all-singing, all-dancing crop, the greatest movie musical of all time...

1:   West Side Story

Director: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise

Year: 1961

Starring: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris

Selecting pole position in this series was not an easy thing to do - going solely on personal preference would have perhaps sidled Beauty and the Beast or Moulin Rouge to the top spot, but every time I was tempted to do so it sat ill to have West Side Story anywhere but here and there are almost countless reasons for why it has naturally segued into pole position. As an adaptation of the original broadway musical which in itself was an inspired and updated retelling of the atypical Romeo and Juliet architecture, West Side Story follows the frictions between rival gangs The Sharks and The Jets in 1950’s New York, and a doomed romance that develops amidst the feud. It is reliably accessible narrative fare, yet one that anchors the film and serves as the perfect nexus around which the exceptional cast, the superlative soundtrack and visual splendour and imaginings flourish, with a rich americano-puerto rican flavouring to proceedings throughout. And whilst many have parodied the choice of marrying streetgang warfare with song and dance choreography, the execution is so consistently flawless and all involved perform with such conviction that little suspension of disbelief is required and the drama, tension and threat remain tangible and convincing throughout.