This isn’t a sponsored post.
BrumHour saw West Side Story at the invite of The Alexandra.
By Dave Massey x.com/BrumHour
This production contains inferred violence and inferred sexual assult.
West Side Story: Stage Experience at The Alexandra: Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐A bold, energetic production
Directed by Pollyann Tanner, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents
Set in Manhattan, New York in the 1950s, West Side Story is an iconic musical retelling of Romeo and Juliet, Tony (Cree Henson) falls for Maria (Amelie Newton) but she is from the family of a rival gang. And a rumble is set to happen between the rival gangs of the Jets and the Sharks.
This is the 20th anniversary of Stage Experience at The Alexandra, and this bold, brash, and quite dark production is a fantastic choice. There are huge dance numbers, intimate momentsm and plenty of story to fill the two hours and thirty minutes.
The sets are flexible and a mixture of classic set design and industrial metal. The costumes are fun and really lean into the “Sunday best” outfits of the times.
Amelie Newton is excellent as Maria, as is Heaven Okah as Anita, both vulnerable and strong. Cree Henson is a great leading man, easily owning the stage all by himself. Accents are pretty reasonable. It is clear that the performers have based their accents on actual voices.
The songs are fantastic and elevate the production to a different level, Maria, America, I Feel Pretty, and Somewhere, really stand the show out.
Teething issues meant the audience could hear the stage directions at quieter moments over backstage speakers/headphones, but apart from that, it all seemed to run really well.
A bold, energetic production, West Side Story is at The Alexandra until 16th August 2025. Book tickets here: atgtickets.com/shows/stage-experience-presents-west-side-story/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham.
