Review-West Side Story at The Alex
West Side Story isn’t a comfortable arm chair read, it’s an emotive show that will have you on the edge of your seats!
The retelling of the classic Romeo and Juliet story is set in New York in the 50’s and the Jets and the Sharks are the two rival gangs, who want to be top dog. The story takes you on a journey of love, friendship, hate, prejudice, revenge and ultimately death. The story is as relevant today as it was written by Shakespeare 430 years ago to the updated version by Jerome Robbins and added music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sonheim. Their story is now over 70 years old and will continue to resonate with audiences for many more years as the music elevates and intensifies the emotional connection with audiences all over the world.
The cast, wow! Where do I start? What an amazing set of actors they all are, we were blown away by everyone’s performance on stage last night and there was a lot of them! How they all managed to get around the stage without bumping into each other was testament to all their clever and captivating choreography which was truly outstanding.
I’m going to give a shout out to the lead cast members and I’m going to start with Cree Henson who played Tony. He acted and danced the part with such emotional depth, sensitivity, passion and his singing is out of this world. He was amazing, I don’t think that I can add anymore adjectives to describe his performance as it was a master piece. Everyone in the west end of London might be talking about Jamie Muscato but trust me when I say that in the not too distant future they will be talking about Cree Henson. I will put money on him being in a Andrew Lloyd Webber production or indeed Broadway- I admit, I might have a bit of a crush!
Amelie Newton acted Maria with compassion, love and humility, she’s a little pocket rocket who absolutely belted out her songs but also showed vulnerability too. To do it all in a perfect Spanish accent was sensational, she owned the role and she owned the stage. She’s been part of Stage Experience since 2017 and she’s got a fantastic future ahead of her, another one to watch out for!
Hudson Mansour-Webbs acted Bernado with swagger, charm and his dancing skills were sublime, you can tell he has a ballet background as his choreography was excellent. This was his first show for Stage Experience and no doubt it won’t be his last.
Local lad Billy Stait acted the role of the hot headed Riff, best friend of Tony, Riff orchestrated the rumble with the sharks which he ultimately paid the price for. Billy acted with passion, excitement and a whole lot of energy which was infectious and the audience loved him! His dance skills were incredible and he commanded the stage with his presence and stage prowess.
The whole ensemble were outstanding and a lot of the cast were children, which was amazing as the show is so big with so much going on, they could of easily got lost on stage but everyone acted with maturity beyond their ages and with such ease.
This show is one of the best shows I’ve seen this year, everyone involved from stage, back stage, production, technical and of course the orchestra who took you on an emotional roller coaster through music were magnificent. My eyes leaked a little at the end!
Congratulations to Stage Experience and here’s to the next 20 years!
5 stars all the way!
Book your tickets HERE for a great night out! Showing until 16th August.
Review by Lisa Bayliss
With dazzling dance, mesmerising music and a sizzling storyline, get ready to see the stars of the future shine on stage.
Based on a conception of Jerome Robbins. Book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Entire original production directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Originally produced on Broadway by Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince, by arrangement with Roger L. Stevens.
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International. All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI
