10 reasons we can’t wait for West Side Story

Some musicals have a life that extends beyond their final curtain, and West Side Story is one of those: it’s been revived, reimagined and even adapted for the screen multiple times. With the news that a major new revival is coming to the National Theatre, what is it about this show that keeps us coming back? Here are 10 reasons we can’t wait to see this exciting new production.

A contemporary musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, West Side Story has been wowing audiences for decades. Both on stage and on screen, it’s one of those musicals that connects with everyone.

Originally conceived by Jerome Robbins, with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents, the original Tony-winning production opened to critical acclaim, and it’s been revived numerous times on the Great White Way. It’s gotten an even wider reach thanks to the iconic 1961 film and the more recent 2021 adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg.

The National Theatre announced earlier this year that they are staging a major new revival of the hit musical, which hasn’t been seen in the West End in over 20 years. Now that the musical is due to return to the London stage, audiences have a fresh opportunity to experience it live. Here are ten reasons to be excited about this new production:

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1. It hasn’t been in the West End in over 20 years

Despite the musical’s successes, it hasn’t been seen in the West End nearly as often as it’s been on Broadway. The last major West End staging was in 1998, first at the Prince Edward Theatre and later at the Prince of Wales Theatre, and closing in January 2000. Director and choreographer Joey McKneely staged a production at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 2013, but there hasn’t been a production since. This is an rare and exciting moment when a generation of theatregoers will have their first chance to see the show live.

2. The love story still moves audiences

In all it’s forms, Shakespeare’s story of doomed lovers from feuding households always leaves an impact. Similarly, though Tony and Maria’s romance is brief, intense, and ultimately doomed, you can’t help but root for them and hope that they’ll make it. Rooting the story in a setting that’s more contemporary and tangible makes that emotional hook even more impactful. Shakespeare’s plot is familiar, but the setting gives it new texture.

3. The Olivier stage offers a grand scale

West Side Story will play in the National Theatre’s largest venue: The Olivier. Built in the style of an amphitheatre, and seating a little over 1,100, the Olivier will allow the musical to present a more immersive setting, that keeps the audience closer to the action. The space will certainly allow a grander scale and we can’t wait to see how 1950s New York is brought to life on stage.

4. Robbins’s original choreography returns

The musical was originally conceived by award-winning director and choreographer Jerome Robbins, who also co-directed the 1961 film version. Dancing is an incredibly important element of the musical: rival gangs express their hatred, pride and fear through movement while famous dance sequences carry their own emotional weight. This new revival will feature Robbins’s original choreography, reproduced and adapted by Julio Monge. Monge also worked as an artistic consultant on Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film.

5. The show’s social themes are still just as relevant

Decades after its debut, the musical’s central themes of racism, fear, xenophobia, gang violence and class division are all still painfully relevant today. It doesn’t soften them, and shows the damage they can do. Much like Tony and Maria are shaped by the worlds they inhabit, so too are the The Jets and the Sharks impacted by their environments and how the world treats them, projecting their fears on one another. That tension is deeply familiar, and the broader themes certainly haven’t lessened with time.

6. The songs are considered some of the best among the Great American Songbook

In the canon of the most influential and enduring American popular songs, West Side Story always makes the cut. With songs like. ‘Maria,’ ‘America,’ ‘Cool’ and ‘Somewhere,’ composer Leonard Bernstein blends jazz, Latin rhythms, and operatic drama into a sophisticated score. Each song, while fitting into the whole, has its own distinct feel. Some are joyful, some defiant, some aching, but all remarkable. The more you listen, the more you hear.

7. The creative team has plenty of clout

This exciting new revival is co-directed by Marianne Elliott and Miranda Cromwell, who reunite following their Olivier- and Tony-winning revival of Death of a Salesman. Elliott’s past work also includes War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The creative team also includes award-winning set designer Miriam Buether, whose work includes Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Prima Facie and To Kill a Mockingbird, and Tony-nominated costume designer Nicky Gillibrand, who designed the costumes for Billy Elliot, Angels in America and more.

8. It’s an early example of Stephen Sondheim’s lyrical genius

Before West Side Story, Sondheim was a young writer with a lot to prove, and this was his breakout work. His lyrics here are sharp, playful, and sometimes bitter. Take ‘Gee, Officer Krupke’ as an example: it’s a comedic song that sees the Jets sing about their working class origins, turning their experiences into a joke, while indicting the very systems meant to help them. It’s funny and furious at once, and shows how a song can carry social commentary without losing its playful, jaunty energy.

9. Seeing West Side Story live is an entirely different experience

Even though both the 1961 and 2021 movies are cinematic masterpieces, West Side Story was built for the stage. It’s an incredibly physical and energetic show that can be difficult to fully experience on the screen. While the films may offer sweeping angles and close-ups, being so close to the action will be an unforgettable and much more visceral experience.

10. It still feels like it’s about us

Whether you’ve watched it a dozen times or are seeing it for the first time, part of the beauty of West Side Story is that it doesn’t offer a neat lesson, but lets the audience sit with the outcome. It’s hard to watch this show without thinking about our own lives, our own fears and insecurities, our own environments. Despite being written 70 years ago, the production invites us to see that the choices made on that stage are not so different from choices we make every day.

West Side Story

National Theatre - Olivier Theatre, London

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