Classic makes triumphant return to West End

History would have predicted West Side Story to be a dismal failure, upon its Broadway debut in 1957. An adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, its tragic ending was everything the public didn't want. Yet the sheer brilliance that shone through in the music and lyrics from Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim respectively rendered it irresistible to the public. They kept returning and it became a classic.

After a sell out run in 2008, this iconic production returns for what looks to be more of the same show-stopping stuff which left the West End reeling last time around. Director Joey McKneelys brings us a show with vitality to rival anything on the West End at the moment, which boasts genre defining songs such as Maria, Tonight and Somewhere. Jerome Robbins original choreography is lovingly and authentically recreated, to make for an unmissable example of a musical theatre classic.

What is West Side Story about?

Set in the upper-west-side neighbourhood of New York City in the mid 1950s, West Side Story tells the tale of the rivalry which exists between two youth gangs: The Jets and the Sharks. Originating from differing ethnic backgrounds, a bitter resentment of one another exists, so when Tony, of the Jets, falls in love with Maria, of the Sharks, they are well aware of the illicit nature of their affection. So strong are their feelings however that they defy territorial obligations and choose to weather the consequences?