West Side Story: 50 years on stage

If you watch the news you probably feel like there are enough stories of knife crime and gang violence going around south London already. When the drama of two warring urban tribes comes to Wimbledon, you might be tempted to give it a miss. But then you'd be skipping out on the 50th anniversary revival production of a lauded song and dance spectacle that's already sold out in Tokyo, Paris and Beijing.

Racism, two fatal stabbings, a rape, suicide threat and a gun fatality are not the usual plot devices of the frothy, often frivolous medium of musical theatre, so when West Side Story opened on Broadway in 1957 it caused a sensation. It won two Tony Awards before coming to London the following year, and the movie release in 1961 broke all box office records. The film went on to win a rather impressive ten Oscars.

"The overall look of the production - sets, costumes, lighting - is meant to take the audience to a timeless era, one that is not a dated remake of the 1950s," says Joey McKneely, responsible for direction and choreography on the current world tour. As one-time solo dancer and assistant to Jerome Robbins - the director and choreographer of the original production - he has made subtle changes in the revival that dissolve the barrier between the story's sepia setting and the reality of modern day.

"I've chosen to go as high energy and youth oriented as possible," he explains, "to really create an atmosphere in which the violence of the youth is able to take the journey of racism and hate into a very natural, realistic place. This has been my goal - for the audience to feel the emotion of the piece. The rest is original: music, lyrics, book and of course the amazing Jerome Robbins choreography."

A five-week run at Sadler's Wells was met with critical acclaim. "London has been quite receptive to our show," McKneely says.

"It's really wonderful that people get what we're doing. It's so great to see that West Side Story still has that power, that it still can relate to an audience and society. Knife gang fights are still happening - it's remarkable that we are still dealing with this subject matter 50 years later."

Revealing the story's inherently raw, almost hormonal teen angst, rather than the Hollywood version that most of us know, has been McKneely's intention. "There were censors in the 50s and 60s so there was a lot of things you couldn't say. For instance, Anita's rape is not seen - she gets pushed around a little bit, they play the threat - but it really is a rape. So we can go a little further in exposing that now to give a higher emotional reaction. Also back then the style of acting was much more presentational. This production has a strong emotional naturalism that wasn't there before."

In addition to jacking up the energy level, McKneely quickened the pace, shaving about 10 minutes off the show. "Life moves very fast, especially violent situations," he reasons.

The real strength of the 2008 show is that it doesn't rely on nostalgia for even a moment, so there's no hiding from the harsh subject matter. "I think the 50s were a really messed up time. We have a perception of the 50s from television of happy families. They weren't happy families, they were miserable! No one spoke to each other, women were second-class citizens, they weren't treated with much respect, their place was in the home, children weren't given a lot of freedoms, there was racism, especially in America where blacks were segregated still."

By stripping back the sugar coating, the story's timeless resonance becomes clear. "Gang members are ugly, they're angry. Teenagers are very, very angry. I think the movie made them a little cool and hip," Joey observes. "So there's a whole new set and costumes. We're in the 1950s; as soon as you get poodle skirts, slicked hair and rolled-up jeans, all of a sudden it's got a 50s all-the-world's-ok feel to it, and I felt that got in the way of the truth of the material."

In an environment where a solution to juvenile violence continues to evade us, McKneely believes the story's ultimate message is especially timely. For him, the final scene raises pertinent questions among the audience. "When do we say 'enough'? When does war become outlawed? It is possible but we have to do it ourselves, no one's going to do it for us," he maintains. "I have a lot of faith in mankind. We're trained to be cynical, we've seen all, done all, but I think at the root of it, we all want peace."

West Side Story is performed at New Wimbledon Theatre

21 Oct-1 Nov. 0870 060 6646; www.theambassadors.com

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