Theatre Review: West Side Story

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Presented by: The Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company
Reviewed: 15 October 2026

Playing at The Arts Theatre until October 24th, The Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company’s production of West Side Story features much-loved stage classics such as Maria, Tonight, America, and Somewhere. For many at the almost sold-out performance on opening night it was a wonderful trip down memory lane, with the audience re-acquainting themselves with this musical theatre stalwart of almost 70 years. 

Visually, there’s much to love, though some other aspects need more attention. The set was excellent. A good mix of static and dynamic scenery, complemented by effective lighting. The female characters’ costumes were great, but some of the males’ looked like they’d been asked to bring what they had from home. 

Sound-wise, there’s room for growth. The audio management was good, with only cast errors affecting microphone performance. The orchestra produced moments of brilliance, peppered with moments of ‘not quite’. There were a few really great voices in the cast, but most sounded like they had more to give. Some regularly dropped accents were distracting, and some players could have dialled up the character and emotion more. 

There were stand-outs though, including Jasmin Paukkunen as Anita, whose characterisation and intensity never faltered. Anita is often played (and perhaps was written) as almost a caricature of young street-wise females of Puerto Rican descent in 1950’s New York City. Paukkunen however, has kept the intensity of the character while bringing believability and realism to her portrayal. She sounds amazing too.

The choreography is hard to critique because dance-fighting will always look… well, like dance-fighting. It invariably looks weak, and honestly, West Side Story’s dance-fighting has become a punchline around the world, both in and out of theatre-circles. You just can’t look tough and threatening during a step-ball-change. 

To quote another theatre-lover from the audience, the show felt like it “just needed another week”. I think that probably sums it up well. Everything was close, but not quite fully there yet. I can’t help but suspect that audiences who see the last few shows of the season will see a much more polished rendition.

Many love West Side Story, and if that’s you, you’ll enjoy this show. Tickets are selling quickly, so don’t hesitate to book now. 

Reviewed by Doug Phillips

Photo credit: supplied