FEW things are timeless. But then I have just witnessed a rather special piece of theatre.

If anything, Leonard Bernstein’s classic 50s musical, in which violence and a lack of understanding does fatal damage to two rival gangs, has even more contemporary resonance today on a tour of cities blighted by knife crime.

West Side Story, incredibly fresh for its five decades without a major makeover, tells an alarming tale of love within a gangland feud in New York.

Joey McKneely’s superb 50th anniversary revival hits just the right note, bringing a stunning set alive with an atmosphere of sizzling aggression.

It pits Riff’s American born Jets against Bernardo’s Puerto Rican Sharks in a sea of racist antagonism. In the midst of all the rage though, love breaks through between Tony, a Jet, and Puerto Rican Maria, the sister of the Sharks leader.

A young, fresh and brilliant cast perfectly depict the simmering violence of the time in a musical which is all about the dancing despite including some hit songs such as America and I Feel Pretty. Having worked with the legendary Jerome Robbins on West Side Story, McKneely brings us sensational choreography full of aggression and heartbreak.

The dancing is slick, the orchestra red-hot, the lighting clever and the staging simple yet effective.

The production, on a two-week run in Southampton, is deservedly selling very fast with the nearly 2,000 strong audience close to a full house and raising the roof with thunderous applause last night.

It was well worth waiting 50 years for this spectacular production, loosely based on the tale of Romeo and Juliet, to come along. This is one instance in which Shakespeare can be improved upon.