West Side Story on Sydney Harbour

First Nations soprano, Nina Korbe, is a beautiful, vivacious Maria. It’s easy to see why Tony would fall in love with her on first sight. She is also a resourceful actress who managed to make convincing the difficult I Feel Pretty scene in which Maria is so giddily in love that her friends can barely recognise her.

If her operatically trained voice occasionally sounded too mature for her character, it should be remembered that when Bernstein made a studio recording of this show, he chose opera stars Kiri Te Kanawa and Jose Carreras for his Maria and Tony.

West Side Story makes a splash on Sydney Harbour

In Nina Korbe and Billy Bourchier, this production is blessed with an excellent Tony and Maria. There needs to be strong chemistry to pull off a ‘love at first sight’ storyline and these two were as magnetic as you could hope for. I haven’t seen West Side Story as often as the Arts Minister, but Bourchier’s final high note on Maria, Korbe’s ebullient I Feel Pretty and their searching duets on One Hand One Heart and Somewhere all felt world-class.

The urgency of West Side Story is played out to near perfection

Set against this roiling pool of testosterone, the attraction between Maria (Nina Korbe) and Tony (Billy Bourchier) is an oasis of light and calm. There’s no higher praise for Korbe than to say she scores A+ in the I Feel Pretty test. Maria’s Act II opener is something of an embarrassment but Korbe makes us believers with a delightful mix of self-awareness and sweet pleasure.

Korbe is starting to move up the operatic ladder and Maria is a wonderful part for her. She’s a natural who looks the part effortlessly and brings a gleaming, expressive soprano to the show’s loveliest songs, including the imperishable Tonight and Somewhere.

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour: West Side Story review

Making a highly auspicious professional musical theatre debut, opera singer Nina Korbe plays Maria with a calm and centred presence. A pleasure to hear, Korbe’s vocals are rich and warm, affectingly conveying the myriad passions experienced by the headstrong young woman.

In this version, Maria sings “Somewhere” and this is a memorable highlight of Korbe’s performance.

West Side Story – REVIEW

Billy Bourchier and Nina Korbe are strong in the lead roles of Tony and Maria. Bourchier has a powerful voice which he gets to show off in “Maria” and “Something’s Coming”. Korbe’s voice has a much more operatic quality, corresponding with the style of Maria’s songs, and giving her character a sense of angelic innocence.

West Side Story on Sydney Harbour review: like falling in love for the first time

Bourchier and Korbe interpret it beautifully, singing the lyrics of a young Stephen Sondheim like they’re the first to do it, just like first love feels like an invention discovered by you and your partner alone; they’re a dazzling pair of young lovers who reach for each other and remind us what it is to be held…Korbe and Bourchier are remarkable: they can’t seem to stop reaching for each other, touching hands, reaching for each other’s arms as though it’s a wonder the other exists, voices soaring above it all.

Service West Side Story | Opera Australia

Nina Korbe as Maria is terrific. A proud First Nations woman, Korbe plays Maria not as a passive ingénue, but as a determined young migrant who doesn’t want to be bound by the old expectations of the Puerto Rican community. Filled with the promise of a new country, she is open to its opportunities, so falling for Tony really makes sense. Korbe’s powerful soprano and Bourchier’s resonant tenor voices blend beautifully in their duets evoking a genuine romantic chemistry that reflects their mutual innocence and hopefulness.

This is the perfect show for a perfect Sydney night out

… in this revival of Francesca Zambello’s Opera Australia production is triumphant. She has prioritised youth, vocal capacity and chemistry in casting Billy Bourchier as Tony and Nina Korbe as Maria, and both more than repay her faith. Their attractive, accurate voices effortlessly convey the requisite emotional weight without losing a splendid sense of the giddiness of youth. Their celebrated solo and duet numbers – including the arresting Something’s Coming, plus Maria, Tonight and I Feel Pretty, will satisfy the most ardent West Side Story fan.

West Side Story on Sydney Harbour

Led by Korbe’s faultless soprano, the talented ensemble seamlessly navigates a fusion of classic opera with festive flashes of contemporary jazz and latin rumba.