Flicking through the press pack for the 50th anniversary tour of West Side Story, which comes to the Wycombe Swan next week on the back of sell-out success in Paris, Beijing, Tokyo and London, there is one biography that stands out.

Unlike her fellow cast members, Hazel Gardener’s credits are somewhat reduced, as this production, in which she plays the heroine Maria, marks her professional debut.

Speaking with the freshness of a 22-year-old actress just out of drama school, she explains: “This is my first job, so it’s all very new for me. I did a production at drama school where an agent spotted me and said they would like to put me up for Maria but never did I think that I would get it.

"It was pretty incredible, but also there is quite a lot of pressure because it’s such an iconic musical, and Maria and Tony are some of the most famous roles in musical theatre.”

Despite this being such a demanding role for a newcomer, Hazel, who grew up in Kent and attended the Guildhall School for Acting, explains that director and choreographer Joe McKneely’s thorough approach meant she was more than prepared for the curtain call.

“Opening night was quite scary, but our reherasal process was probably scarier because Joe McKneely was our director and he was very intense and very passionate about West Side Story, incredibly so. I remember him saying to us, ‘West Side Story will change your life’, and he’s not wrong.”

The petite brunette continues: “He broke us in rehearsals because these characters have to go through so much. He really made sure we knew how they felt and he has his methods for doing that.

"So by the time we got to opening night, we had explored every doorway and really embodied our characters. The Maria I deliver is part of me and it’s all very natural.”

Based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and set in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen in the mid- 1950s, West Side Story explores the bitter rivalry between two gangs of different ethnic and cutural backgrounds and the forbidden love of Maria and Tony.

Speaking about Tony, played by Daniel Koek, Hazel blushes: “He’s lovely, but it was a bit strange because by the end of our first ever rehearsal together we were already kissing.”

The play’s honest social commentary, with big dance scenes and unforgettable songs, including America, I Feel Pretty and Tonight, have made West Side Story, one of the most successful productions of all time.

And despite it being over half a century since it debuted on Broadway in 1957, the dark themes explored in the show resonate more than ever with today’s audiences, with knife crime and gang warfare never far from the headlines.

Producer Vicky Hawkins tells me: “We are getting really strong reactions from young audiences precisely because of those issues.

"It’s a sad fact, ideally it’s a comparison we wouldn’t want to make, but it is true and when they see a proper story about violence on stage it really tells them something different about the crime on the street at the moment.”

West Side Story arrives at the Wycombe Swan on Tuesday, February 24 to Saturday, March 7. Details: Box Office 01494 512000 or www.wycombeswan.co.uk