West Side Story is an all-singing, all-dancing musical classic heading to Oxford as we speak.

And with it comes Katie Hall (aka Maria), who will lead us through the poignant story which is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet.

And yet the 23-year-old’s own story is as breathtaking as that of the heroine she’s playing. Aged 17 she chanced upon an advert for the BBC’s search for Nancy in I’d Do Anything, signed up there and then, took a day off school and went to the audition. Although she didn’t win the reality TV competition, her name and face obviously lodged themselves in someone’s memory because when casting for Phantom Of The Opera came up, Katie got the role of understudy to Christine, a main part.

Ten days later she was in the West End. But with no real experience under her belt or theatre training she had to hit the ground running and says that she was patronised for her lack of experience, learning as fast as possible on the job.

“I wouldn’t advise anyone to do things the way I did. Theatre school is the way forward so I had to grow up fairly quickly. I moved out of home, up to London, and had to think on my feet. But I have learned on the job and it’s helped so much. My voice is much stronger now,” she says.

She hasn’t looked back since of course, Les Miserables following soon after, and now the lead in West Side Story.

I catch up with her in Sunderland a week into the tour, and Katie says she still has to pinch herself every day before going on stage because she can’t believe she’s playing such an iconic part. “West Side Story is a real combination of all three disciplines, singing, dancing and acting, so its fantastic, a really special production.”

As Maria is Puerto Rican, Katie has had to adapt her accent, but with two opera singing parents (John Graham-Hall, who often stars at Glyndebourne, and his wife, the soprano Helen Williams), her singing repertoire shows no sign of abating.

“As West Side Story is based loosely on Romeo and Juliet it is very emotional and the last scene has a lot of screaming and crying, so I am having to learn to use my voice while saving it at the same time,” she tells me.

In fact, it’s the emotional aspect of the part that’s got to her more. “The first time I played Maria it took me five minutes afterwards to get over it because it was so emotional, but I’m getting better at switching in and out and tapping into those emotions.”

So does she cry real tears every night? “Yes I do because I am Maria on stage feeling those emotions and I want to be able to give that to the audience. It’s funny to think now, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to relate to Maria at the start, but now I think I’ve fallen in love with her a little bit.”

Katie is living the dream, but it’s no coincidence that she sings for a living. “It’s always been about musical theatre for me and I’ve always been drawn to it, more than opera singing. I like the acting side and the story-telling. It’s definitely where my talents lie.

“And yes I have got lucky. But I am also ambitious. You have to be to get anywhere in this business. I’m very driven career-wise and I’ll never pass up an opportunity, but in terms of what I want to do, this is it. I just want to keep improving.”

So did she ever finish her A-Levels? “No, because I haven’t looked back since. It was the best thing I ever did going for that audition.”

SEE IT West Side Story comes to The New Theatre Oxford from October 22-26 Call 0844 871 3020 or see atgtickets.com/ venues/new- theatre-oxford