West Side Story: The Musical September 20, 2008

Marking its 50th anniversary in 2007, West Side Story is the classic American musical of two rival youth gangs in New York City (Jets and Sharks) whose battle for turf and superiority provides the backdrop to an exploration of youth gangs, police relationships, prejudice and the romance of two young people caught in a violent cross-cultural struggle. The plot and main characters of West Side Story are loosely based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The story has been modernized and Americanized with the introduction of a racial theme - Tony, a member of an established white gang (the Jets) falls in love with Maria, whose brother is a member of the rival Puerto Rican gang (the Sharks). The Jets are contemptuous of the Sharks and look down on them as foreign newcomers. The Sharks wish to establish themselves as Americans and defend their new territory. As in Romeo and Juliet, the rivalry escalates and leads to great tragedy.] The electrifying music of Leonard Bernstein and the prophetic lyrics of Stephen Sondheim hauntingly paint a picture as relevant today as it was fifty years ago.

Even people who have never seen the stage show or the Academy-award winning 1961 movie musical will remember many of the songs:
Tonight, I Feel Pretty, Maria, One Hand One Heart, Somewhere.
West Side Story is produced by arrangement with Music Theatre International and
Presented by It's Only Tuesday Productions - www.itsonlytuesday.com

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of oceanviewlive.