The so-claimed modern version of Romeo and Juliet, with legendary music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents, the world-famous West Side Story is coming to Leicester’s Curve.
“New York City, West Side, 1957. In the midst of gang rivalry and racial tensions, love at first sight strikes between Tony, a founding member of the White-American Jets and Maria, the sister of Bernardo, leader of the Puerto Rican Sharks. In the face of danger, the two young lovers continue to meet in secret – but the Jets and the Sharks have one last rumble to fight out.
Inspired by Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet and with a timeless score including ‘Tonight’, ‘America’ and ‘I Feel Pretty’, West Side Story represents one of the greatest musicals of all time, filled with romance, charm, aggression and heartbreak.”
After its original Broadway production in 1957, West Side Story became an absolute success in America, touring all around the country. It was nominated for 7 Tony Awards and won 3! A film adaptation proved to be equally as successful, getting 11 Academy Awards nomination and scoring an incredible 10 of them!
The show quickly became a worldwide fascination, arriving in London in 1958 and staying at Her Majesty’s Theatre on the West End until 1961, with a total of 1,039 performances.
West Side Story is such an endlessly popular production, that it had not one, not two but THREE Broadway revivals – the latest one being in 2019, which will officially open on the 6th of February 2020.
It was also played multiple times in the UK, after the original production: notably, the 1984 production originated at Leicester’s Haymarket Theatre before transferring to London.
The Curve Theatre is following in these great footsteps by including West Side Story in their repertoire.
Directed by Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (director of previous success Grease) and choreographed by Ellen Kane (who has musicals such as Cats on her CV), West Side Story will premiere on the 23rd of November 2019 and stay in Leicester until the 11th of January 2020.
Their cast is plentiful and features some familiar names to Curve fans, as well as some new faces in Leicester:
“Adriana Ivelisse and Carly Mercedes-Dyer will play trailblazing women Maria and Anita, who arrive in the United States from Puerto Rico looking for a new life. Adriana, a Puerto Rican native and 2019 Spotlight Prize Finalist, will make her professional UK debut as Maria while Carly will play Anita, Maria’s closest friend.
Jamie Muscato (Bend it Like Beckham, Phoenix Theatre, Lazarus, Kings Cross Theatre, Heathers, Theatre Royal Haymarket and The Light Princess, National Theatre) will play Maria’s lover Tony.
Jonathan Hermosa-Lopez (Grease, UK and Ireland tour) and Ronan Burns (Kiss Me Kate, Sheffield Crucible Theatre) will play rival gang leaders Bernardo and Riff.
Darren Bennett, who has appeared in numerous Made at Curve productions including Grease as Vince Fontaine (2016 and 2019 UK and Ireland tour), Scrooge the Musical (2017) as Mr Fezziwig and cover for Scrooge, will play Police Detective Lieutenant Schrank.”
This show is must-see for all fans of musical theatre. With a unique musical style provided by Bernstein and a traditional, yet still oh-so-relevant love story theme, West Side Story will steal the hearts of everyone in the audience.
Make sure you book your tickets in time! Tickets are available online at www.curveonline.co.uk or call Curve’s Box Office on 0116 242 3595.