West Side Story has come to India for the first time. The classic Broadway musical—which captures a Romeo-Juliet love story set in 1950s New York, amid the fierce rivalry between the white American Jets and the newly-arrived Puerto Rican Sharks—is theatre at its most captivating. In the derelict streets and backyards of the Upper West Side, the two groups fight for a stake in the American dream, even as there blossoms the love between Tony of the Jets and Maria of the Sharks.
Renowned Broadway director Lonny Price retains the original concept and choreography by Jerome Robbins, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and music by Leonard Bernstein— even as he gives it some context. With a new international creative team, Price kickstarted a multi-year world tour in December 2022, of which India is a stop. The performances are pulsating and the set is evocative. The brown stone buildings perfectly resemble a suburban neighbourhood. All the actors are stylishly dressed in costumes peculiar to 1950s America. A 34-member ensemble got finalised after auditioning over 3,000 aspirants. The show opens with the dominating presence of the Jets, and as they dance to Bernstein’s masterful score, you cannot help but get caught up in their entrancing performance.
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