Viva Broadway to Host WEST SIDE STORY Screening with Rita Moreno, 2/23

The Broadway League's Viva Broadway and the United Palace of Cultural Arts in Washington Heights are hosting a conversation with Rita Moreno and a screening of West Side Story. The event will take place as part of "Sunday Movies at the Palace with Lin-Manuel Miranda" on Sunday, February 23, 2014 at United Palace Theatre on 175th Street and Broadway. Doors open at 4:00pm for a 5:00pm stage show and 5:30pm screening.

This second installment of "Sunday Movies at the Palace with Lin-Manuel Miranda" features the classic retelling of "Romeo and Juliet" set in the streets of Manhattan. The 1961 film of "West Side Story" (152 minutes, in English with Spanish subtitles) is based on the Broadway musical of the same title, with a score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents, and directed/choreographed by Jerome Robbins.

Master of Ceremonies Lin-Manuel will introduce the movie with a stage show featuring a conversation with stage and screen legend Rita Moreno, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1962 for her performance in the film. Guests in tuxedos or gowns are welcome to a free bag of popcorn at the concession stand. The United Palace is located at 4140 Broadway New York, NY 10033 at W. 175th Street. Tickets are $10 online, $15 at the door, and $5 for children under 12 years old.

Rita Moreno is a world-renowned Puerto Rican actress and singer. She is the only Hispanic artist (among only a few performers ever) to have a won all four major annual American entertainment awards, which include an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony. In 2013, she published her autobiography, "Rita Moreno: A Memoir." This January, she received the Lifetime Achievement award for the Screen Actors Guild.

Viva Broadway is an audience development partnership with the Hispanic community, to help bridge the world of Broadway with Latino audiences around the country. The long-term initiative aims to increase awareness about Broadway while culturally enriching lives, bringing families together, and building new careers in the theatre. There is a National Advisory Board of industry and cultural notables to help strategize and spread the word about all that Broadway has to offer this growing and vibrant community.

This event is supported by The United Palace of Cultural Arts and The Paramount Hotel.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride