WEST SIDE STORY Tour to Play Omaha 10/19-10/24

The first national tour of the current Broadway production of WEST SIDE STORY is coming to Omaha. WEST SIDE STORY will be presented at the Orpheum Theater October 19 - 24, 2010 by Omaha Performing Arts and Broadway Across America. Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents' Broadway direction will be recreated for the tour by David Saint, the Associate Director on Broadway. The original Jerome Robbins choreography is reproduced by Tony Award-nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz, The Life).

Tickets for WEST SIDE STORY, starting at $25, are now on sale. They can be purchased at the Ticket Omaha Box Office in the Holland Performing Arts Center, 13th and Douglas streets, Omaha, Neb.; online at TicketOmaha.com; or by calling 402-345-0606. For group sales call 402-661-8516 or toll-free at 866-434-8587.

The new Broadway cast album of WEST SIDE STORY won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album on January 31, 2010. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway's finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as "Something's Coming," "Tonight," "America," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere."

The new Broadway production began previews at the Palace Theatre on Broadway Monday, February 23, 2009, opened to critical acclaim, breaking box office records at the Palace Theatre on Thursday, March 19, 2009, and recouped its $14 million investment after running only 30 weeks.

WEST SIDE STORY features scenic designs by James Youmans (Gypsy), costumes by Tony Award nominee David C. Woolard (The Farnsworth Invention, The Who's Tommy), lighting by Tony Award winner Howell Binkley (Gypsy, Jersey Boys), sound design by Tony Award nominee Dan Moses Schreier (Gypsy, A Catered Affair) and hair by Mark Adam Rampmeyer (The Farnsworth Invention).

WEST SIDE STORY is written by three theatrical luminaries: two-time Tony Award winner Arthur Laurents (book) and multiple Tony and Grammy Award winners Leonard Bernstein (music) and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) in his Broadway debut.

WEST SIDE STORY is produced by Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander, Jeffrey Seller with Terry Allen Kramer, Sander Jacobs, Roy Furman/Jill Furman Willis, Freddy DeMann, Robyn Goodman/Walt Grossman, Hal Luftig, Roy Miller, The Weinstein Company and Broadway Across America.

Performances of WEST SIDE STORY at the Orpheum Theater, 409 South 16th Street, will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, October 19, 20, and 21 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, October 22 and 23 at 8:00 p.m. with matinees on Thursday, October 21 at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, October 23 at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday, October 24 at 2:00 p.m. Please note there is no Sunday evening performance for this show.

WEST SIDE STORY had a long journey to Broadway. Six years elapsed between Jerome Robbins' first idea of a modern musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet and its actual Broadway debut in 1957. Originally, the action of the musical was to take place on New York's Lower East Side with tensions flaring between Jews and Catholics during the Passover and Easter holidays. The original setting left the authors uninspired and the project was put on hold. Years later, when Arthur Laurents proposed changing the basis of conflict from religion to race, the show gained creative momentum and WEST SIDE STORY was born.

Originally directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, WEST SIDE STORY opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 26, 1957 and garnered passionate reactions from critics and audiences alike. The piece has often been credited with changing the entire course of the American musical theatre. Applauding the creators' innovation in dance and musical style, TIME Magazine exclaimed "Robbins' energetic choreography and Bernstein's grand score accentuate the satiric, hard-edged lyrics of Sondheim and Laurents' capture of the angry voice of urban youth." New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson described the show as "profoundly moving; an incandescent piece of work where theatre people, engrossed in an original project, are all in top form."

The original production starred Larry Kert as Tony, Carol Lawrence as Maria, and Chita Rivera as Anita and won six Tony Award nominations including Best Musical of 1957. Jerome Robbins won the Award for his groundbreaking choreography and Oliver Smith took home the prize for Best Scenic Design. Also nominated were Carol Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress, Max Goberman for Best Musical Director and Irene Sharaff for Best Costume Design. WEST SIDE STORY ran for 732 performances before launching national and international tours and a successful mounting at London's Majesty Theatre in 1958. The first revival of the musical opened on April 8, 1964 at New York City Center by the New York City Center Light Opera Company. The production closed on May 3, 1964 after a limited engagement of 31 performances.

The City Center production was staged by Gerald Freedman based on Robbins' original concept. A Broadway revival opened at the Minskoff Theatre on February 14, 1980 directed and choreographed by Robbins with the assistance of Tom Abbott and Lee Becker Theodore. The revival was nominated for a 1980 Tony Award for Best Revival as well as nods for Debbie Allen as Anita and Josie de Guzman as Maria.

An exciting and innovative motion picture version, directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, was released in 1961 and starred Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as the star-crossed lovers Maria and Tony and Rita Moreno as Anita. The film also received wide praise from critics, winning ten Academy Awards out of its eleven nominated categories (including Best Picture) as well as a special award for Robbins. The film's soundtrack grossed more than any other album before it.

Omaha Performing Arts is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing world-class
performances to the Omaha metropolitan area. Omaha Performing Arts' commitment to the arts extends into its own series, Omaha Performing Arts Presents, and includes a partnership with Broadway Across America to bring the finest in touring Broadway productions to Omaha, as well as education and community involvement programs that help ensure the arts have a far-reaching impact.

The organization manages two landmark venues, the Holland Performing Arts Center and the
Orpheum Theater. Omaha Performing Arts also provides comprehensive ticketing services for cultural and performing arts within the region through Ticket Omaha.

Omaha Performing Arts performances are supported in part by the Nebraska Arts Council, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, the Mid-America Arts Alliance, National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Omaha and the Douglas County Visitor Improvement Fund. For more information on Omaha Performing Arts, visit www.OmahaPerformingArts.org.

Broadway Across America is owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman). Broadway Across America presents first-class touring musicals and plays across 40 North American cities.

Under the supervision of Beth Williams (COO & Head of Production), Broadway Across America
is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse theatre. Recent productions include Hair, West Side Story, Memphis, Irving Berlin's White Christmas and the West End production of Breakfast At Tiffany's. Upcoming Broadway productions include Promises, Promises, Million Dollar Quartet and Minsky's. Touring productions include Dreamgirls and Nickelodeon's Storytime Live.

For more information on Broadway Across America visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.