UNIVERSES, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the ensemble, will use the commission to develop a new musical, Maria. A response to cultural appropriation in West Side Story, the new musical focuses on what happens to Maria after the original musical concludes.
“Our jump-off point begins where the imagined Puerto Rican lives that inspired West Side Story left off,” said UNIVERSES co-founded Steven Sapp in a statement. “Interweaving true Puerto Rican narratives, we discover the journey of a starry-eyed Puerto Rican girl through her life’s journey, witnessing what she has experienced and the world she has inspired along the way.”
Seriously though, do we need this? Maria isn't exactly the most exciting character in musical history. Anita always seemed like the most interesting of the two female leads to me, I'd find it more interesting if they did something about the lives of the secondary/minor characters as the main events are happening, a bit Rosencrantz and Guildenstern style.
"A response to cultural appropriation in West Side Story... and we will do this by appropriating the worldwide name recognition of West Side Story to gain attention for our show that few people might otherwise have an interest in."
joined:12/18/07
joined:
12/18/07
Posted: 3/9/20 at 3:23am