Legendary Musical 'West Side Story' Comes To South Florida

(Photo By Joan Marcus)

AWARD WINNING BROADWAY SMASH HIT
WEST SIDE STORY

COMING TO FORT LAUDERDALE
FOR A 2-WEEK EXCLUSIVE SOUTH FLORIDA RUN FEBRUARY 15-27
AT BROWARD CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The tour of the current smash hit Broadway production of WEST SIDE STORY is coming to Fort
Lauderdale. WEST SIDE STORY will open at Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday
February 15 for a two-week run through Sunday, February 27. Tony Award-winning librettist
Arthur Laurents' Broadway direction has been 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).

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 was 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.

WEST SIDE STORY will begin on Tuesday, February 15th through Sunday, February 27th, 2011.
Performances are Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00pm and Sunday evenings at 7:30pm.
Matinee performances are all Saturdays and Sundays and Wednesday, February 23rd at 2:00pm.
Ticket prices range from $25.00 to $69.00 and are now on sale at the Broward Center Box Office
Monday through Friday 10AM - 5 PM, Saturday and Sunday 12 Noon - 5 PM and 1 ½ hours prior to
show times; or on-line at www.broadwayacrossamerica.com; www.browardcenter.org; by phone
954-462-0222. Groups of 10 or more are invited to call 954-626-7814 or 954-462-0222.

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," 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." The current revival of WEST SIDE STORY on which this tour is based began
previews at the Palace Theatre on Broadway Monday, February 23, 2009, opened to critical
acclaim breaking box office records on Thursday, March 19, 2009, recouped its $14 million
investment after running only 30 weeks and is still in performance.

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.

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