NJYT's WEST SIDE STORY Set for Centenary Stage Co's Jammin' in July Series, 8/2-11

Earning a total of ten Oscars for the movie version back in 1961 and launching Stephen Sondheim's Broadway career in 1957, West Side Story is one of the most beloved musicals in American theater history. Back by popular demand, New Jersey Youth Theatre (NJYT) will be bringing their highly acclaimed production of West Side Story to the Centenary Stage Company's Jammin' in July series. Performances will take place August 2nd - 11th at the Sitnik Theatre in the David and Carol Lackland Center at 715 Grand Avenue in Hackettstown.

In 2003, NJYT's production of West Side Story won the Music Theatre International's Award of Excellence, an award rarely given out and only once in the ensuing ten years. The show is a musical masterpiece that set a standard of excellence in American musical theater seldom, if ever, achieved since. The original stage production opened in 1957 with powerful direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents, and a musical score by Leonard Bernstein featuring now-legendary songs such as "Tonight," "Maria", and "America." There will be a special matinee featuring a talk-back with the cast after the show on Thursday, August 8th at 12:30 pm.

Tickets for NJYT's West Side Story are $18.50 to $28 in advance and $23.50 to $33 for day of purchases, with discounts for seniors, students, and children under 12. Performances are August 2nd-11th with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 pm, and matinees on Sundays at 2 pm and Thursday, August 8th at 12:30 pm and an evening performance at 7:30 pm. Contact the CSC Box Office for GROUP rates available for the Thursday talk-back matinee at $16 and other show dates for $24 for adults and $18 for youth 17 and under.

New Jersey Youth Theatre's production of West Side Story is part of Centenary Stage Company's Jammin' in July Summer Concert Series, which will also include An Evening With Groucho, Masters of Motown, and The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra with a Flex Pass available to all FOUR events at $90.00 per person.

Tickets are available online at www.centenarystageco.org, or by calling the box office at 908-979-0900. They may also be purchased through the CSC Box office at the Lackland Center at 715 Grand Ave., open 1-5 PM Monday through Friday, and 2 hours prior to each performance.

The Jammin' in July Summer Concert Series and the 2013-14 season at the Centenary Stage Company are made possible through the visionary and generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, and CSC sponsors, including Premier Sponsor Heath Village Retirement Community, Silver Sponsors Hackettstown Regional Medical Center and The Holiday Inn in Budd Lake, Bronze Sponsors The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and Wells Fargo Bank, and Centenary Stage Company members and supporters.

Photo Courtesy of New Jersey Youth Theater

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