WEST SIDE STORY at Artscape

Eric Abraham and the Fugard Theatre's production of WEST SIDE STORY returns to the Artscape Opera House stage for one final season in South Africa from March 2018, following its tremendously successful seasons in Cape Town and Johannesburg. WEST SIDE STORY is set on the harsh streets of the Upper West Side neighbourhood of New York City in the mid-1950s and is inspired by William Shakespeare's tragic, ageless tale of ROMEO AND JULIET. Rival gangs, the Sharks and the Jets, battle in a turf-war to gain control of the neighbourhood. Tensions rise when Tony, a former member of the Jets and the best friend of the gang's leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, who is the leader of the Sharks. Based on an original conception of Jerome Robbins, WEST SIDE STORY features a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Matthew Wild directs the Fugard Theatre's production, with Charl-Johan Lingenfelder serving as the musical director and conductor and Louisa Talbot as the choreographer. With a full orchestra in the pit and an outstanding cast of forty performers, WEST SIDE STORY promises to sweep Capetonians off their feet once again in 2018.