Burlingame Intermediate School Presents West Side Story

Burlingame Intermediate students take on the sophisticated music and the complex choreography of the American musical classic West Side Story  with performances scheduled to run Friday, March 22, Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, West Side Story presents themes central in the lives of young adults – peer acceptance, friendship and first love -- which play out through the musical’s well known song and dance numbers. Returning for an unprecedented fifth year, Director and Choreographer Jennifer Ibos tackles this American musical icon prepared to deliver another sold out success. Geoffery Torres joins Ibos this year as musical director. And a financial grant of $10,000 donated by the Burlingame Community Education Foundation (BCE) once again made the performances possible.

West Side Story explores the rivalry between two Upper West Side New York street gangs – the Jets and the Sharks – from different ethnic backgrounds. The feud between the two gangs escalates when Tony, the best friend of leader of the Polish American gang known as the Jets, meets Maria, the sister of the leader of the Puerto Rican gang known as the Sharks.  Tony and Maria fall in love instantly, a union instigating both groups to settle their grievances with an all out rumble. Winner of the fight will assume territorial neighborhood rights. Just prior to all out  street battle, Maria begs Tony to prevent the violence and stop the fight.  Ultimately this request for peace among gangs forces deathly consequences for both sides.

   “Performing West Side Story provides an opportunity for these extremely talented intermediate school students to showcase their acting, their singing and their dancing as this musical intertwines all three to tell the story,” said Ibos.

Ibos added “I chose this dark but inspirational show because the themes come to life through the lyrics, but the show’s moral lesson that violence never solves social problems remains universally true today as it did during Shakespeare’s time and back in the late fifties and early sixties in America.”

All three performances will be held in the BIS auditorium located at 1715 Quesada Way in Burlingame.  Show dates and times are Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23 at 7 pm with a Sunday, March 24 matinee show at 1 pm.  For the first time, tickets can be purchased online at beginning March 11 for $9 (plus  small charge fee).  You can also purchase tickets at the BIS Main Office or at the door before each performance.  (All three BIS performances sold out last year.)

West Side Story is an American musical with a book by Arthur Laurents featuring music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.  The show was originally conceived and choreographed by Jerome Robbin in 1957. For additional information, or to purchase tickets please visit http://tinyurl.com/BISWestSideStory  or email Jennifer Ibos at jibos@bsd.k12.ca.us .  Proceeds from the ticket sales sponsor this production and future theater programming at BIS.