'West Side Story' Coming to West Hartford

Submitted article

Since its 1957 Broadway premiere, West Side Story has become one of the most iconic American musicals of the 20th century, and the 2015 production will mark the fourth time that the West Hartford Summer Arts Festival (SAF) has performed the show in the program’s 39 year history.

“West Side Story is a timeless piece that continues to be as relevant now as it was when it was first produced,” Sara Demos Avery, Artistic Director of SAF, said in a press release. “It, of course, highlights the well-explored ideas of gangs, ethnic differences, and the impetuous nature of youth. However, in light of recent events in our country, West Side Story also provides interesting commentary on the relationship between law enforcement and the groups they police.”

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While exploring these themes and drawing connections to current events throughout the rehearsal process, Avery, along with Choreographer Kate Morran and Music Director Emmett Drake, has also focused on the cultural roots of West Side Story in this production.

“We are going back to its source material of Romeo and Juliet and looking to Shakespeare’s original piece for inspiration wherever possible,” says Avery.

Such work is in keeping with the educational nature of the SAF program, which was founded by current Executive Producer Haig Shahverdian in 1977 as a venue for high school and college students to work with professional directors and designers while performing in some of Broadway’s most famous works.

Based on a conception of Jerome Robbins and with a book by Arthur Laurents, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and music by Leonard Bernstein, “West Side Story is arguably the hardest piece in the musical theater pantheon,” says Avery.

The student-orchestra and 42-person cast, led by West Hartford residents Thomas Doelger in the role of Tony and Brigid Lucey as Maria, began rehearsals on June 22.

“Putting this piece together in five weeks is understandably daunting, as the material is so rich in meaning and substance that we want to do it justice, but our incredibly talented cast and orchestra have been working amazingly hard to do just that.”

Performances of West Side Story will be held at Northwest Catholic High School July 30, July 31, and Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $16 and can be purchased at www.westhartfordsaf.com or at the Northwest Catholic High School Box Office from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on July 27, 28, & 29.

SAF is sponsored by the Town of West Hartford’s Human & Leisure Services Department and the Department of Fine & Performing Arts.

Captions:

Photo 1: The Jets strike a pose in the opening number of West Side Story.

Photo 2: Three of the Shark girls extoll the virtues of life in the United States while rehearsing the song “America”.

Photo 3: Members of the Sharks and Jets set the ground rules for their rumble. From left to right: Zach Aldave (a resident of West Hartford), Christopher Hauser (Simsbury), Max Weinstein (West Hartford), and Ryan DeFranzo (East Granby).

Photo 4: Emily Bautista (left) and Brigid Lucey (right) sing Anita and Maria’s duet, “A Boy Like That/I Have a Love”, in rehearsal.