Classic Broadway musical West Side Story will be Leicester Curve’s Made at Curve Christmas production next year.
Just a few weeks before the debut of this year’s eagerly-anticipated production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, the team at Leicester have announced plans for a major new production of the Romeo and Juliet-inspired musical which will run from 23 November 2019 until 11 January 2020.
Currently working on director Tom Hooper’s film version of Cats, Ellen Kane [pictured] has been enlisted to new choreography for the production which will be directed by Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster [pictured]. The theatre’s associate artist Sarah Travis will be the production’s musical supervisor.
Unveiling their plans to bring the doomed love story of Maria and Tony to life in Leicester, Curve’s chief executive Chris Stafford and director Foster said: “West Side Story blazed a new trail in world theatre and continues to hold its ground today, decades after the Sharks and Jets first exploded on Broadway.
“Curve has developed a reputation for producing revivals of the great musicals in innovative new productions; we couldn’t be more excited to tackle this masterpiece on our stage – a stage designed for emotionally charged, epic plays which explore the human condition.
“Bernstein’s score defies superlatives, matched by the contributions of book writer Arthur Laurents and Sondheim’s astonishing lyrics. Curve is always developing great talent and we are thrilled Ellen Kane has chosen to work with us on this brand new production of West Side Story. Ellen is a choreographer of exceptional talent and we are excited to work alongside her, rediscovering the show for a new generation. With the mighty Sarah Travis in charge of music, a terrific team is assembling to create this brand new production.
“Since we started working together at Curve, West Side Story has been a show we longed to produce. There couldn’t be a better musical to bring people together and introduce new audiences the joy of theatre; regardless of class, culture or age, West Side Story will be the perfect production to celebrate Christmas at Curve.”
Based on Jerome Robbins’ original idea, with music by Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Arthur Laurents, West Side Story debuted on Broadway in 1957 with a Tony Award-winning production also directed and choreographed by Robbins.
Angela Thomas
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