Photo Flash: WEST SIDE STORY National Tour!

More than fifty years ago one musical changed theater forever. From the first note to the final breath, WEST SIDE STORY soars as the greatest love story of all time. The national tour of Broadway's current smash-hit revival kicked off to rave reviews at The Fisher Theatre in Detroit on September 30.

Tony Award®-winning librettist Arthur Laurents' Broadway direction will be recreated for the tour by David Saint, the Associate Director on Broadway. The original Jerome Robbins choreography is reproduced by Tony Award®-nominee Joey McKneely The Boy from Oz, The Life.

WEST SIDE STORY features scenic designs by James Youmans Gypsy, costumes by Tony Award® nominee David C. Woolard The Farnsworth Invention, The Who's Tommy, lighting by Tony Award® winner Howell Binkley Gypsy, Jersey Boys, sound design by Tony Award® nominee Dan Moses Schreier Gypsy, A Catered Affair and hair by Mark Adam Rampmeyer The Farnsworth Invention.

WEST SIDE STORY is written by three theatrical luminaries: two-time Tony Award® winner Arthur Laurents book and multiple Tony® and Grammy Award winners Leonard Bernstein music and Stephen Sondheim lyrics in his Broadway debut.

The tour cast stars Kyle Harris as Tony, Ali Ewoldt as Maria, Michelle Aravena as Anita, Joseph J. Simeone as Riff and German Santiago as Bernardo. Also featured are Mike Boland as Krupke, Ryan Christopher Chotto as A-rab, Stephen DeRosa as Glad Hand, Drew Foster as Action, Alexandra Frohlinger as Anybodys, Jay Garcia as Chino, Grant Gustin as Baby John, Nathan Keen as Big Deal, Christopher Patrick Mullen as Schrank, John O'Creagh as Doc, Kyle Robinson as Diesel, Neil Haskell as Snowboy, along with Isaac Benelli, Lauren Boyd, Alicia Charles, Beth Crandall, Dean Andre de Luna, Ted Ely, Lori Ann Ferreri, Ryan Ghysels, Tim Hausmann, Dea Julien, Daniel Kermidas, Kristen Paulicelli, Christie Portera, Erika Santillana, Kevin Santos, Michael Scirrotto, Jeffrey C. Sousa, Jessica Swesey, Kathryn Lin Terza and Kirstin Tucker.

The new Broadway production began previews at the Palace Theatre on Broadway Monday, February 23, 2009, opened to critical acclaim breaking box office records at the Palace Theatre on Thursday, March 19, 2009, and recouped its $14 million investment after running only 30 weeks.

The new Broadway cast album of WEST SIDE STORY won the 2010 Grammy Award® for Best Musical Show Album on January 31, 2010. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway's finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as "Something's Coming," "Tonight," "America," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere."

WEST SIDE STORY is written by three theatrical luminaries: two-time Tony Award winner Arthur Laurents book and multiple Tony and Grammy Award winners Leonard Bernstein music and Stephen Sondheim lyrics in his Broadway debut.

WEST SIDE STORY is produced by Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander, Jeffrey Seller with Terry Allen Kramer, Sander Jacobs, Roy Furman / Jill Furman Willis, Robyn Goodman / Walt Grossman, Hal Luftig, Roy Miller and Broadway Across America.