This year marks the 50th anniversary of West Side Story, and Barrington Stage Company pays homage to this iconic American musical by producing a version that features an 11-piece orchestra and cast of 25 actors, singers and dancers. The production plays a five week run from June 13 through July 14 at 30 Union Street in Pittsfield.
Directed by Julianne Boyd, Barrington Stage Company's West Side Story, with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents, is choreographed by Joshua Bergasse re-creating the original ground-breaking Jerome Robbins choreography seen in the 1957 Broadway production and the Academy Award-winning 1961 movie. A modern retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story "maps the collision course of two feuding New York City street gangs – the Jets and the Sharks – and the young lovers caught in the crossfire. Winner of two Tony Awards and 10 Academy Awards, West Side Story is an American theater masterpiece, with explosive dancing and some of the most beautiful music ever written for the Broadway stage, including 'Maria,' 'One Hand, One Heart,' 'Tonight' and 'Somewhere,'" as described in press notes.
The cast of 25 includes Julie Craig (Luisa in The Fantasticks) as Maria, Chris Peluso (Lestat and Assassins) as Tony, Jacqueline Colmer as Anita, Freddy Ramirez as Bernardo, Justin Bohon (Oklahoma! and Les Miserables) as Riff, Beth Crandall as Anybodys, Gordon Stanley (Ragtime and Beauty and the Beast and BSC's Follies, Mame, etc ) as Doc, Dale Radunz as Lt Schrank, and Xavier Cano, Nicky Cooper, Robert Dalton, Billy Fagen, Matt Gibson, Melinda Hall, Spencer Howard, Joey Calveri, Jamie Markovich, Michael McGurk, Michael Mindlin, Kristin Piro, John Raterman, Rebecca Riker, Manuel Santos, Kiira Schmidt and Vanessa Van Vrancken.
Visit www.barringtonstageco.org for more information.
Photos by Kevin Sprague
The Sharks dance the Prologue - Joey Calveri as Pepe, Freddy Ramirez as Bernardo and Manuel Santos as Indio
Matt Gibson as Diesel, Justin Bohon as Riff and Spencer Howard as Big Deal - "The Jet Song"
The Jets confront Lieutenant Schrank - Spencer Howard, Michael McGurk as Action, John Raterman as A-Rab, Matt Gibson, Justin Bohon and Dale Radunz
Jacqueline Colmer as Anita, Freddy Ramirez and cast - The Dance at the Gym
The Dance at the Gym
Julie Craig as Maria and Chris Peluso as Tony
Chris Peluso and Julie Craig - "Tonight"
Nicky Cooper as Teresita, Rebecca Riker as Francesca, Jacqueline Colmer and Kristin Piro as Consuelo
The Jets and their girls - "Cool"
Chris Peluso and Julie Craig - "One Hand, One Heart"
The Jets and the Sharks leaders take each other on in "the Rumble" - Justin Bohon and Freddy Ramirez
Julie Craig - "I Have a Love"
Chris Peluso, Julie Craig and company - "Somewhere"
