West Side Story Tickets Go On Sale Friday at the Fox Cities P.A.C.

The tour of the Broadway revival of West Side Story is coming to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. West Side Story will open at the Center on April 24, and tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, February 10 at 10:00 a.m. 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).

Ticket prices for West Side Story start at $53. Beginning Friday, February 10 at 10:00 a.m., tickets will be available at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center’s ticket office and online at foxcitiespac.com. To charge tickets by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787. Orders for groups of ten or more may be placed now by calling (920) 730-3786.

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 theater as “Something’s Coming,” “Tonight,” “America,” “I Feel Pretty” and “Somewhere.”

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 Broadway production played its final performance January 2, 2011. The musical played 27 previews and 748 regular performances, making it the longest-running production of the groundbreaking musical in Broadway history. The original production, which had held the record, played 732 performances on Broadway.

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.

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.

PRODUCTION HISTORY
West Side Story had a long journey to Broadway. Six years elapsed between Jerome Robbins’ first idea of a modern musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet and its actual Broadway debut in 1957. Originally, the action of the musical was to take place on New York’s Lower East Side with tensions flaring between Jews and Catholics during the Passover and Easter holidays. The original setting left the authors uninspired and the project was put on hold. Years later, when Arthur Laurents proposed changing the basis of conflict from religion to race, the show gained creative momentum and West Side Story was born.

Originally directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, West Side Story opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 26, 1957 and garnered passionate reactions from critics and audiences alike. The piece has often been credited with changing the entire course of the American musical theater. 

The original production starred Larry Kert as Tony, Carol Lawrence as Maria, Chita Rivera as Anita, and won six Tony Award nominations including Best Musical of 1957. Jerome Robbins won the Award for his groundbreaking choreography and Oliver Smith took home the prize for Best Scenic Design. Also nominated were Carol Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress, Max Goberman for Best Musical Director and Irene Sharaff for Best Costume Design. West Side Story ran for 732 performances before launching national and international tours and a successful mounting at London’s Majesty Theatre in 1958. The first revival of the musical opened on April 8, 1964 at New York City Center by the New York City Center Light Opera Company. The production closed on May 3, 1964 after a limited engagement of 31 performances. The City Center production was staged by Gerald Freedman based on Robbins’ original concept. A Broadway revival opened at the Minskoff Theatre on February 14, 1980 directed and choreographed by Robbins with the assistance of Tom Abbott and Lee Becker Theodore. The revival was nominated for a 1980 Tony Award for Best Revival as well as nods for Debbie Allen as Anita and Josie de Guzman as Maria.

An exciting and innovative motion picture version, directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, was released in 1961 and starred Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as the star-crossed lovers Maria and Tony and Rita Moreno as Anita. The film also received wide praise from critics, winning ten Academy Awards out of its eleven nominated categories (including Best Picture) as well as a special award for Robbins. The film’s soundtrack grossed more than any other album before it.

West Side Story will play at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center April 24-29 with performances scheduled for Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., a Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday performances at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

West Side Story is locally supported by Faith Technologies, Inc. and SECURA Insurance Companies. West Side Story is part of the 2011/12 Kimberly-Clark Broadway Across America – Fox Cities Series, which is supported by the title sponsor, Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Partial support for open captioning during the Saturday, April 28 matinee is provided by Octoberfest.

For more information, please visit BroadwayWestSideStory.com.

ABOUT KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people – nearly a quarter of the world’s population – trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company’s 139-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA
Broadway Across America (producer), part of the Key Brand Entertainment family of companies which includes Broadway.com, is owned and operated by British theater producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (chairman). Broadway Across America presents first-class touring musicals and plays across 40 North American cities. Broadway.com is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. Under the supervision of Beth Williams (CEO – Theatrical), Broadway Across America is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse theater. Current Broadway productions include How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Darren Criss and Beau Bridges, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever starring Harry Connick Jr, The Mountaintop starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Godspell, Memphis, Lysistrata Jones, and the New York, West End, and national touring productions of Million Dollar Quartet.

ABOUT THE FOX CITIES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in downtown Appleton, provides a premier venue for live performing arts. The Center proudly serves as a gathering place for the community to engage in educational opportunities while enhancing a greater understanding and appreciation of the live performing arts. For more information on upcoming events, education programs and community involvement go to foxcitiespac.com. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center – Where the Arts Come Alive!

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