BSC's West Side Story, with Craig & Peluso, Begins 6/13

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 will play a five week run from June 13 through July 14 at 30 Union Street in Pittsfield.
 
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, Barrington Stage Company has now completed a top-to-bottom renovation of its 520-seat theatre on Union Street in downtown Pittsfield with the reopening of its new mezzanine. The addition of 220 mezzanine seats now makes it possible for BSC to serve a wider audience and to offer special ticket pricing for children, young adults, seniors and local residents.  For more information contact the BSC Box Office at 413-236-8888.
 
Directed by Julianne Boyd, Barrington Stage Company's West Side Story will be 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.
 
"This might be the only time in your life that Berkshire audiences will see a production of West Side Story with the original choreography, a full orchestra playing the full score, and a cast of more than 20 performers," notes director Julianne Boyd. "To celebrate the landmark anniversary of this classic show, we are committed to producing a fully-realized version – as its creators originally intended." 

West Side Story was "created by four legends of the theater, with a score by Leonard Bernstein (Wonderful Town, Candide, On the Town), book by Arthur Laurents (Gypsy), lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (Company, Follies, A Little Night Music), and choreography by Jerome Robbins (Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, The King and I). For the first time in Broadway history, dance – Jerome Robbins' electrifying, seamless blend of the classical and the street-smart – stood on an equal basis with Leonard Bernstein's music and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics," state prss materials.
 
For this 50th anniversary production, BSC brings choreographer Joshua Bergasse on board to re-create Robbins' landmark choreography. Bergasse has danced in many productions of West Side Story, including the last that Robbins himself oversaw before his death in 1998. 
  
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.'"
 
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. 

The conductor/musical director is Darren R. Cohen. The set design is by Luke Cantarella and lighting design by Scott Pinkney. Randy Hansen is the sound designer, and Anne Kennedy is the costume designer.  Renee Lutz is the production stage manager.

Visit www.barringtonstageco.org for more information.

Photo by Kevin Sprague - Chris Peluso and Julie Craig sing "Tonight"