WEST SIDE STORY Wins GRAMMY for Best Show Album

The new Broadway cast album of 'West Side Story' has picked up the 2010 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. The announcement was made during the Grammy Awards' pre-telecast ceremony held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday, January 31. The creative team behind the 'West Side Story' new Broadway cast album is Leonard Bernstein, composer; Stephen Sondheim, lyricist. David Caddick & David Lai produced the album which was released by Masterworks Broadway.

WEST SIDE STORY is directed by its two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents with the original Jerome Robbins choreography restaged by Tony Award nominee Joey McKneely. The new production began previews 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 Recording of WEST SIDE STORY was released nationwide on June 2, 2009 by Sony Masterworks and is nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award. A national tour of this production of WEST SIDE STORY will begin in the fall of 2010. WEST SIDE STORY stars Matthew Hydzik as "Tony," Tony Award nominee Josefina Scaglione as "Maria," 2009 Tony Award winner Karen Olivo as "Anita," John Arthur Greene as "Riff," George Akram as "Bernardo," and Jeremy Jordan as "Tony" at certain performances.

The cast of WEST SIDE STORY also features Steve Bassett, Kyle Brenn, Joshua Buscher, Mike Cannon, Kyle Coffman, Sara Dobbs, Wes Hart, Michael Kleeman, Michael Mastro, Michael Rosen, Lee Sellars, Ryan Steele, Greg Vinkler, Mikey Winslow, Mark Zimmerman, Isaac Calpito, Gabriel Canett, Haley Carlucci, Natalie Cortez, Kristine Covillo, Stephen Diaz, Lindsay Dunn, Marina Lazzaretto, Yanira Marin, Mileyka Mateo, Kaitlin Mesh, Shina Ann Morris, Angelina Mullins, Kat Nejat, Pamela Otterson, Jesus Pacheco, Colt Prattes, Alex Ringler, Sam Rogers, Amy Ryerson, Jennifer Sanchez, Manuel Santos, Phillip Spaeth, Brendon Stimson, Tanairi Sade Vazquez and Michael Williams.

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

Tickets for the Broadway production of WEST SIDE STORY at the Palace Theatre are on sale at www.tickemaster.com (212-307-4100) or at the Palace Theatre box office. WEST SIDE STORY plays Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday - Saturday at 8 p.m., Wednesday and Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Broadway ticket prices are $121.50 - 46.50.

For more information, visit www.broadwaywestsidestory.com.

The GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Jan. 31, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 - 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Louis J. Horvitz is director.

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards - the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music - The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thegrammys), MySpace (www.myspace.com/thegrammys), Twitter (www.twitter.com/thegrammys), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/thegrammys).