WEST SIDE STORY Dances Into Marina Bay Sands

A boy. A girl. Two rival gangs. One fatal love affair. Described as 'Broadway's Greatest Dance Musical' by The Times, UK, the international award-winning production of WEST SIDE STORY is now electrifying Singapore audiences at the MasterCard Theatres, Marina Bay Sands for a strictly limited season beginning 13 September until the 30th.

Inspired by Shakespeare's tumultuous love story Romeo and Juliet, and set amidst the vicious rivalry of teenage gangs in 1950s New York, WEST SIDE STORY's ground-breaking choreography by the legendary Jerome Robbins, unforgettable score by Leonard Bernstein and powerful lyrics by Stephen Sondheim changed the face of musical theatre for ever when it burst onto the Broadway stage in 1957. This timeless story remains as relevant today as it has ever been.

Experience Jerome Robbins' original choreography exclusively live on stage with this vibrant new production of the classic dance musical, which is receiving wild acclaim during sold-out seasons around the world, including London, Tokyo and Sydney. Joey McKneely's award-winning staging of WEST SIDE STORY, the only production in the world to currently feature Jerome Robbins' original choreography, will take to the road again for a global tour. Its Asian tour takes in Hong Kong, Singapore and Manila throughout 2017.

The international tour of WEST SIDE STORY coming to Singapore boasts an all-American cast - many of whom come direct from Broadway - and one of the best WEST SIDE STORY creative teams the world has ever seen. The cast will electrify audiences with their impassioned high-energy dance routines and their astounding vocal range in such classic songs as Maria, Tonight, Somewhere, America and I Feel Pretty. The musical supervisor is renowned conductor Donald Chan, who studied under Leonard Bernstein himself, and who leads a live orchestra of 21 musicians. Music highlight: http://www.lunchbox-productions.com/wp-content/uploads/wss.mp3

Presenter and CEO of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, James Cundall says, "WEST SIDE STORY is one of the world's greatest musicals for a reason, and no one ever forgets their first time seeing this iconic show. I am hugely excited to be able to bring this passionate love story -- one of the most successful stage shows of all time -- back to Singapore. It's a truly remarkable show with a level of intensity unmatched in musical theatre." "It's a great mix of dance, music, song and story, and we are extremely proud to have 70 new, young and energetic people in our team of cast and company to deliver the modern love story of 'Romeo & Juliet'."

The action takes place over no more than a few hours of two consecutive days and portrays a love story, action thriller and social study all at the same time. WEST SIDE STORY tells the tale of a love between two young people whose happiness is destroyed by the hate of two enemy camps in New York City's urban jungle.

In a sweltering New York summer, the boys from the Upper West Side neighbourhood are on the prowl. Ready to explode at any moment they dance with their girls, the air vibrating with the rhythms of mambo, rock 'n' roll and jazz. They belong to two enemy street gangs ruling the immigrant quarter - the Jets and the Sharks - and a clash is imminent. The Jets, sons of previous immigrants to America, are fighting the new arrivals from Puerto Rico, the Sharks, for domination of the streets in the area. Among them, Tony, a Jet, and Maria, sister to the leader of the Sharks, fall in love.

WEST SIDE STORY packs a powerful punch, both dramatically and musically. With choreography by the legendary Jerome Robbins, book by Arthur Laurents, score by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the show was ambitious in that each of the four aimed to contribute their talent equally and unreservedly. The result was awe-inspiring. They achieved a unity of music, dance, book and lyrics that no one had ever realised before, and that has hardly been matched since.

Youthful desires, fears and swagger described so tersely and precisely in Arthur Laurent's script, have been masterfully translated by legendary choreographer Jerome Robbins into some of the most exhilarating dance routines in the world of musical theatre, full of provocative finger snapping from street gangs and Puerto Rican girls' whirling skirts on New York City's flat rooftops.

The now-famous score by Leonard Bernstein braved uncharted waters at the time it was written, and combines influences from American jazz with classical and Latin American music to create a sublime work of art. The songs have gone on to become musical hits, with versions recorded by artists around the world.

Stephen Sondheim, then only an unknown young musician and lyricist who would later rise to great musical heights with works such as Gypsy, Sweeny Todd and Into The Woods, managed to condense the painful process of coming-of-age, passionate love and fateful conflict into concise and punchy song lyrics.

WEST SIDE STORY has been produced three times on Broadway, twice in London's West End, and enjoyed numerous US, UK and international tours over the last 60 years. The movie version, released in 1961, went on to win an incredible 10 Oscars (including Best Picture) and further cemented the reputation of this undoubted masterpiece.

Don't miss your chance to see this celebrated production of the greatest Broadway musical of all time.

BB Promotion GmbH in association with Sundance Productions, Inc. NY, Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and David Atkins Enterprises present a production of Michael Brenner.

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