Final SA season for Fugard Theatre’s ‘West Side Story’

West Side Story, a production by Eric Abraham and the Fugard Theatre returns to the Artscape Opera House stage for a final season in South Africa in March next year.

The musical is based on an original conception of Jerome Robbins with the book by Arthur Lau- rents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

The Fugard Theatre has brought together the same core creative team behind its productions of The Rocky Horror Show, Cabaret and Funny Girl – Matthew Wild is director, Charl-Johan Lingenfelder is musical director and conductor and Louisa Talbot is the choreographer. There will be a full orchestra in the pit and a cast of 40.

The show is set on the harsh streets of the Upper West Side neighbourhood of New York City in the mid-1950s and is inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Rival gangs, the Sharks and the Jets, battle in a turf-war to gain control of the neighbourhood. It gets complicated and tensions rise when Tony, a former member of the Jets and best friend of the gang leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo who is the leader of the Sharks.

When it premiered in the Mother City and Johannesburg the musical sold out quickly. It is clearly a production that is not to be missed and advance booking is highly recommended.

West Side Story is at the Artscape Opera House from March 7 for a limited season. Tickets are available through Computicket, Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 0214217695 or the Fugard Theatre box office on 0214614554.