West Side girls, and boys
THE Fugard Theatre’s final return South African season of the critically acclaimed West Side Story is now on at the Artscape Opera House.
Lynelle Kenned is reprising the role of Maria for which she won the Fleur du Cap for Best Actress in a Musical in 2016. Tony, the leader of the Jets gang, is played by US-born actor Kevin Hackm who has performed the role almost 400 times and recently completed the international tour playing the role in the 60th anniversary international tour of Michael Brenner’s production of West Side Story. His other hit show credits include: Les Miserables, Sweeney Todd, Catch Me If You Can: The Musical and The Civil War.
Other principal cast members reprising their roles are Bianca Le Grange as Anita, Stephen Jubber as Riff and Sven-Eric Müller as Diesel. Craig Urbani returns as Shrank, the role he performed in the Johannesburg season, with Richard Lothian once again playing Officer Krupke. Daniel Richards re-joins the cast as Bernardo and James Borthwick will take the role of Doc. Michael Fullard, Jonathan Raath, Cameron Botha, Benton-Steele Botes, Lee van der Merwe, Gemma Trehearn, Michèle la Trobe, Jenna Robinson-Child, Brittané van Loggerenberg, Clint Lesch, Duane Williams, Thami Njoko, Shaun Oelf, Tevin Wiener, Nurit Graff, Claire Boswell, Hardy Keeve, Kirsten Murphy Rossiter, Chloe Perling, Kirsty Ndawo, Ernestine Stuurman, Sarah-Ann van der Merwe, Julio Jantjies, Logan Timbre and Lesego van Niekerk complete the talented cast.
West Side Story, a production by Eric Abraham and the Fugard Theatre, exploded on to the Cape Town stage in the winter of 2015.
The musical, known globally for an unforgettable score that marries stirring music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, retells William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and is set in New York City’s Upper West Side in the late 1950s.
It follows the heart breaking, short-lived love story of two young and idealistic lovers, Tony and Maria, who are caught between two warring street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks.
The extended dynamic dance scenes and songs such as Something’s Coming, Maria, I Feel Pretty and Tonight, all set to Bernstein’s magnificent score, make for riveting theatre.
The Fugard Theatre West Side Story brings together the same award-winning core creative team behind other superb Fugard Theatre productions: 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, with Grant van Ster (Calling me Home, Aunty Merle the Musical) as resident choreographer. With a full orchestra and an outstanding cast of 40, West Side Story is once again set to sweep Capetonians off their feet.
West Side Story is at Artscape Opera House until April 15. Performances are from Tuesdays to Fridays at 8pm, on Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm and on Sundays at 2pm. Tickets from R150 to R470 are available through Artscape on 0214217695, Computicket on 08619158000 and any Shoprite or Checkers outlets.
Discounts for Friends of the Fugard and tickets are also available to the general public via the Fugard Theatre box office on 0214614554.