Opera Australia and GWB Entertainment have announced one of the most celebrated musicals of all time is coming to Crown Perth this June.
The iconic West Side Story will be retold on the Crown Perth stage, and Opera Australia Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini is excited to bring the production to Perth audiences.
“West Side Story is one of the greatest pieces of musical theatre ever written, which is evidenced by sold out performances worldwide. Finally bringing the production back to Australia in 2021 to continue the success of the 2019 international tour was an opportunity that we just couldn’t pass up,” said Terracini.
GWB Entertainment’s Torben Brookman adds “Musicals like West Side Story only come along once in a lifetime. This piece transformed musical theatre around the world and is as relevant today as it was when first staged. It is a privilege to be working with BB Group, Opera Australia and QPAC to bring this production to Perth.”
A modern reimagining of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; this tragic love story tells the tale of two young people whose happiness is destroyed by the hate of two enemy camps in the heart of New York City; The Jets, children of previous immigrants to America, face off against the more recent arrivals from Puerto Rico, The Sharks, for domination of the streets.
Producers says the musical is the product of the genius of its four creators, a remarkable collaboration between Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim and Jerome Robbins, who produced a masterpiece on Broadway in 1957 whose artistic quality remains unquestioned to this day.
Now former pupil of Jerome Robbins, Joey McKneely’s vibrant new stage production returns to Australia after wild acclaim world-wide. Since the first world tour in 2003, there have been more than 1500 performances of McKneely’s award-winning production of West Side Story. Joey McKneely is a two-time Tony Award nominated choreographer whose Broadway credits include Smokey Joe’s Café, The Life, Twelfth Night, The Wild Party and The Boy From Oz.
West Side Story is running at Crown Perth from 29th June til 17th July. For tickets and more information, head to westsidestory.com.au
OIP Staff, image: Jeff Busby
Love OUTinPerth Campaign
Help support the publication of OUTinPerth by contributing to our
GoFundMe campaign.
