“West Side Story” was the first Broadway musical I ever saw. I was barely four years old, but I remember every second of that extraordinary theatrical experience. Since then, I’ve seen the film at least ten times and know the lyrics to every song.
West Side Story is one of the most memorable, innovative, heart-wrenching, powerful acclaimed musicals of all time. it’s also one of the greatest love stories based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and thanks to the brilliant Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim score, which includes ‘Tonight’, ‘Maria’, ‘America and the classic ‘Somewhere’ the show has some of the best songs ever written.
Now to the production at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. There’s one word to describe it — brilliant.
Eddie Egan as Tony, Ashley Marie as Maria, Marlene Martinez as Anita, Michael Starr as Riff, and Armando Yearwood, Jr as Bernardo are absolutely amazing. Their singing, dancing, and acting will leave you breathless. The rest of the cast are equally wonderful, bringing to life the story of two warring street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks as they fight to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice, which unfortunately is still relevant in today’s world.
West Side Story, directed by Richard Israel opened on Saturday, April 22 and runs through Sunday May 14, 2017. The theatre is located at 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.
Performances are 7:30pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8pm on Fridays; 2pm and 8pm on Saturdays; and 2pm on Sundays. Tickets range from $20-$70 and can be purchased at La Mirada theatre’s website-www.lamiradatheatre.com or by called the box office at 562-944-9801. Do not miss it,.
