Sat 5/4 @ 8PM
Leonard Bernstein’s musical West Side Story, which debuted on Broadway in 1957, is one of the most beloved musicals of all time, despite its downbeat subject matter and lack of a happy ending. Based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, it famously tells the story of two rival New York gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, and the star-crossed lovers, Maria and Tony, who fall in love across those faction lines. It produced such classic tunes as “Tonight,” “Somewhere,” “Maria,” “I Feel Pretty” and “America” (which today contains a new level of irony, sing from the viewpoint of a Puerto Rican relocated to the mainland).
For its next concert, the Akron Symphony Orchestra will perform a special symphony version of the musical, featuring the complete Broadway score and all the beloved songs. The lead roles of Tony and Maria will be sung by local pop singer/actor Connor Bogart O’Brien, who has performed on orchestra and theater stages around the country, and opera singer Zulimar López-Hernández, who, like Maria in the original musical, is Puerto Rican. Local singer/actress Trinidad Snider sings Maria’s best friend Anita, who performs the punchy, sly “America.”
Tickets start at $25 for the performance at E.J. Thomas Hall. Music director Christopher Wilkins will talk about the performance in A Preview from the Podium at 7pm.