Famed musical returns to Fugard

The musical production West Side Story returns to Cape Town next year.

The multiple award-winning musical first premiered on Broadway in 1957.

It is based on an original conception of Jerome Robbins with the book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

West Side Story 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 tragic, ageless tale of 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.

Tickets are available through Computicket; Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695 or call the Fugard Theatre Box Office on 021 461 4554 for details.