A new take on West Side Story from director and Tony winner Ivo van Hove opened February 20 at the Broadway Theatre. The revival stars Shereen Pimentel (The Lion King) as Maria and Isaac Powell (Once on This Island) as Tony, with Yesenia Ayala (Carousel) as Anita.
Joining the trio are Amar Ramasar (Carousel) as Bernardo, Jacob Guzman (Newsies) as Chino, Ahmad Simmons (Hadestown) as Diesel, Danny Wolohan (To Kill a Mockingbird) as Officer Krupke, Daniel Oreskes (Oslo) as Doc, Thomas Jay Ryan (The Crucible) as Lt. Schrank, Pippa Pearthree (Tuck Everlasting) as Glad Hand, and Kevin Csolak (Mean Girls) as A-Rab. A total of 33 performers make their Broadway debuts with this production, including Dharon E. Jones as Riff, Matthew Johnson as Baby John, Elijah A. Carter as Action, and Zuri Noelle Ford as Anybodys.
The Scott Rudin production features scenic and lighting design by Jan Versweyveld, choreography by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, costumes by An D'Huys, sound design by Tom Gibbons, and video design by Luke Halls.
READ: What Does West Side Story Look Like With New Choreography?
Rounding out the company are ensemble members Alexa De Barr, Gabi Campo, Daniel Ching, Lorna Courtney, Marc Crousillat, Stephanie Crousillat, Roman Cruz, Israel Del Rosario, Jordan Dobson, Tyler Eisenreich, Armando Eleazar, Marlon Feliz, Satori Folkes-Stone, Constance François, Yesy Garcia, Carlos Gonzalez, Jennifer Gruener, Jarred Manista, Michaela Marfori, Ilda Mason, Michelle Mercedes, Mina Pinerom, Michael Seltzer, Corey John Snide, Sheldon True, Ricky Ubeda, Madison Vomastek, Tony Ward, Bridget Whitman, and Kevin Zambrano.
Audiences can expect a few changes in this modern adaptation of the musical by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Jerome Robbins, including the use of the film’s version of “America,” a tightened runtime, and the removal of “I Feel Pretty.” This also marks the first major New York production to stray from Robbins' original choreography.
In addition to the Broadway stage, the beloved musical is also gearing up for its return to the big screen, with a new film adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Tony Kushner arriving in movie theatres next December.
