Organization

Festival Ljubljana

Stage director

Mykal Rand

Conductor

Michael Bradley

Set designer

Jason Denvir

Costume designer

Sound designer

Chris Whybrow

Singer

Tenor

Filippo Adami

Tony

Soprano

Rosalia Morales

Maria

English

West Side Story

Ljubljana

Slovenia

Križanke

WEST SIDE STORY

Public

Slovenian

Approved

RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra

In 1957, Broadway staged the premiere of the musical West Side Story. The history of the New World’s musical centre dates back to the 18th century; however, a significant developmental moment in the history of US musical art is found in the musicals of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II (The Sound of Music, etc.) West Side Story was a considerable shift away from the existing conventions of traditional musicals, which included story, text and music; the subject matter was relevant at the time, the story itself ends tragically, while the music was written by the conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, who staged works of the great classical composers. The reactions to the first performance were thrilling; critics described the musical as a provocative and artful combination of music, dance, and a story that embodies the pulse and sweetness of the city that never sleeps. The story is set in mid-1950s Manhattan and depicts the rivalry between two gangs belonging to different ethnic backgrounds and, inspired by Shakespeare’s drama Romeo and Juliet, the impossibility of a romantic relationship between members of different gangs. There are also film versions of West Side Story – the most recent one in 2021 was directed by Steven Spielberg.

The musical will be performed in English with Slovene surtitles.

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew