The Storm King School Department of Visual and Performing Arts will perform three shows of  West Side Story on February 23-25.

Under the guidance of Directors Anne Fulton and Karen Eremin, Music Director Alva Nelson, and choreographer Jeanette Jacobson, the cast members have been hard at work since early December. The musical, which features a number of elaborate singing and dancing routines, will be performed by a large cast of Storm King students, faculty members, and students from Cornwall Central High School.

 

 

Following dress rehearsals next week, West Side Story will be performed at the Walter Reade, Jr. Theatre on Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24 at 7:00 pm and on Sunday, February 25 at 3:00 pm.

 

 

Pulled directly from the pages of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the musical takes place on New York’s West Side in the mid-1950s amidst widespread racial and social tension. The show begins as a war is building between two rival gangs fighting over the same piece of turf: born and bred New York boys, The Jets, and Puerto Rican immigrants The Sharks. In the midst of the battlefield are two young romantics, good-boy Tony, a Jet ready to leave the gang life behind, and wide-eyed Maria, the sister of Sharks leader, Bernardo. When Tony and Maria unexpectedly meet and fall for one another, the tension between the rival groups only escalates, leading to a bloody and senseless rumble that costs both sides young lives. In spite of the violence, the true story at the core of the show is two lovers trying to find a way to be together—and whether either can survive when hate and ignorance are unwilling to yield.

 

 

“The directors, cast, and crew (led by Liz Connell and A. River Holasek) have been working very hard, especially in these last few weeks before the show. The scenes and musical numbers are really coming together, and the students and faculty members are doing a great job. The addition of students from Cornwall High School added another dimension to the cast. It’s sure to be a great performance and it’s not to be missed,” explained an enthusiastic Mrs. Fulton, the Director of Theatre at Storm King.

 

West Side Story Cast:

THE JETS: RIFF, the leader: Jack Besterman; TONY, his friend: Scott Rolon; ACTION: Joseph Dawson; A-RAB: Cem Taviloglu; SNOWBOY: Stuart Hutzler; BIG DEAL: Cameron Franke; BABY JOHN: James Bailey

JET GIRLS: ANYBODYS: Elizabeth Pomeroy; GRAZIELLA: Morgan Papera; VELMA: Rory Tobin; MINNIE: Olivia O’Blaney; PAULINE: Victoria Smart; CLARICE: Sophia Pretto

THE SHARKS: BERNARDO, the leader: David Lu; CHINO, his friend: Tanestrran Chandra; PEPE: Robbie Hess; LUIS: Xilong David Ma; INDIO: Brendan Ahmed

SHARK GIRLS: MARIA: Asia Raacke; ANITA: Allegra Walker; ROSALIA: Tamar Haham; CONSUELA: Caroline Hecht; FRANCESCA: Giselle Morales; ESTELLA: Tiana Vazquez; MARGARITA: Thanyakumari Chandra; DOLORES: Emily Doles

ADULTS: SCHRANK: Ray Hecht; OFFICER KRUPKE: James Bennett; GLADHAND: Kevin Jacobson; DOC: Dennis Costello

CHORUS/DANCERS: Stephanie Appiah; Savannah Buon; Jianing Flora Cai; Caitlin Jones; Justice Pessoa; Jessica Zheng