Lyric Opera 2018-2019 Issue 14 West Side Story

L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 6 | May 3 - June 2, 2019 Welcome to Lyric! Whether you’re a rst-timer or a regular visitor at the Lyric Opera House, we’re thrilled that you’ve joined us for West Side Story , a musical-theater masterpiece. It was hugely gratifying to all of us at Lyric to witness the reaction of our audiences when it was announced that we would be producing West Side Story this season. From emails, letters, phone calls, and subsequently the conversations we’ve had with patrons throughout the season, we’ve felt tremendous excitement. It’s been clear from the start that this show has created a special connection with people everywhere. In so many cases, that connection has been lifelong; whether seeing the show onstage or on lm, it remains unforgettable. e story the show tells is sadly very relevant and topical today, particularly in cities like ours. In creating West Side Story , Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, and Jerome Robbins made a very powerful statement. How devastatingly they bring out the absolute futility of the prejudice and con ict revealed by the passionate young men and women who populate this modern-day Romeo and Juliet . e hope that “there’s a place for us” is so deeply moving, with Sondheim’s simple, beautiful text complementing Bernstein’s exquisite music. And there is so much else to enjoy here – the incomparable melodies, the dancing, the romance. We’re excited to bring it all to you with a thrilling young cast full of “triple-threat” performers. Everyone onstage has the talent to make something totally memorable of these wonderful characters. As the idealistic lovers, Tony and Maria, you’ll see and hear two bright stars of musical theater: Corey Cott, a familiar face on Broadway, and Mikaela Bennett, who portrayed Maria last year for the BBC Proms in London. e other principals – Amanda Castro (Anita), Brett iele (Ri ), and Manuel Stark Santos (Bernardo) – are spectacular dancers who will bring tremendous brilliance and electricity to Jerome Robbins’s dances. Francesca Zambello has directed some extraordinary productions here, including American works ( Porgy and Bess, Show Boat ). Francesca’s staging of West Side Story , which has already triumphed at Houston Grand Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Atlanta Opera, is truly astonishing in its dramatic impact. With a formidably gifted production team and the brilliant James Lowe – who led Lyric’s wonderful Oklahoma! – again on the podium, West Side Story will thrill and exhilarate you, when it isn’t breaking your heart. Anthony Freud David T. Ormesher General Director, President & CEO Chairman e Women’s Board Endowed Chair From the General Director and Chairman STEVE LEONARD TODD ROSENBERG