West Side Story sell out

Six performances of Leonard Bernstein’s popular musical West Side Story, staged by Reigate Grammar School students, sold out within 48 hours of tickets going on sale. The musical, which ran nightly at the Reigate Road school until 8 December, proved so popular that an extra Saturday matinée was added to the timetable.

Set in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, West Side Story explores the rivalry between two teenage gangs and is based on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The young protagonist Tony, who belongs to the white gang, falls in love with Maria, the sister of the leader of the rival Puerto Rican gang. The performances at Reigate Grammar are the culmination of six months of hard
work by staff and students who begun learning the parts during their summer holiday. A cast of 54 students sees 17 year old Andy Gallo and 17 year old Stephanie Briscoe take the lead roles of Tony and Maria. The actors are accompanied on stage by a 19 strong orchestra of students and staff.

Commented Miss Sarah Branston, Direct of Drama at RGS: ”West Side Story is a challenging production to put on as a school as all the major roles require the ability to act, dance and sing. As with any production, what is needed is not only highly skilled performers, but a great deal of time, energy and commitment. That our students manage to give such convincing and professional performances when the majority are also preparing for GCSE
and A Level exams at the same time, is a credit to their dedication and organisation.”

She added: “We are very fortunate to have pulled in a wide audience across the six performances, not only the parents whose children perform in the musical. The rate at which tickets sold was quite phenomenal. I know that the students and staff here have immensely enjoyed the West Side Story experience and we will all be sad when it comes to the final curtain.”

The sell out performances at RGS follow the work’s world premiere in 1957 in New York’s Winter Garden Theatre were the show was a run-away success, leading to 733 sold-out performances despite critics’ original concerns about the comic-tragic darkness of the musical. West Side Story is based on a conception of Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents’ book with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

December 07