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     Something's comin', something good.....

             Welcome to our MHS production of West Side Story. It is my privilege to present our cast, our crew, production staff and pit orchestra to you all. Our journey began in June 2016 and has been but a dream ever since. When preparing for this production we knew that this brilliant work would be timely and meaningful for all involved, but soon realized it would exceed all of our expectations. 

This year marks the 60th anniversary of West Side Story opening on Broadway. In 1957, a team that could only be described as a "once-in-a-lifetime" genius collaboration: Leonard Bernstein (score), Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), Arthur Laurents (book) and Jerome Robbins (Director/Choreographer), had been working on the idea of a show about a modern-day Romeo and Juliet in the 1950’s. It took ten years to come together until it was decided that it would depict the youth gang culture of the upper west side. 

West Side Story was welcomed and adored by many in the performing arts community as it introduced a whole new concept to musical theater; a variety of dance and musical genres for each number, less dialogue and more storytelling through dance, a more complex musical score, complicated social issues and difficult subject matter, and the depiction of a classic Shakespearean play set to a urban backdrop.

           The world would soon fall in love with the show through the film version (1961), and after winning Best Picture, 10 Oscars and several Broadway Revivals, West Side Story has yet to be matched and probably never will be. When discussing with our cast why this is, original Broadway Jet (Big Deal) Martin Charnin, explained that it is because we will never have Bernstein, Sondheim, Laurents and Robbins together ever again. This was, as he said, a magical occurence. 

      Our MHS production of West Side Story has been an exciting, moving and memorable experience, to say the least. Through this incredible work, we remain in awe of how rich yet delicate it is. This work demands maturity and fearlessness; and how willing we all have been and excited to meet the challenege. The approach to this show was treated with great respect and truth - as all shows should be - but as this is such an iconic piece of art, it seemed imperative that all involved would be able to get as much out of this experience as possible. 

Through months of research, listening, discussion, reading, singing, dancing and observation - our cast, crew and pit of beautiful and talented students dissected West Side Story scene-by-scene, note-by-note, step-by-step. For the last few months, Saturdays have been reserved for workshops, dancing on dancing on dancing and scene work and always with smiles, laughs and encouragement - A true testament to how dedicated our students have been and how demanding this show is of all involved.

When you consider the timelessness and timeliness of West Side Story, it's a bit overwhelming. Few shows capture the essence of human emotion through dance, music and drama on a balanced level and few shows get this response from the audience. The story itself remains true for all of us, hence its incredible impact over the last 60 years. 

It's certain that you are all familiar with at least one or all of the songs from West Side and can recall its importance. The beauty and power of this piece has reminded all of us why we love musical theater, why we need love, dance and music in our lives and why stories like West Side should be told. And if that does not convince you, just listen to "Somewhere." 

My love and praise go out to all of our cast, crew, musicians, directors, teachers, families and guest artists for making this dream a reality. I don’t want it to end but know that this will never be forgotten. 

Thank you for joining us, this evening. We hope you enjoy West Side Story.

                                                                                                                                  With great pride and love,

Elyse Gellert, director