The masterpiece “par excellence” of the musical theater, acclaimed by spectators from all over the world, after the great success of the public and criticism obtained at the Sistine Theater in Rome, is about to start on a summer tour, in the suggestive Italian archaeological arenas, and will also stop in Sicily: the musical-kolossal “West Side Story”, in the version adapted for the Italian public by Massimo Romeo Piparo who also signs the direction. Palcoscenic of the Antico Theater of Taormina, Friday 19 and Saturday 20 September (tickets already on sale on the Ticketone and Tickettando circuits).
Taken from the musical of the same name that Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Jerome Robbins created in 1957 inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Giulietta” and from which the famous film directed by Robbins himself was also made in 1961, which obtained ten Oscar awards, this show with an immortal story also promises intense emotions. To its strong themes, such as the contrasted love between two young people and the rivalry between two opposing gangs destined to result in tragedy.
With the extraordinary soundtrack made up of Bernstein played by the great live orchestra directed by Maestro Emanuele Friello, on stage over 30 artists: in the role of Tony, Luca Gaudiano (winner of Sanremo Giovani in 2021 and the edition of last year of the variety of Rai1 “Tale and which show”) and in that of Maria, Natalia Dirpolini, already in the cast of “Cats” by Mr Piparo. The show is produced by Peepparrow Entertainment in collaboration with Sistine and with the choreography of Billy Mitchell, the original sets of Ricardo Sanchez Cuerda supervised by Teresa Caruso, the costumes of Cecilia Betona, the lights of Daniele Ceprani and the sound of Stefano Gorini.
“This show binds the genre of the musical, perhaps more than any other, to its original mother: the melodrama”, explains Massimo Romeo Piparo. “Bernstein’s fabulous music make this musical a jewel, a masterpiece of the musical theater: a great love story inspired by the Romeo and Juliet of Shakespeare, which tells a relationship fought by two factions of New York in the 1950s. The themes are very current and confirm how much the theme of immigration has crossed the whole world and every modern era. The great strength of this work- continues the director, producer and artistic director of the Sistine Theater- who with his over 60 people involved, has all the trappings of the great Kolossal “.
In now almost 70 years of life, West Side Story has been able to speak at all times and all ages: a glorious career testified by a long trail of audience and critics successes, as well as by the many prizes won. If the theatrical comedy obtained an amazing welcome to Broadway and London, remaining on the factual scenes to date and continuing to be represented in numerous revivals, the film definitively consecrated the success of this exciting story, in which love and courage are opposed to violence and intrality. With an extraordinary fusion of drama, music and dance, accompanied by the colorful 1950s atmospheres and by the unforgettable songs by Bernstein, among others, “Maria”, “America”, “Somewhere” and “Tonight”, the show tells the contrasted love story between Tony and Maria, two young people belonging to completely different worlds, and the disagreements between two gangs that compete for the predominance of the district West Side: the “Jets”, a group of white natives led by Riff, and the “Sharks”, Puerto Rican immigrants led by Bernardo.