Loosely based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, set in New York City in the mid-1950’s, the West Side Story tells of the tragic love of Tony and Maria, who belong to rival gangs in a climate of hate and intolerance. The Florentine edition will be bilingual: the dialogue will be in Italian, the songs in English, with the original choreography by Jerome Robbins. Subtitles in Italian and English will be displayed above the stage.
The 1962 film based on the play of the same name won 10 of the 11 Oscars for which it was nominated, including Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins), Best Supporting Actor (George Chakiris) and Best Supporting Actress (Rita Morena). (anne lokken)