“West Side Story” will be presented Thursday March 30, Friday March 31, and Saturday April 1 at 7:30 p.m. as well as Sunday, April 2 at 2 p.m. The show will be staged at Holyoke High School North in the John F. Sears Auditorium.
The performances are under the direction of Choral Music Director Mark Todd, his 23rd production at HHS North in his 25-year career at the school. The production includes 40 performers and 20 stage crew members.
“West Side Story” debuted as a Broadway theater production in 1957 and was later adapted into films and a novel. Holyoke High School’s cast and crew will bring to life this classic story of love as a powerful force that can break down barriers that separate people. The plot revolves around two rival gangs—the Sharks and the Jets—and what happens when a former gang member falls in love with the sister of a rival gang member. The final scene carries a powerful message of the urgent need for change, which still rings true even after 60 years.
Tickets are $8 for students, $10 for staff, and $12 for the general public. There is Golden Circle Seating in the first four rows of the center section for $20. All seats are reserved. Tickets can be purchased at click4tix.com or at the door.
Cast members include:
Veronica Colon (playing Maria),
Jacob Rivera (Tony)
Azalea Ramirez (Anita)
Damian Mateo (Riff)
Devonny Lopez (Bernardo)
Samantha Brennan (Anybody’s)
Cian Callahan (Action)
Shane Bourgeois (A-rab)
Jayden Lopez (Chino)
Joseph Albino (Diesel)
Aiden Fontanez Courchesne (Baby John)
Jake Swindell (Big Deal)
Gavin Sullivan (Snowboy)
Michael Rivera (Pepe)
Ben Bedford (Anxious)
Conrad Broderick (Luis)
Aolanis Figueroa Pinto (Rosalia)
Gissel Santos Ruiz (Consuelo)
Mikayla Gamble (Francisca)
Sajanie Cotto Battle (Graziella)
Francesca Crescentini (Krupke & Margarita)
Ed Hart (Doc)
Kevin Bechard (Shrank)
Lynn Bechard (Gladhands)
Luis Melendez (Nibbles)
Talitha Hernandez (Indio)
Ella Washington (Velma)
Isabella Murphy (Pauline)
Brianna Figueroa (Clarice)
Marialis Camacho (Minnie)
Kaiya Thomas Rivera (Teresita)
Aniya Gomez (Estella)
Cassidy Padua, Lily Tapion, Ryn Sullivan, Jazzlyn Davila, Azariah Heredia, Savannah Donnelly, and Leancy Ruiz (Estella)
Sarah Kaifer and Brenna Phillips (stage managers)