ST. LOUIS — Loosely based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is a love story that has endured the test of time. Which is why the Muny in Forest Park is proud to welcome the classic Sharks and Jets rivalry back to the stage for the first time in over a decade.
It’s the story of Tony and Maria. Star crossed lovers from different sides of the tracks. Kanisha Feliciano is portraying the young Puerto Rican Immigrant leaving her sheltered life behind, Maria. The role of Tony, is played by Christian Douglas.
"It's between the Puerto Ricans and the sort of Eastern European immigrants and Italians, and they meet each other and fall in love. Despite all the adversity around them, they're just drawn to each other like magnets," Douglas said.
There have been two feature films and countless theatrical productions of West Side Story, but you are sure to see something new during the week-long run in Forest Park. These performers are drawing from their own, unique experiences to bring Tony and Maria to life. Feliciano explained that she draws inspiration from her family, "They came over to the mainland, to the States when my mom was 14, so she really lived through a lot of the themes in the show. I call up my grandma and listen to her talk about her growing up and being a girl and what it was like to move to the states and pursue the American dream," she said.
Douglas is taking cues from the text and his own life, "I consider myself a romantic and this idea of love blossoming. And that's kind of a desert of of hate and violence. It just is an inspiring and beautiful story to me. So I kind of latch on to that," he said.
While these two leads have an impressive list of credits, they are making their Muny Debut with West Side Story.
"It has been a dream of mine for a very long time and I'm so thankful that I get to not only work here, but do this show," Feliciano said.
"Everyone that I've ever talked to who has worked here or seen things, that community has told me that it's magic. And since being here, they're absolutely right, I can attest. So come to the Muny. See a show. It's a beautiful, magical experience," Douglas said.
It’s your chance to fall in love with West Side Story all over again. Don’t miss out on the return of the epic love story, hitting the stage Live in the Lou.
To purchase tickets and for further information, visit muny.org.
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THIS ARTICLE INVOLVES COMMERCIAL CONTENT SPONSORED BY THE MUNY AT FOREST PARK. THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FEATURED APPEAR AS PAID ADVERTISING. FOR MORE INFORMATION, EMAIL US AT SMSL@KSDK.COM.
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