Friday, January 4, 2008

WEST SIDE STORY / 50 YEARS LATER

28 members of the original cast of West Side Story celebrated the show's 50th anniversary by appearing in the "Gypsy Of The Year" Awards at the New Amsterdam Theatre in Times Square.

"Snowboy" from the original production, Grover Dale reports:


On Sunday, Dec 16, I was one of 28 dancers from the original company of "West Side Story" to gather in New York for an event honoring the creativity of Broadway gypsies and the AIDS-related fund-raising they accomplish every year. For most of us, "The 2007 Gypsy Of The Year Awards" was the first opportunity we've had to re-connect with a performing experience that made theatrical history when it opened at the Wintergarden Theatre on September 26, 1957.

We were back. Fifty years apart didn't change the family dynamic. The backstage laughter and the passion we brought to the stage remained intact. If anything, it was bigger and better than ever. Three glorious days of re-uniting are summed up in this 4-minute video. Stephen Sondheim nailed it when he wrote:

"When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way, from your first cigarette, to your last dyin' day…when you're a Jet, you stay a Jet…"

Grover D