£45.00
Out of stock
Date 14/11/1958
Manchester Opera House – West Side Story 1958 Signed UK Premiere
A signed programme from the Opera House, Manchester, dated 14 November 1958, the British premiere of West Side Story and its pre-London run.
Leonard Bernstein’s music and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, with a book by Arthur Laurents and choreography by Jerome Robbins, retold Romeo and Juliet on the streets of New York.
The cast included Marlys Watters, Don McKay, Chita Rivera and George Chakiris. A landmark piece of signed theatre memorabilia from the moment one of the greatest musicals ever written first reached British audiences.
| Production | West Side Story |
|---|---|
| Venue | Opera House – Manchester |
| Cast | Marlys Watters – Don McKay, Chita Rivera – Hal Galili, George Chakiris – Marlys Watters. |
Signed programme for the pre-London tryout run of the Leonard Bernstein Stephen Sondheim musical "West Side Story".
The British premiere was on 14 November 1958 at the Manchester Opera House, where the show ran for just twenty performances before transferring to London for its 1039 performance run, commencing on 12 December.
This 6" x 9" Manchester programme has been signed by two of the cast members: Sylvia Tysick (Anybody's) and Francesca Bell (Rosalia).
Also in the cast were George Chakiris (Riff, not Bernardo, who he played in the movie), Marlys Watters (Maria) and Chita Rivera, reprising her Broadway role of Anita.
Condition: V Good, vlcr
Did you know?
- West Side Story first opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in September 1957.
- Chita Rivera created the role of Anita on Broadway and repeated it for the London production.
- George Chakiris played Riff on stage in London, then won an Academy Award for playing Bernardo in the 1961 film.
SKU: T03064
