The colossal West Side Story at the Sistina

The colossal 'West Side Story' arrives on the stage of the Sistina theatre in Rome, in the version adapted for Italian audiences by Massimo Romeo Piparo, who also wrote the direction. The musical makes its debut in Rome on Saturday, 7 December. Based on the musical of the same name that Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Jerome Robbins created in 1957, inspired by William Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' and from which, in 1961, the famous film directed by Robbins himself was made, which won ten Oscars, this show tells the immortal story of the love between two young people and the rivalry between two opposing gangs that is destined to end in tragedy. A musical where love and courage are pitted against violence and intolerance.

West Side story Crediti: Gisanluca Saragò

On stage more than 30 performers, accompanied by the famous soundtrack composed by Bernstein, played by the large live orchestra conducted by Maestro Emanuele Friello. On stage in the role of Tony is Luca Gaudiano, winner of Sanremo Giovani in 2021 and last year's edition of the Rai1 variety show "Tale e Quale Show". In the role of Maria is Natalia Scarpolini, already in the cast of Piparo's "Cats". Produced by PeepArrow Entertainment in collaboration with Il Sistina and with choreography by Billy Mitchell, original sets by Ricardo Sanchez Cuerda supervised by Teresa Caruso, costumes by Cecilia Betona, lighting by Daniele Ceprani and sound by Stefano Gorini, "West Side Story" will accompany the Christmas holidays for Romans and tourists alike.

Crediti: Gianluca Saragò

In its almost 70 years of existence, West Side Story has spoken to all ages and ages, from its resounding reception on Broadway and in London, it has continued to be performed. A fusion of drama, music and dance, amidst the colourful atmospheres of the 1950s and Bernstein's unforgettable songs - including 'Maria', 'America', 'Somewhere' and 'Tonight' - the show tells the story of the thwarted love affair between Tony and Maria, two young people from completely different worlds, and the quarrels between two gangs vying for dominance in the Upper West Side neighbourhood: the 'Jets', a group of white natives led by Riff, and the 'Sharks', Puerto Rican immigrants led by Bernardo.

"This show," emphasises Massimo Romeo Piparo, "links the musical genre, perhaps more than any other, to its original mother: melodrama. Bernstein's fabulous music makes this musical a jewel, a masterpiece of musical theatre: a great love story inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which tells of a relationship fought over by two factions in 1950s New York. The themes are very topical and confirm how much the theme of immigration has crossed the world and every modern era'. At the heart of the story, Piparo recalls, is 'the clash between Americans and Puerto Ricans: a bizarrely central theme of the entire campaign for the election of the President of the United States. "The line is here...if you cross it you're dead. Stranger go home, here you don't pass,' goes a line from the anthem of the Americans, the Jets. It seems written for our times. And that is the great strength of this work, which, with its more than 60 people involved, has all the trappings of the great colossal'.

After "Tootsie", this new production strengthens the partnership signed by Peeparrow Entertainment and Teatro Sistina with Fineco, which will be the main sponsor for two years. "By supporting collaborations such as this," emphasises Paolo Di Grazia, Fineco's deputy general manager, "our bank is expressing a fundamental part of its approach to sustainability: making art accessible to a wide audience and promoting innovation in culture.