West Side Story
the U.S. Tour, 1997
book by Arthur Laurents | music by Leonard Bernstein
lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
directed and choreography by Alan Johnson / assisted by David Elliott
produced by Barry Brown, Marvin A. Krauss, Irving Siders and the Booking Office
Working with Alan Johnson, who had made a career of staging West Side Story (he was one of the first replacements in the original production from 1957) was an invaluable experience. Having grown up with the film, it was a tremendous opportunity to see how one so reverently and skillfully puts together such a well-known and well-loved musical.
All musicals are tremendously complex, but unlike working on a new show, Alan knew just how to do it. It was marvelous to witness firsthand someone so joyfully work at his craft.