A high-school production of West Side Story, one of the greatest musicals of all time, will be staged at the auditorium of the College of Music, Mahidol University, Salaya campus, from Friday until Sunday March 22-24 at 7pm.
It's a musical in which a 20th-century Romeo and Juliet are involved in New York street gangs. On the harsh streets of the Upper West Side, two gangs battle for control of the turf. The situation becomes complicated when a gang member falls in love with a rival's sister.
Music by the great Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, written and co-created by Arthur Laurents, and originally choreographed by Jerome Robbins, all authorised performance materials for this production are supplied by Music Theatre International (MTI).
The Young Artists Music Program (YAMP), the high-school division of Mahidol University's College of Music, is one of the very first schools in the world being awarded performance rights by the MTI for the school edition of this multiple Tony and Oscar winner.
According to YAMP principal Richard A Ralphs, who also directs the production, West Side Story, School Edition is not that different from the full version. There are only a few minutes of music cut and the script is all the same.
"It is a very difficult and demanding musical with a lot of 1950s New York dialogue," he said, adding that the music for both actors and musicians is extremely tough, and the dancing has to fit seamlessly into the whole.
"Of course, for many of our students, the hardest part will be working on dialogue. It's hard for professional actors, so you can imagine how difficult it must be for non-native speakers," he said.
However, many of the students, both in the orchestra and in the cast, have won national and international awards. Witchaphon "Pete" Onprapai, a Mathayom 6 student who alternatively plays Tony and Riff, is lead singer of the band Lingrom, a finalist of the Hotwave Music Awards 2018.
The leading lady, Maria, is played by Phatchalarwaree "Jasmin" Damrongthamprasert, another Mathayom 6 student who has over 300,000 subscribers on YouTube and was featured in a Dreambox production of Son, A New Musical.
Tickets cost 500, 800, 1,000 and 1,500 baht. For bookings, visit bit.ly/YAMPWSS.
Visit Facebook page: YAMP Voice Production.
