CEDAR CITY – Due to recent water damage at the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre, the Utah Shakespeare Festival will not be able to present the musical “West Side Story” this summer.
Instead, the festival will present the Shakespeare classic upon which the 1957 racially charged musical is based, “Romeo and Juliet,” said Derek Charles Livingston, the festival’s interim artistic director.
“The addition of ‘Romeo and Julie’ supports the entertaining, educational and enriching experience that typifies why our patrons return year after year to celebrate Shakespeare’s works at the festival,” he said.
Over the holidays, a water pipe burst in the outdoor Engelstad Theatre, causing considerable flooding. Sound equipment necessary to produce musicals in the theater was damaged beyond repair.
Supply chain issues, festival officials add, make it impossible to repair or replace that equipment before the June 21 opening of the annual Shakespeare event.
Because producing musicals requires more sophisticated sound, microphones and mixing equipment, festival organizers were forced to cancel “West Side Story,” which had been scheduled for June 21-Sept. 8.
But the festival can still produce non-musical plays in the Engelstad Theatre.
“It is poetic that this production of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is the brilliant solution to this challenge,” said Michael Bahr, the festival’s interim managing director. “We are thrilled with the opportunity this provides to tell this timeless tale in this beautiful space for our audiences.”
“West Side Story” is set in the upper west side of Manhattan in New York City, which in the 1950s was a multi-racial, blue-collar neighborhood.
Against the rivalry of two street gangs, the familiar romance between Tony and Maria plays out to its tragic conclusion.
“West Side Story” marked a turning point in musical theatre due to its dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes and its focus on social problems.
At the festival, “Romeo and Juliet” will be directed by Shakespeare festival veteran Betsy Mugavero. She played the title role of Juliet in 2017, performed in “Peter and the Starcatcher” in 2013, “Shakespeare in Love” in 2017 and “The Book of Will” in 2019. Mugavero also directed the festival’s touring rendition of “Much Ado About Nothing” in 2022.
Bahr calls “Romeo and Juliet” the “perfect match with the rest of our season and we know that guests will be captivated by the contrast this production will provide.”
The remainder of the festival season will be unaffected by the water damage to the Engelstad Theatre.
The season will include “Emma,” a musical based on the Jane Austin story; the classic “A Raisin in the Sun;” “The Play that Goes Wrong,” a comedy; and three of Shakespeare’s works: “A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream,” “Timon of Athens” and “Coriolanus.”
The Utah Shakespeare Festival will run from June 21-Oct. 7.
Read the full story here, Cache Valley Daily
Written by CHARLIE SCHILL, cachevalleydaily.com.