West Side Story, Chicago Coming to Atlanta’s Cobb Energy Centre

The U.S. National tour version of “West Side Story” is coming to Atlanta, it was announced recently.

The traveling revival will visit the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center from December 13 to December 16 of this year. Tickets for the shows are expected to go on sale soon.

The revival is based on the classic 1957 musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and has been called the greatest love story of all time. It features the now classic songs “Something’s Coming,” “Tonight,” “America,” “I Feel Pretty” and “Somewhere.”

The original musical was nominated for six Tony Awards and won two: Best Choreography and Best Scenic Design. The 2009 revival, which the current tour is based on, was nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of  a Musical. Karen Olivo won the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical.

The now familiar story at the heart of the musical is set in an Upper West Side neighborhood in New York City in the mid-1950s. The plot explores the rivalry between two teenage street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. The Jets are a white and working-class group, while members of the Sharks are from Puerto Rico.

“West Side Story” debuted in September 1957 and ran for 732 performances. After the initial run, a national tour started and later returned to New York for another 253 performances. A West End version opened in London in 1958, and the first Broadway revival was staged in 1980.

The musical was adapted into a successful film in 1961 that was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The latter was the choreographer of the original musical. The film starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris.