The final curtain has just fallen on Broadway for
West Side Story
.
The revisited version of the famous musical will not resume its performances when New York theaters reopen, the producer of the show announced on Monday.
Kate Horton, however, has not established a link with the Covid-19 pandemic which forced Broadway to lower the curtain for nearly a year and a half.
"It is with great regret that we announce today that the 2020 version of
West Side Story
on Broadway will not resume," she said in a statement, citing a "difficult and painful decision."
“Unfortunately, for various reasons, taking over is not a realistic solution,” said Kate Horton, before thanking the teams who worked “even for such a short time” on the musical.
Many obstacles
Staged by the Belgian director Ivo van Hove, who had given him an unprecedented makeover,
West Side Story
21st century version gave pride of place to a much more diverse cast than the initial show and tackled current themes such as police violence or rape. This musical had started its performances in February 2020, just one month before the Covid-19 forced the world of American culture to close shop.
But the pandemic hasn't been the only obstacle on the road to
West Side Story
.
Its lead producer, Scott Rudin, was notably forced to give way to Kate Horton after bullying accusations surfaced, and one of the main comedians, Amar Ramasar, has been accused of inappropriate behavior dating back to his years in the company. of the New York Ballet Troupe.
West Side Story
should nevertheless have the right to a modern version, this time in the cinema, with Steven Spielberg in the maneuver and a theatrical release in December.
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