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'West Side Story' Cancels Broadway Return

'West Side Story' Cancels Broadway Return
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West Side Story

As the lights of Broadway turn back on this fall, West Side Story, a reimagined revival of the classic musical, goes dark.

On Monday, the show announced that the revival will not be returning to the stage this upcoming season, making it one of the biggest productions yet to become a casualty of the pandemic.

"It is with great regret that we are announcing today that the 2020 Broadway revival of West Side Story will not reopen," producer Kate Horton said in a statement. "This difficult and painful decision comes after we have explored every possible path to a successful run, and unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, reopening is not a practical proposition. We thank all the brilliant, creative artists who brought West Side Story to life at the Broadway Theatre, even for so brief a time, especially the extraordinary acting company, 33 of whom made their Broadway debuts in this production."

West Side Story opened in February 2020, shortly before the pandemic forced theaters to close. The fourth adaptation of the legendary musical put a current spin on the rival street gangs caught up in the classic tale of love.

In April, the show's lead producer, Scott Rudin, announced that he was stepping back from his roles in Broadway productions after coming under fire for a long history of bullying employees and actors.

However, several other shows produced by Rudin are planning to return to Broadway including Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird with Jeff Daniels, which resumes performances on October 5.

Despite the musical's cancellation, fans of West Side Story will soon be able to see Tony and Maria in theaters. The Stephen Spielberg-produced film, starring Rita Moreno, Rachel Zegler, and Ansel Elgort, premieres December 10.

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Luke Keller