Houston Grand Opera to Open West Side Story

On January 31, 2025, Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will open blockbuster musical West Side Story, created by composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim, choreographer Jerome Robbins, and playwright Arthur Laurents. Directed by the legendary Francesca Zambello with acclaimed conductor Roberto Kalb at the podium in his house debut, this co-production of HGO, Glimmerglass Festival, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago offers audiences the opportunity to experience the iconic, hit-filled musical in the opera house, performed by an incredible cast and the HGO Orchestra and Chorus.

Transporting Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to a New York setting, the production stars soprano Shireen Pimentel in her HGO debut as Maria, the role that won her an Outer Critics Circle Award on Broadway, with dazzling tenor Brenton Ryan as Tony and Broadway and film sensation Yesenia Ayala as Anita. Maria and Tony fall in instant, all-consuming love from the moment they meet on the dance floor—but their story is destined for tragedy, as they find themselves caught in the middle of a turf war between rival gangs the Sharks and the Jets.

The musical runs for 2 hours and 22 minutes, including one intermission. It is sung in English with projected English subtitles.