LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Lockport Palace Theater is bringing one of musical theater's most iconic shows to the stage this weekend, with a cast of local performers breathing new life into "West Side Story."
The show opens Friday, July 10, and runs through July 19.
The production features a cast of performers from across Western New York, including students and recent graduates from Niagara University and SUNY Fredonia.
Sophia Bayrón, who plays Anita, said the role holds deep personal meaning for her.
"I've been dreaming about this since I was a little girl and the fact that I finally got that opportunity, it still feels so surreal," Bayrón said. "Definitely growing up with my grandmother, she definitely taught me a lot about my heritage, about the Puerto Rican heritage, and it's so very important to me, and I carry it with me every single day of my life and I love how I get to show this and present it in the show."
Bayrón said her favorite number to perform is "America," a song she described as culturally important.
"I feel like everyone needs to hear that," she said. "Everyone needs to see like, hey, we're here and we belong," Bayrón said.
Brianna Garcia, who plays Maria, said landing the role was a dream come true.
"Just genuinely amazing and just knowing that they had the confidence in me to be able to take on that role among so many people that I love, that was just a wonderful experience for me," Garcia said.
Garcia said the show's music and dance numbers combine to create a powerful experience for audiences.
"A really, really big spectacle but inside a beautifully heartwarming story," she said.
Hayden Carr, who plays Tony, said the weight of the show's iconic moments presented both a challenge and a reward.
"There's countless iconic moments from the show, and I've just been trying to do each of them justice," Carr said. "When you finally see the finished product work out, that has been just so fulfilling."
Carr said his favorite number is the "Tonight Quintet" at the end of Act One.
"It shows each and every group interacting in their own way, in their own spotlight, and it just comes together in a beautiful culmination at the end," he said.
Aiden Herrold, who plays Riff, said the production has been a chance to expand beyond the Buffalo theater scene. Herrold, a recent SUNY Fredonia graduate, said he was encouraged to audition by one of his professors, who is also the show's fight choreographer.
"The arts should be supported," Herod said. "It's just really important to make sure that our students are well supported."
Terry Phillips Vaughn, the show's choreographer and chair of the theater department at Niagara University, said the cast's energy and dedication made the process special.
"They're the age kids are supposed to be, and so they bring that raw energy and passion to everything they do," Vaughn said. "I challenged them and they rose to the occasion. They astonished me every day."
Vaughn said the "Dream Ballet" sequence was particularly challenging due to its changing time signatures.
"As dancers, we like to count in 8 or count in 4, and in the ballet, it's often in 5," she said. "It goes against the way we as trained dancers want to move."
Vaughn also praised Carr's performance of "Maria."
"It's just so beautiful and so heartfelt and breathtaking," Vaughn said.
"It's going to make you laugh, it's going to make you cry," Vaughn said. "It's going to just touch you in so many ways. It's worth the drive to Lockport. You will not be sorry."
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