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Opera

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour - West Side Story Tickets

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Australia

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Tonight, tonight the world is wild and bright. Going mad, shooting sparks into space!

West Side Story exploded onto Broadway in 1957 in a sensational storm of exuberant dance and wistful romance. It was a phenomenon that never faded, “an incandescent piece of work” (The New York Times).

In 2024, this musical masterpiece returns to Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour in an electrifying, larger-than-life staging. Experience the greatest score ever written for musical theatre, dynamic dance numbers that soar through the open air, and a love story for the ages.

It’s war on New York’s Upper West Side, and the Jets and the Sharks are locked in a fierce turf battle. But as the two teen gangs hurtle down a dangerous path, Tony and Maria cross enemy lines, dreaming of a time and place where they can love freely.

Leonard Bernstein’s score is punctuated with hits: ‘America’, ‘Tonight’, ‘Maria’, ‘I Feel Pretty’, and the enduring ‘Somewhere’.

Opera and musical theatre great Francesca Zambello directs a production that revels in all that’s beautiful about West Side Story, with designers Brian Thomson and Jennifer Irwin transforming Sydney into a slice of New York.

See why this staging became the highest selling ever on the harbour-top stage, delighting audiences and critics. Limelight called it “a wonderful production that uses the large, outdoor space cleverly, thrills with its electrifying choreography and catchy, complex score ★★★★½”.

If you’ve never been to Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, prepare for a remarkable night out. Arrive early to enjoy the sun setting over Sydney Harbour as you raise a glass and drink in the view at one of the five pop-up bars and restaurants on site. Then take your place in the grandstand by the water to enjoy the enthralling show, complete with live orchestra hidden beneath the dramatic stage and fireworks in the balmy night air.

★★★★★ – Cultural Binge
“a perfect Sydney night out” – Cultural Binge

“THIS exuberant revival of a hit musical born as long ago as 1957 hits the mark with a fresh young cast and a message as relevant today as it was in Shakespeare’s time.” – Daily Telegraph

“a triumphant spectacle” - TimeOut
★★★★ – TimeOut

“magic” “remarkable”
– The Guardian
★★★★ – The Guardian

“It’s as if every other performance of West Side Story you’ve seen was in black and white, whilst this one was in full technicolour. Such was the intensity of the brilliance of so many aspects of this production that it felt fresh and more detailed than any I have watched before.” – Stage Whispers
 

★★★★ – SMH
“The 40-strong ensemble excels vocally, and the orchestra under Guy Simpson is as sharp as a flick knife, the rhythm section deserving a special nod.” – SMH
“The production revels in the vast, on-harbour stage, creating a widescreen cinematic effect” – SMH
“It’s the perfect answer to the question of where to take a visitor to Sydney.” – SMH

DATES
22 March–21 April 2024

VENUE
Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point, Sydney

LANGUAGE
Performed in English.

RUNNING TIME
Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one interval.

PLEASE NOTE
This production contains strong language, adult themes and a depiction of sexual violence; not recommended for children under the age of 12.