Organization

Opera Australia

Stage director

Stage director (+4)

Francesca Zambello

Costume designer

Costume designer (+1)

Jennifer Irwin

Set designer

Brian Thomson

Conductor

Guy Simpson

Revival choreographer

Choreographer

Kiira Schmidt Carper

Lighting designer

John Rayment

Sound designer

Des O’Neill

Choreographer (+3)

Jerome Robbins

Orchestra

Opera Australia Orchestra

Assistant Stage Director

Stage director (+3)

Eric Sean Fogel

Revival Sound designer

Jake Luther

Tenor (+1)

Billy Bourchier

Tony

Soprano (+2)

Nina Korbe

Maria

Mezzo-soprano

Kimberley Hodgson

Anita

Baritone (+1)

Patrick Whitbread

Riff

Baritone

Manuel Stark Santos

Bernado

Wayne Scott Kermond

Actor (+1)

Scott Irwin

Schrank

Joe Clements

Krupke

Doron Chester

Glad Hand

Fleet Steps

Joel Granger

Soprano (+1)

Clarissa Spata

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 highestselling 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.

English

West Side Story

Sydney City

Australia

Staged

Music-theatre

We're building a chunk of New York's West Side in Sydney Harbour. See how designer Brian Thomson has brought New York icons to the harbour stage, and how he finds intimate spaces in the huge stage, to connect the audience to the drama.

West Side Story on Sydney Harbour | Interview with Set Designer Brian Thomson

Approved

Cast