Original Cast Members Celebrate West Side Story’s 60th Anniversary at Dancers Over 40 Event

On September 26, 1957, West Side Story opened at the Winter Garden Theater to critical acclaim and a sure future as a perpetual audience favorite. The groundbreaking musical is as fresh today as the moment it debuted. To celebrate the occasion, some sixty years and one day on, eleven original cast members gathered at a special sold-out event produced by Dancers Over 40 in association with Broadway and film producer, Dennis Grimaldi, and former dancer and Tony Award winner, Joey Dedio. Cool! The 60th Anniversary and Reunion Event was hosted by Matt Rodin and featured a vibrant live performance by Drama Desk winner Jay Armstrong Johnson. The eleven original actor-singer-dancers of West Side Story were moderator of the panel, Martin Charnin (Big Deal), Grover Dale (Snowboy), Marilyn D’honau (Clarice), Carol Lawrence (Maria), Ronnie Lee (Nibbles), George Marcy (Pepe/Bernardo), Liane Plane (Marguerita), Tony Mordente (A-Rab), Chita Rivera (Anita), Jaime Sanchez (Chino) and David Winters (Baby John). The group shared stories and reminiscences of Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins and Peter Gennaro, to the delight of all who attended. (Gallery photos by Maryann Lopinto)