The Theatre Ensemble’s performance of West Side Story attracted audience members from all over the Capital District, due to Albany High’s reputation for having a well-developed Theatre Emsemble as well as the popularity of the show itself. Never was this more apparent than Saturday, April 20th: the record-setting performance was the first in Theatre Ensemble history to completely sell out.

The show takes place in the upper west side of NYC during the mid-1950s in a blue collar neighborhood. It tells the story of the forbidden love between gang member Tony (Lucas Phayre-Gonzales) of the Jets and Maria (Rachel Kaziyev) of the Puerto Rican gang of immigrants known as the Sharks. The head of the Sharks is Bernardo (Ahston McLaughlin), Maria’s older brother. When Bernardo finds out about Maria and Tony’s secret love, he becomes infuriated and threatens Tony, but Tony is no longer interested in violence and instead encourages his fellow Jets to ignore the Sharks to rise against the hate.

Albany High’s Theatre Ensemble has grown tremendously since last year’s production of My Fair Lady. This year’s dancers performed amazingly choreographed and executed numbers way beyond their years. The musical numbers featured incredible soloists such as Rachel Kaziyev, Bryana Greer, and Shannon Bradley, all seniors who have been involved in the music department throughout high school. We would also like to reccognize the “techies” for their swift set changes; although there were no major scene changes in this production, it is important to be able to clear the stage smoothly so that the audience does not lose interest or get distracted.

The Theatre Ensemble is always welcoming new members in all areas, including costuming, set construction, backstage work, and of course on stage.

We would like to congratulate the cast of West Side Story for creating a show more than worth the price of admission!