West Side Story: The first press reviews!

"West Side Story (...), which now at the Volksoper is likely to become a blockbuster." (Der Standard, January 29, 2024)

"New West Side Story: an exhilarating dance inferno." (Kurier, January 29, 2024)

"Tony (outstanding: Anton Zetterholm) and Maria (strong interpretation by Jaye Simmons)" (Blickpunkt Musical, January 29, 2024)

"The West Side Story joins the current success series at the Volksoper. The young ensemble and the excellent conductor Ben Glassberg tell the story captivatingly and credibly." (Zeit im Bild, January 29, 2024)

"With resounding applause and standing ovations, the premiere of this classic's new production came to an end. Director Lotte de Beer has succeeded in creating a gripping and moving staging that, without any kitsch or pathos, focuses on the essentials: racism and violence on one side, and a yearning for belonging and love on the other." (Falter, January 31, 2024)

"The reinterpretation is successful, largely freed from the nostalgic dust of the decades, in which the idealized gaze is directed back to the harsh core of the work." (APA, January 28, 2024)

"The dance is more than anything else the wow factor of the show. Add to that the tonal variety with which the Volksoper Orchestra depicts all shades of human emotions." (Kurier, January 29, 2024)

"Jaye Simmons is a vocally confident Maria with a touch of opera. Anton Zetterholm, as Tony, possesses impeccable highs." (Der Standard, January 29, 2024)

"Full of tempo, dance, and youthful energy." (Die Presse, January 29, 2024)

"The audience was thrilled, and Lotte de Beer's direction was celebrated. Now, the Volksoper has an outstanding musical production." (Radio Klassik, January 29, 2024)

"Choreographer Bryan Arias and the phenomenally dancing ensemble achieve something extraordinary." (Kronen Zeitung, January 29, 2024)

"With such a brilliant choreography, as conceived by Puerto Rico-born Bryan Arias for this subject, one is not served every day: virtuosically presented and in perfect harmony with Lotte de Beer's staging. (...) The success story of the West Side Story at the Volksoper thus continues." (Furche, 1.2.2024)

"Above all, the new West Side Story became a triumph for Ben Glassberg, the new music director of the theater." (APA, January 28, 2024)

"The new music director, British conductor Ben Glassberg, conducted a musical for the first time and, hats off, skillfully holds together the mix of quasi-opera, drama, music, and dance. He maintains the balance between unresolved dissonances in the jazz themes of the Jets, the aggressive Latin rhythms of the Sharks, and highly romantic ballads, with a strong brass section and subtly restrained strings." (Kurier, January 29, 2024)

"The new music director of the theater, Ben Glassberg, ensures elegant style changes with the excellent orchestra: jazzy drive, lively dance passages between Mambo and Swing. Everything is there." (Der Standard, January 29, 2024)

"Another newcomer in Vienna proves to be a stroke of luck: Bryan Arias, born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York. His breathtakingly fast-paced choreography follows its own score: counteracting dance styles – sharper and more direct for the urban Jets, flowing and expansive for the Sharks with their Puerto Rican roots." (Kurier, January 29, 2024)

"Lively and jazzy, with a tight pace." (APA, January 28, 2024)

"This West Side Story could also become a hit. The principal, Lotte de Beer, directed the work without fuss and without forced modernization." (Radio Klassik, January 29, 2024)

"Myrthes Monteiro shines as Anita with the legendary song 'America.'" (Kurier, January 29, 2024)