The drama and romance of one of Broadway’s most popular musicals, West Side Story, is coming to the new Guilford High School (GHS) auditorium this spring. Teachers, students, actors, and musicians have been hard at work for months and are excited to open the show Thursday, March 31.

West Side Story will be the first musical held in the new auditorium and GHS Theatre Arts Coordinator and Show Director Cara Mulqueen-Teasdale said the acclaimed musical was the perfect choice.

“We have really strong vocalists and we have really strong musicians,” she said. “We also have a ton of guys this year, which is wonderful, so we wanted to do a show that would really capitalize on that.”

First premiering on Broadway in 1957, West Side Story explores the rivalry of two New York City street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, who come from different ethic backgrounds. In the midst of the conflict, a romance grows between Tony, a Jet, and Maria, a Shark, who fight to remain together despite their backgrounds.

The subject matter of the play is heavy, but Mulqueen-Teasdale said it is the right time to be taking on this production.

“We try to chose things that are topically relevant,” she said. “We are living in this political landscape right now where this discussion of immigration is front and center and the play is just a classic exploration of that.”

While taking on a famous production is nerve-racking according to Mulqueen-Teasdale, she said the students have been up to the challenge.

“The kids are fearless,” she said. “They know if we feel good about it then they just say we can do this.”

A record-breaking 160 students turned out to audition last cotober, with nearly 60 being cast for the final production.

“You will see a lot of new faces, kids who haven’t had leads before,” she said. “We initially did a dance audition, so we based most of our choice on dance because it is such a heavy dance show.”

To tackle the complex choreography, choreographer Joyce DeLaurio from Starship Dance Studio has been working with the students to master the steps. As every musical comes with demanding vocal performances, Vocal Director Kevin Buno has been working to nail down every note.

“One of the things that has been an exciting piece for us in choosing this show is we are so lucky to have such a large music department, where we have four music teachers doing varied level of instruction,” said Buno. “We are so fortunate.”

Adding to the excitement and challenge of the show, there will be a live student pit orchestra rather than a tape recording of the original score.

“There are new variables,” he said. “Sometimes we have to deviate from the score a bit to find what work for us. It is more of an exciting component than a component of fear. It brings it to life and in many ways it heightens their performance.”

Buno said he is excited to see the students work pay off on opening night.

“I’m just excited to see how the kids react to the audience,” he said. “They come off the stage on the first night and you see the reaction on their faces and it’s incredible.”

GHS Senior Mark Séjourné, who will tackle the lead role of Tony opposite Anika Deshpande as Maria, said the entire process has been great to be a part of.

“There is such a great cast for this show and the community that has been created is really exciting,” he said. “Also the first musical in the new space is a big deal. Being West Side Story, it is really drawing people in and there is a lot of excitement surrounding this.”

West Side Story will run for six nights at 7 p.m., beginning Thursday, March 31 and continuing on Saturday and Sunday, April 2 and 3, and Friday to Sunday, April 7 to 9. Tickets are $15 per person and can be purchased at http://ghsta.weebly.com.