Bringing West Side Story to Broadway

Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with Broadway’s "West Side Story" stars, Shereen Pimentel, who plays Maria, and Issac Powell, who plays Tony, to discuss the importance of bringing the musical back to Broadway.

2/20/2020 #2278

Excerpt:

"This is one on one (music playing) there we are Shereen Pimentel and Isaac Powell, tony and Maria west side story, now where's this playing is this not playing at the Broadway theater. It is. Yeah. Over where, where is it? 53rd and between-- it's on Broadway between 53rd . You'll get it right. It's 1681 Broadway. Here's the question--(laughter)now tony and Maria all about the chemistry. Yeah. Did you guys feel it immediately? Aw, look at this (laughter) did you feel it with this guy immediately did you say we can work together it's gonna be Magic. I think it did--yeah. I mean we went out for ramen that was our first meal. What? Yeah we wanted to go. Why ramen? Out together. Cause Shereen loves ramen. Yeah and we were around here so I--around Lincoln center. Here Yeah. I think I met you at Julliard . Yeah. So, I go to Julliard and he was like let's just meet there and he was like but that's your neighborhood so you have to decide what to eat and I’m very indecisive so I was like my Favorite ramen place I hope you like ramen let's go there. And that was it? Ramen. And we walked there yeah. Okay so you get there you're in a theater you're getting Ready. Yeah. Right, describe for people I can't imagine people don't know the story, the tony and Maria story, describe it. Do you know Romeo and Juliet . Yeah, it's set--Romeo and Juliet--set where? In new york city . Set in new york city on the west side right pretty much exactly where we are right now. Mm hm. The sharks and the? Jets. Jets. Not the stinky new york jets . Two rival gangs. I'm sorry. No longer the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. Nice. So Romeo, Juliet. Yeah. And you know two-- parents are very supportive . Oh so supportive-- of course(laughter) everyone in the whole Neighborhood. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Greensboro north Carolina. Teaneck, new jersey. Teaneck? New jersey puts out no disrespect. No worries (laughter) we're talking jack Nicholson we're talking Meryl Streep and you. Hey. Springsteen. Yeah. Did we not put out the Greatest performers? We do, we do. I'm just saying (laughter) I should stop fooling around. I think--(laughter) when did you know you Wanted to do this? Not just this play but you know the whole thing? Yeah I think when I was probably about 16. High school. Yeah high school I was--plays. Going into my I guess junior year of high school and I had Just gotten like my first lead role and and that was when I you know it was first getting the confidence to be able to know that I wanted to do this that I Could do this that I..."