Why West Side Story by the LA Opera is more relevant than Ever

West Side Story is a reimagined Romeo and Juliet, set on the streets of Manhattan in the 1950s. The original work is by playwright Arthur Laurents, composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and choreographer Jerome Robbins, and it’s classically a work of musical theater. Seeing it presented by an opera company is an entirely different experience. Here’s why West Side Story by the LA Opera is more relevant than ever, and why you should catch it before the run ends on October 12th, 2025.

West Side Story in a Nutshell – without Giving Too Much Away

West Side Story is essentially a love story between two young people, Tony and Maria, but like all love stories, it unfortunately isn’t only about them. Maria is a Puerto Rican immigrant, new to New York City, while Tony is Polish-American and a former member of the Jets gang that has made it their mission to take back control of their “turf” from the Puerto Rican-controlled Sharks. After a brawl in the streets turns ugly, it’s clear that their love might not be powerful enough to conquer the hate of others, and it all ends in tragedy.

Why West Side Story Still Matters

As someone very familiar with the story, I found it poignant and a bit unsettling that the themes remain unchanged over time. The original story was created during a time following World War II, when New York City was restructuring, and there was an influx of migration from Puerto Rico that brought with it tremendous prejudice against them. Fast forward to 2025, and we find ourselves in a government system that thrives on hostility and the criminalization of immigrants, mirroring that of Nazi Germany. Decades later, the fear of our differences remains the throughline that cannot be blurred.

As much as I wanted to get lost in the love story of this show, I couldn’t stop looking for otherness. Dissecting cast choices based on color and being mad at myself for it. Nicaraguan-American soprano Gabriella Reyes dazzles as Maria, and in my eyes, “passed” for Puerto Rican. Meanwhile, tenor Duke Kim, who plays Tony, is Korean and doesn’t resemble a Polish-American. I spent half the show trying to dissect whether this was a deliberate choice to make it more of an LA Story, given our large Korean population, or if it wasn’t a choice at all, if he was just cast for his tremendous skills as a tenor. All the while, I hated myself for not being able to watch the artists without looking for any political implications, but once again, this is a story that’s bigger than the couple at its center.

All in all, though, I was thrilled to leave the show heated for discussion, and my husband and I sat in the Jerry Moss Plaza debating our thoughts while the sounds of a Spanish cover band of The Smiths played over the loudspeakers. This is the unexpected beauty of live theater.

Why see West Side Story by the LA Opera

I can assure you that even if you’ve seen West Side Story before, you’ve never seen it quite like this. The dancing and sets are as spectacular as those on Broadway, but the singing is unparalleled, and something you can only get from an opera company. It’s the 40th anniversary of the LA Opera, and they are opening the 2025-2026 season with a show that has the potential to bring a fresh, new audience through the theater doors who are perhaps more familiar with Sondheim than Salieri.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of something wonderful Tonight. Available Showtimes and Ticketing Details for West Side Story at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion are below:

• Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 7:30 p.m
• Sunday, October 5, 2025, at 2 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 2 p.m.

Tickets begin at $27.50 and can be purchased online at LAOpera.org, by phone at 213.972.8001, or in person at the LA Opera box office at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012.