Today we have a guest post from Chris Rice, a cast member of West Side Story. Chris will be performing in the show that is here at Walton Arts Center this week! We were very excited that Chris took the time to write this post for us, and we hope you'll enjoy reading it. We sure did!
West Side Story
Hey Everyone! My name is Christopher Rice and I play Baby John in the Broadway National Tour of West Side Story.
I grew up nearby in Oklahoma and following graduation from the University of Oklahoma this past May, I moved to the big, bad apple! I was lucky enough to go in for this production of West Side as my first audition in the city! In a nutshell, I booked this show my first week and shortly there after, I hit the road with this amazing show!!
I have been very blessed and have worked a lot regionally during my summers off from school. There have been many great theatrical experiences so far, but nothing has compared to working on this tour. West Side Story is as good as it gets!
Almost everyone knows the iconic music in the show, but I think people are reminded just how breathtakingly beautiful the score is when they hear it played with a live orchestra! As a performer, there is nothing more thrilling than dancing and singing along with a live orchestra playing great music. It is such a rush!
It is a very dance-heavy show and with such flashy, iconic choreography, many people ask how we, as dancers, maintain our bodies on the road. Everyone is different, so each cast member has to find what works for them. Many cast members lift weights regularly, run, do yoga, and take ballet to maintain their bodies on the road. Also, before each show, the dancers spend a great amount of time stretching and warming up as preparation for the non-stop action of the show.
It takes a lot of work, but seeing the audience get swept away night after night makes it all worth it. I hope you get a chance to check out the show! Feel free to check out my website and the official website for the show!
Thank you Chris! We look forward to seeing you and the rest of the cast in Fayetteville this week. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at www.waltonartscenter.org or by calling our Box Office at 479.443.5600.
Hope to see you at the show this week!