The second offering of 2008 is a new production of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, opening June 28 and running through Aug. 9. Set in Manhattan's Upper West Side, this story is loosely based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It follows star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria, who try to make their romance work despite their ties to rival teenage gangs, the American "Jets" and the Puerto Rican "Sharks." Considered one of the most popular musical dramas of our time, the piece written by Arthur Laurents (book) and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) premiered in 1957, marking Stephen Sondheim's Broadway debut. Bernstein's sophisticated music for West Side Story has led to its production by opera companies, as well as an "operatic" recording of the piece conducted by Bernstein himself in 1984, featuring Kiri Te Kanawa as Maria and Jose Carreras as Tony. Central City Opera previously presented Bernstein's Candide in both 1980 and 2000.

A regular guest of Central City Opera, Ken Cazan returns to direct West Side Story after his most recent appearances with the company directing critically-acclaimed productions of Le Jongleur de Notre Dame (2004) and Paul Bunyan (2005). Central City Opera's Music Director, John Baril, conducts this production after leading performances of Cendrillon last summer. Having started his work with the company in 1992, Mr. Baril has conducted over 100 performances during his tenure.