Broadway’s West Side Story Revival Postpones Opening Night Due to Leading Man’s Knee Injury
Broadway is going to have to wait a little longer for West Side Story‘s official opening.
Producer Scott Rudin revealed director Ivo van Hove’s highly anticipated reimagining of the classic musical will postpone its official opening night by two weeks to give leading man Isaac Powell a chance to finish previews, which started on Dec. 10.
Powell, 24, hurt his knee during Friday night’s performance and was seen limping toward the end of the show, according to Deadline.
“We’re postponing two weeks – from February 6 to February 20 – to give Isaac the chance to recover from an injury to his knee, so that he can have the same duration of preview playing period we’ve always had scheduled,” Rudin told Deadline. “Luckily he is much braver than me and will be back and playing his full, remarkable show very shortly.”
Powell plays Tony, half of the duo that makes up the musical’s take on Romeo and Juliet. Jordan Dobson will fill in for the actor while he recovers, the outlet reports.
This is Powell’s first major stage role after picking up the 2017 Tony Award for his performance in Once on This Island. The talented young performer was cast in the hit musical just two months after graduating from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
The new West Side Story is debuting on Broadway a year before famed director Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation is set to hit theaters next December.
Baby Driver actor Ansel Elgort and newcomer Rachel Zegler play Tony and Maria, who fall in love only to be pulled apart by their warring groups of friends. Zegler, 17, was cast straight out of high school.
Rita Moreno, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1962 for her portrayal of Anita in the original film, also stars in the remake as Valentina, a reimagined and expanded version of the character Doc, the owner of the corner store in which Tony works.
