Just finished watching House of Spoils. Ariana DeBose gives a solid performance as a driven ambitious chef trying to open a gourmet restaurant in an old house in the woods that just happens to be haunted by a witch who lived there before.

It’s an atmospheric thriller that evokes  Henry James‘ The Turn of the Screw and Tim Burton‘s  Sleepy Hollow.

DeBose’s kitchen is a chaotic nightmare  serving  some  questionable dishes.  After seeing some of the food served, I looked over at my wife and said: “We’re not going to this restaurant. How about  if we stay home and I fix us some migas?”

However, House of Spoils does serves up some tasty scary moments.

Have a great weekend.

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The 75^th Tony Awards Show will always be remembered as the year Academy Award winner and host, Ariana Debose, wowed the audience in a musical medley created by multi-award-winning actor, director, and composer, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Another distiction was that although five very talented Latinos were nominated for Tonys, only Albuquerque, New Mexico native, Montana Levi Blanco won the coveted prize for Best Costume Design in a Play for The Skin of Our  Teeth.

The Skin of Our Teeth marked Blanco’s Broadway debut. He was characteristically modest upon receiving the award. “I am just so grateful and I am thinking of all the people who help me get here,” said the soft-spoken Blanco.

The Skin of Our Teeth, which was directed by Liliana Blain-Cruz, who was also nominated for at Tony in the Best Director of a Play category. The story that takes place over three time periods the 1950s, 1920s and post-Civil War. With a cast of 28 doing anywhere from three to five costume changes, the play presented a challenge for Blanco as the costume designer.

“The challenging part was physically accomplishing the 120 costumes,” recalls Blanco. “120 costumes are more typical of a musical not a play.”

But it’s a challenge Blanco was more than up for because Blanco enjoys all aspects of costume design from choosing fabrics, working with the artisans in New York’s famous garment district, and seeing it all come together. Blanco fondly recalls being inspired by his grandmother’s lamp shade business. “It was watching her work with all kinds of fabrics, beads and trim where I learned to love those elements and took them with me in my career as a costume designer.”

In addition to winning the Tony for Best Costume Design in a Play, Blanco also designed the costumes for this year’s Tony winner for Best Musical, A Strange Loop.

More diversity on Broadway was the overriding theme of this year’s Tony Awards Show. As a proud gay Latina host, Ariana Debose quipped at the beginning of the show, “The Great White Way is becoming more of a nickname than a how-to-guide..” Blanco’s years of hard work on Broadway and dedication to his craft is a testament to that sentiment and the promise of more trips up on the stage to win more Tonys.

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The 75^th Annual Tony Awards will air on June 12 from Radio City Music Hall. The 2022 broadcast will be hosted by Latina superstar, Ariana Debose. The winner of this year’s Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as a BAFTA, Critics Choice, and SAG Awards for her show-stopping performance as Anita in West Side Story.  DeBose herself was nominated for a Tony Award in 2018 for her performance as Donna Summer in Summer The Donna Summer Musical.

Debose’s dynamic presence as host will surely add some Latino magic to the awards show that also includes four Latino Tony Award nominees for a Tony Award from all the numerous and varied categories for the highest honor for work on a professional stage. They include

LILIANA BLAIN-CRUZ

Blain-Cruz has garnered a nomination for Best Director for the play The Skin of Our Teeth.  The play is a 1942 Pulitzer Prize winner by Thornton Wilder. The Skin of Our Teeth is an epic comedy-drama, a three-part allegory about the life of mankind, centering on the Antrobas family of the fictional town of Excelsior, New Jersey. Blain-Cruz is a  recipient of a Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award and an Obie Award for Mary Seacole.

RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in Lackawanna Blues is the actor and playwright of Puerto Rican descent, Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Lackawanna Blues is the true story of Santiago Jr. growing up in Lackawanna, New York. The story celebrates all those strong women who raised him in this solo play. He has previously won a Tony Award for his performance in Seven Guitars.

EMILIO SOSA

Emilio Sosa is a Dominican costume designer and Chair of the American Theatre Wing Board of Trustees in New York City. Sosa has earned a nomination this year in the category of Best Costume Design in a Play for his work on Trouble in Mind, the play that focuses on sexism and racism within the American theater industry. Sosa was a contestant on season seven of Project Runway and became the first color designer for the Radio City Music Hall Spring Spectacular

ARNULFO MALDONADO

The New York city-based designer, Arnulfo Maldonado,  is nominated for Best scenic design in a Musical. The musical, A Strange Loop is Michael R. Jackson‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning, a blisteringly funny masterwork that exposes the heart and soul of a young artist grappling with desires, identity, and instincts he both loves and loathes. 

Maldonado has worked on dozens of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. He is the winner of a Tony, Obie, and several Henry Hewes Design Awards. The 75th Tony Awards Show will be broadcast on June 12 (8:00 – 11:00 PM, Live ET/5:00 – 8:00 PM, Live PT), from Radio City Music Hall on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

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The upcoming 94th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony scheduled to air on ABCon March 27 could be a Starry, Starry Night for Latino Hollywood. This year saw an amazing array of Latino talent become strong contenders in several different competitive categories plus the emergence of one exceptionally bright star in the Latino Hollywood night sky. Here’s a look at the nominees, their categories, and their chances of taking home the coveted gold-plated statue.

Best Animated Feature

Two good to be true?  There are two excellent Disney Studio animated feature films up for Best Animated Feature with Latino talent: 

Encanto the Latino-themed story about the Columbian family, the Madrigals. Directed by Byron Howard  and Jared Bush who also shares the screenplay credit with Charise Castro Smith.  Yvette Merino is one of the producers and the music is by Germaine Franco.  

Raya and the Last Dragon is directed by Mexico City-born Carlos López Estrada along with Don Hall both nominated for Best Director.

There is frequently the possibility two Disney Studio nominees will cancel each other out. But these are two very different animated features with radically different approaches to animation.  Encanto uses a more traditional narrative animation style that is the hallmark of Disney animation. It’s nice to see the characters in Encanto are unmistakably and decidedly Latino. There are also several marvelous songs and musical segments in Encanto.

Raya and the Last Dragon, on the other hand, is strictly a fantasy narrative. The animation of the human characters in Raya and the Last Dragon is so life-like and realistic in their facial expressions you feel as though they could jump off the screen, sit next to you on the couch and enjoy the story with you. The so-called “last dragon”, voiced by that crazy, rich, funny Asian comic actress, Awkwafina, is an impish feathered serpent who appears to be half Big Bird and half Quetzalcoatl.

What Encanto and Raya and the Last Dragon have in common are two strong female lead characters and stories with underlying messages of hope, detterminationand the triumph of the human spirit.

Best Song

Is there anything this guy can’t do? The multi-talented Lin-Manuel Miranda gets a richly deserved Oscar nomination for the Encanto song “Dos Oruguitas”. It boggles the mind to ponder what this actor, producer and musical theater genius would have produced had he been at MGM during the Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals.

Best Supporting Actress

It’s like deja vu all over again. Ariana DeBose is well-positioned to accomplish an acting awards hat fete by taking the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story. As the fiery Anita, DeBose overshadows the two leads in the film and overpowers the screen with her explosive, show-stopping performance of America.

Sound familiar? It should because it is the exact same thing Rita Moreno did sixty years ago when she won the Best Supporting Actress award for her dynamic dominating portrayal of Anita in the 1961 version of West side Story. DeBose has already won the Golden Globe and SAG awards and is the odds on favorite to win the Oscar. The super talented DeBose will hopefully follow in Moreno’s footsteps and become a member of the exclusive EGOT Club, winner of an Emmy, Golden Globe, Oscar and Tony. It will be like deja vu all over again…again.

Best (Overlooked) Supporting Actor

Eugenio Derbez was superb as the eccentric but caring and nurturing Mexican music choir teacher, Bernardo Villalobos, in CODA. Derbez puts a nice Latin American spin on his Mr. Holland’s Opus-like character. But the award will likely go to his deaf actor co-star, Tony Kotsur, in a sentimental well-deserved win.

Best Actress

Behold a pale dark horse wearing way too much mascara. The Best Actress race is always a tough one to handicap. There are so many fine actresses working today and this year’s field of Oscar contenders is proof of that.

Penelope Cruz gets her fifth Academy Award nomination for her performance in Parallel Mothers. Cruz won Best Supporting Actress in 2018 for her work in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona. But the beautiful Spanish actress faces stiff competition from perennial Academy favorite, Nicole Kidman, for her stellar performance as Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos. Kidman won the Best Actress Oscar for The Hours in 2002 for her haunting portrayal of tragic writer Virginia Woolf. Kidman has proven her biopic acting chops.

But I believe the Academy is going to ignore the subtle and the sublime of Parallel Mothers and “Cruz” right past Penelope and go for the quirky and give the Oscar to Jessica Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Tammy Faye’s grotesque garish harlequin eye makeup could paralyze a clown dead in his tracks and intimidate some Academy members to vote for her.

Best Actor

Javier Bardem should be a shoo-in to win the Oscar for his performance as Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos. Bardem shows us the complicated layers that made up this often misunderstood and underappreciated man who was the backbone of I Love Lucy, the Desilu Production empire, and an early TV sitcom innovator. Arnaz was much more than a chronic womanizer, conga drum playing Cuban bandleader singing Babaloo and delivering his lines in his signature Cuban accent. He was an astute businessman, tough negotiator and eternally devoted to Lucille Ball. Bardem shows us all those colors brilliantly in Being the Ricardos.

Bardem’s competition comes from two popular Black Hollywood favorites: Will Smith in King Richard and Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of Macbeth. The Academy loves anything from the British Isles and feels it must be good due to that cultured British accent. English actor, Benedict Cumberbatch, whose name alone conjures up fish ‘n chips, is nominated for his role in Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog.

But like Glen Close in Fatal Attraction, Javier Bardem will not and should not be ignored. If he is ignored and doesn’t win the Oscar for Best Actor, the Academy will have a lot of ‘splaining to do!

Best (Overlooked)Director

Mexicans coming across the border and taking away those good paying jobs. Guillermo del Toro’s remake of Nightmare Alley has been nominated for Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best set Design and Best Production Design. Somehow the maestro, the orchestra conductor, the artist who puts all those musical notes, colors into a finished work of art resulting in a Best Picture nomination gets overlooked. Critics praise Guillermo del Toro, an acknowledged film auteur, for remaking Nightmare Alley with a modern film noir flare and a surprise ending.

The past few years have seen Mexican born directors dominate the Best Director category:  Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Roma), Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, The Revenant and del Toro won in 2018 for The Shape of Water.  

There are no directors with Spanish surnames on this year’s list of nominees for Best Director. Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog) is Variety’s best bet to win.  Bueno, asi es la vida.

Best Picture

Deja vu all over again, part three? West Side Story which is nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture could make motion picture history on March 27 and culminate what could be a glittering, success story for Latino Hollywood

Should West Side Story take home the big cinematic enchilada on Oscar night, it will be the first time in the Academy Awards 94-year history a virtual remake of a movie that had previously won Best Picture wins again.

Sixty years ago, Rita Moreno was the vanguard for Latino pride when she won Best Supporting Actress for her work in West Side Story. In a very moving, emotionally charged scene in the new version of West Side Story, Moreno is the voice of Latino hopes and dreams for Oscar night when she sings There’s A Place For Us.

The 94th Annual Academy Awards airs on ABC on March 27 (Sunday) at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT

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DeBose recived the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her role in West Side Story. The honor adds to more than a dozen awards, including a Golden Globe, that the proud Afro-Latina has won for playing Anita in the reimagined version of the musical film by Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg.

“It’s taken a long time for me to feel comfortable calling myself an actor,” said DeBose, before talking about her background in musical theater. “I really do believe that when you recognize one of us, you recognize all of us.” She said her Anita took a decade to make and that she was proud of the character and expressed gratitude to Spielberg for believing in her talent and her colleague actors. In thanking the musical’s cast and crew, she called WSS a “labor of love” and “beautiful cinematic experience.”

DeBose is also an Academy Award nominee for the same role this year.

For their part, Mexican actors Derbez and Fernandez won their awards as part of ensemble casts the former for a film, the latter for a TV series. It is notable that both actors played characters with Spanish surnames that defy Latino stereotypes.

Derbez received his prize for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for his role in the indie film CODA. The feature centers on a young woman who is the only hearing person in her deaf family who is torn between going away to college to study music and staying with her deaf parents. The Mexico City-born actor plays Bernardo Villalobos, the music teacher of the central character. The Derbez shared the honor with Daniel Durant, Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo.

“We’re smiling from ear to ear: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture,” tweeted Derbez, adding the hashtags #sagawards and #CODAFilm. He concluded with, “My CODA Family!!!”

??

We’re smiling from ear to ear:
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture #sagawards #CODAFilm
My CODA Family!!! pic.twitter.com/bi3hRM6Xs7

— Eugenio Derbez (@EugenioDerbez) February 28, 2022

Fernandez earned his honor for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for his role in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso. The series follows American college football coach Ted Lasso, who heads to London to manage AFC Richmond, a struggling English Premier League soccer team. Guadalajara-born Fernandez plays Dani Rojas, a striker for AFC Richmond. Incidentally, the actor once wanted to be a professional soccer player.

Ay ay ay ay ay Dios mío, ganamos, we won, thank you to everyone watching and supporting us @TedLasso @SAGawards @sagaftra @sagaftraFOUND ???? https://t.co/qjMH6cvGwW pic.twitter.com/VRfsMeh5bF

— Cristo Fernández (@cristofernandez) February 28, 2022

“Ay ay ay ay ay Dios mío, ganamos, we won, thank you to everyone watching and supporting us,” tweeted in Spanglish Fernandez, adding the handles @TedLasso @SAGawards @sagaftra @sagaftraFOUND.

Fernandez shared the prize with Annette Badland, Kola Bokinni, Phil Dunster, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Toheeb Jimoh, Nick Mohammed, Sarah Niles, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple and Hannah Waddingham.

This is the second award Fernandez has won for Ted Lasso. Last year the series also won best ensemble at the Pena de Prata Awards in Portugal. His role also earned him an Imagen Award nom in 2021.

Other actors honored with individual awards were Will Smith, Jessica Chastain and Troy Kotsur for performances in motion pictures, and Michael Keaton, Kate Winslet, Lee Jung-Jae, Jung Ho-Yeon, Jean Smart and Ted Lasso’s Sudeikis for performances in television. The award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series went to HBO’s Succession.

The stunt ensemble from the James Bond sequel film No Time to Die was honored for motion picture and the stunt ensemble from South Korea’s Squid Game was honored for television.

Actresses Winslet and Cate Blanchett presented the legendary thespian Helen Mirren with the 57th Life Achievement Award.

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The new West Side Story is Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg’s version, some call it “reimagining,” of the 1961 multiple Academy Award-winning musical film that was an adaptation of the Broadway musical hit of the same title–which in turn was inspired by Shakespeare’s tragic love story Romeo and Juliet.

Check out the video of the world premiere featuring the film’s stars, including Latinos like Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose and David Alvarez sharing the spotlight with Spielberg and Moreno, who is also an executive producer of the feature. The film is a production of 20th Century Fox, a subdivision of Walt Disney Studios which is also distributing the musical.

Featured Photo: Screenshot of video of West Side Story’s world premiere (Photo: 20th Century Fox/Disney)

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Hamilton actress and singer Ariana DeBose and Encanto singer Sebastián Yatra will appear on the ABC special The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration Nov. 28.

DeBose will join country singer and Rock of the Ages actress Julianne Hough in the rendition of “We Need a Little Christmas,” “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” and “Holiday” medley.

The Carolina-born DeBose debuted on the TV series So You Think You Can Dance in 2009, and has alternated acting between Hollywood and theater stages. Her credits include the vampire series True Blood, the drama series One Life to Live, the indie film Daphne and the musical plays Hairspray and Bring It On. The Afro-Latina actress has played the roles of famous singers in Broadway productions, like Mary Wilson in Motown and Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Her role in Hamilton in 2015 meant she was part of the musical’s original cast whose live performance was filmed for Disney+’s Hamilton. 

For his part, multiple Latin Grammy-nominated Yatra will sing “Dos Oruguitas,” track number six on the soundtrack for Disney’s animated film Encanto, which is set in a fantastical Colombia. The song was written and composed by Grammy Award-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame. The song also was produced by Miranda along with Mike Elizondo. “Dos Oruguitas” is one of a few songs in Spanish among the movie soundtrack’s 45 tracks. The film’s album was released one week before the film’s premiere Nov. 24 in time for Thanksgiving weekend.

Yatra has received eight nominations for the Latin Grammy, the two most recent in 2020 for his collaboration with Colombian singer Juanes in the single “Bonita”–both as Song of the Year and Best Pop Son. 

The Medellin-born and Miami-raised Yatra will also perform a “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” medley in the yuletide TV special. 

In The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration, DeBose and Yatra will join a lineup that includes artists like Julianne Hough, Jimmie Allen, Kristin Chenoweth, Darren Criss, Brett Eldredge, Needtobreathe, Switchfoot, Norah Jones and Gwen Stefani.

The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration” and “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade” are executive produced by Sally Conner for Disney Parks, who brought on production company 45 Live and executive producer Michael Antinoro.

The Nov. 28 show will air from 7 to 9 p.m., Eastern Standard Time/Pacific Standard Time. 

Featured Photos: Ariana DeBose (Credit: Kat Hennessey/Courtesy of artist) / Sebastian Yatra (Credit: Courtesy, self)

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There has been much written and discussed about the upcoming Steven Spielberg film adaptation of the musical West Side Story. The Walt Disney Company released the new “sneak peek” of the film this morning, adding fuel to the anticipation of this film by so many. 

One thing is certain, for the most part, everyone is awaiting the release of this film for many reasons. For some, it’s the nostalgia of having watched the 1961 film, which Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise directed back in the ’60s. For others, it’s a chance to finally see more Latinos in the lead roles they were not allowed to play in the original film production. And for others, it is the “come full circle” for the revered actress Rita Moreno who starred and won an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in the original film. Fast forward and she now has a pivotal role in the new adaptation while taking on a new role as one of the executive producers.

One thing is for sure, we all await the release of West Side Story in the U.S. theaters on December 10, 2021. Expectations are high.

 The film stars, Rachel Zegler, a virtually unknown actress who will be making her feature film debut in West Side Story and Ansel Elgort, with Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Josh Andrés Rivera, Corey Stoll, and Brian d’Arcy James. Choreography is by Justin Peck.

Starring as Maria, the female lead in the film is Zegler in her feature film debut. She is a singer and songwriter, raised in New Jersey with her dad and Colombian mother. She landed the role beating 30,000 persons auditioning. She plays opposite Elgort who plays Tony. They lead a cast of many hundreds. Quite a leap for Zegler, however she first played the role of Maria in a Performing Arts School presentation at Bergen Performing Arts Center.

West Side Story is one of the most beloved musical romantic dramas. The film, which is also co-produced by Spielberg, is written by Tony Kushner, who is also one of the executive producers.

The film went into development in 2014 at 20th Century Fox, and Kushner began writing the screenplay by 2017. Spielberg came on board in 2018, and casting began late that year. The filming began in July 2019 with the shoot taking place in New York and New Jersey. The production just missed running into having to film during Covid 19. However, the release was affected, with the release date having been pushed back to, finally, December 10.

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Steven Spielberg’s musical version starts filming in June 2019 with a release date of December 18, 2020!

By Elia Esparza

One of the first films I saw that truly tugged at my heartstrings and filled me with excitement about the magic of movies, was the 1961 classic West Side Story. I can still remember one October Sunday sitting in the Vogue Theater in Chula Vista, California, a third-grader totally captivated. It wasn’t just the music… the gorgeous actors who could sing and dance but what really grabbed me were the characters of Maria, Anita, Bernardo, and Chino. They represented and looked like me. And, yes, for the first time in my little girl mind, “I felt pretty.”

No doubt about it, West Side Story is part of the fabric of many of our childhoods and for me, it was also a coming-of-age.

After the movie, my mother and I drove home and I could barely contain my happiness. I blurted out, “I want to do that.” She looked at me funny and asked, “Do what?” And, I answered, “Make movie magic.”

My mother was still confused. “I don’t think you have a voice to sing, I’ve heard you in the chorus… maybe you could be an actress.”

“No, mami, I want to work where they make movies.” My mom just chuckled and said, “Well, let’s worry about tonight’s dinner and let’s see how life goes for you.” But because my mom was a movie addict, I believe she was thrilled for me.

The impact that West Side Story had never ever left me. I loved acting in plays but television and films terrified me. As for singing, God knows I can’t hold a tune… I’m scary at Karaoke, but I did discover a passion for writing, which started after I watched West Side Story. I became a journal writing devotee and a lot of my allowance earnings were spent on movie star magazines, buying 45 rpm records, and going to the Vogue Theater, which was almost every weekend since my parents would drop us kids off as they headed to Tijuana’s famous Aguascaliente Racetrack.

As the editor for Latin Heat, I understand and respect the criticism of casting a non-Latina in the title role of Maria in the original WSS. But to the little girl in me, I only saw the essence of a beautiful dark-haired girl who I wanted to grow up to be. And, Anita, well in her, I knew even at that young age, that she truly represented my entire family, and I have idolized Rita Moreno ever since. That’s the power of movies.

For the millennial readers who may not be as updated on the original WSS, it is a film sets the ageless story of Romeo and Juliet against a backdrop of gang warfare in 1950s New York. It is about a forbidden love affair that leads the vicious rivalry of two street gangs– the Jets and the Sharks.

I searched high and low to bring you latest on Steven Spielberg‘s remake of my all-time favorite movie, who we understand is basing his film on the 1957 Broadway play more so than the film.

The remake will be directed by Spielberg, with the script adapted by Tony Award winner Tony Kushner (Lincoln), and based on Arthur Laurents’ book. West Side Story represents the first musical project that Spielberg will add to his brilliant career.

The Principal Cast
Rachel Zegler, 17-year-old, Colombian-American, has been cast as Maria. She is a singer/songwriter newbie that hails from New Jersey and beat out 30,000 vying for the role. Check out the Inside Edition interview I found on YouTube. She’s good.

Ansel Elgort (The Baby Driver, Fault in Our Stars), will play opposite Zegler as Tony, her beloved. While performing in many musical classics on stage, this is the first feature film musical for the actor.

David Alvarez (Billy Elliot: The Musical), will portray Bernardo, the Sharks leader, Maria’s older brother and Anita’s boyfriend. He won a Tony for his role in Billy Elliot. Alvarez’s parents immigrated from Cuba, knowing no English, only driven by the hope of a better life.

Ariana deBose (Hamilton, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), is taking on the role of Anita — originally Chita Rivera onstage and immortalized by Rita Moreno onscreen. Her Broadway credits include “Hamilton”, “A Bronx Tale: The Musical,” “Pippin,” “Motown: The Musical,” and “Bring It On: The Musical.”

Josh Andrés Rivera (Hamilton national tour) has been cast as Chino, a Shark, and Bernardo’s choice to court Maria.

Jamila Velasquez (Empire, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), the South Bronx singer and actress has been cast as Meche.

Mike Faist, the Tony-nominated for his role of Connor Murphy in “Dear Hansen,” will portray Riff, leader of the Jets and Tony’s best friend. Broadway dancer Paloma Garcia-Lee will appear as Riff’s girlfriend.

Brian d’Arcy James (13 Reasons Why) has been cast as Sergeant Krupke the former Officer Krupke, the racist cop who patrols the territory of the dueling Jets and Sharks. He is a three-time Tony nominee and originated the role of King George in Hamilton during its world premiere at The Public Theater.

The Singers and Dancers

Spielberg didn’t just look to Broadway to round out his cast of singers and dancers, but opened wide his auditions and cast Ana Isabella, a Puerto Rican singer, and dancer to portray Rosalia, one of the Sharks’ girls who sings in numbers like “America” and “I Feel Pretty”.

The full company of Sharks includes: David Aviles Morales, Yesenia Ayala, María Alejandra Castillo, Annelise Cepero, Andrei Chagas, Jeanette Delgado, Kelvin Delgado, Gaby Diaz, Yurel Echezarreta, Adriel Flete, Carlos E. Gonzalez, David Guzman, Jacob Guzman, Ana Isabelle, Melody Martí, Ilda Mason, Juliette Feliciano Ortiz, Edriz E. Rosa Pérez, Maria Alexis Rodriguez, Julius Anthony Rubio, Carlos Sánchez Falú, Sebastian Serra , Gabriela Soto, Ricky Ubeda, Tanairi Vazquez, Jamila Velazquez, Isabella Ward and Ricardo Zayas.

According to choreographer Justin Peck‘s statement, “One of our largest priorities was to find a caliber of triple-threats who could bring this film to life with great proficiency. West Side Story has influenced generations of dancers since its inception, and I am thrilled that we have found this extraordinary group to bring our new vision for the musical to the big screen.”

“I am in awe of the sheer force of the talent of these young performers, and I believe they’ll bring new and electrifying energy to a magnificent musical that’s more relevant than ever.” — Stephen Spielberg

Although Rita Moreno, at first wasn’t too keen on working on Spielberg’s film, she eventually came around, I mean it was too good an offer to pass up because she was also offered to come on board as executive producer on this remake. She will portray Valentina, a “reconceived and expanded” version of the original character of Doc, the owner of the corner store where Tony works. She is unforgettable as Anita in the 1961 movie, her electrifying energy won her an Academy Award. And, to date, she is an icon that has won every industry award available. Check out this official movie clip from YouTube of Moreno in her most famous movie dance scene:

In an industry interview, Speilberg stated, “When we began this process a year ago, we announced that we would cast the roles of Maria, Anita, Bernardo, Chino and the Sharks with Latina and Latino actors. I’m so happy that we’ve assembled a cast that reflects the astonishing depth of talent in America’s multifaceted Hispanic community.”

The Soundtrack
The original soundtrack was composed by the late Leonard Bernstein and lyrics from Stephen Sondheim contains the timeless songs of “Maria”, “Tonight”, “America”, “Somewhere”, “I Feel Pretty”, and “Gee Officer Krupke.” These songs have become a part of the cultural fabric of our nation. “America” is an unforgettable scene and one that is seared in many of our hearts forever. It represents why my mother came to America.

According to the latest buzz, the remake is expected to include all of the original Bernstein songs, as well as some of the iconic dance numbers from the original film. The score will be conducted by the incredible Venezuelan-born Gustavo Dudamel, the music director of the L.A. Philharmonic. And, how appropriate it is him the chosen music genius because he is after all the recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award for the Elevation of Music in Society from the Longy School of Music.

The Remake Release Date
West Side Story is set for FOX release on December 18, 2020.

2019 Summer
As principal filming starts, the original West Side Story is returning to movie theaters for two days only as part of Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies’ TCM Big Screen Classics series with an introduction from TCM host Ben Mankiewicz. In select theaters on June 24th and 27th at 2 P.M. and 7 P.M. local both days.

Despite the magnitude of attempting to recreate a classic, it is appropriate that a current American pop culture legend, Steven Spielberg has tackled it on and is infusing the remake with a new life and hope it will resonate.

When it came to moving forward on this project, Spielberg left no stone unturned. Via his Amblin Entertainment company, casting director Cindy Tolan had her job cut out for her. She looked at more than 30,000 performers, making this Spielberg’s broadest casting search since his 1993 Schindler’s List. Producing are Kevin McCollum, and Kristie Macosko Krieger.

Will Spielberg’s version measure up to the original and make it relevant to our current politically challenging times? I hope so. As the ultimate optimist, I’m vying for the promise of progress.

Rachel Zegler is repped by 42West (Publicist). Ansel Elgort is repped by Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Brookside Artist Management, and Rogers & Cowan (Publicist. Ariana deBose is repped by Cunningham Escott Slevin & Doherty (CESD), AC Management, and 42West (Publicist). David Alvarez is repped by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME), and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Josh Andres Rivera is repped by DDO Artists Agency.

The October 28, 1961West Side Story cast:
Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Russ Tamblyn, Ned Glass, Tucker Smith
Director: Robert Wise
Screenwriter: Jerome Robbins

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