| ... |
| My forty-plus years of adventures in the discovery and enjoyment of West Side Story would not have been half the fun without the enthusiastic, intelligent and amiable company of the like-minded folks with whom it was enjoyed and shared. Whether watching, performing, writing, researching or web-hosting, I always had and have the confidence of a memorable, however random, group of friends and fellow fans. |
| ... |
| Life-long friend and fellow explorer when it was still all uphill, Carol and I shared our first viewings--and views--of both the film and the play at City Center. The ultimate fan. Tom F., with whom I literally took my first steps - Riff extraordinaire. Many thanks. Christian T., good friend and reliable critic. Laura and Mark, cast and crew, orchestra and staff. Special memories that will last forever. |
| ... |
| The crowd of savants, pundits and sophists at the El Dorado and especially at Lonny's, not the least of whom would be Lonny himself. Reunion time, people, tick-tock. A similar assemblage of theater fans at the Message Board at www.westsidestory.com. Thanks for the information and the inspiration. Honorable mention to the core group at West Side Storians--thanks for the chat. |
| ... |
| Thanks to Gwen, Ann, Mike, John C., Kirsten, Frank, John M.,and especially L.A. Paul, whose generous contributions have found their way to this site. To Jake, set with a capital J, without whose inspiration and encouragement this site would not have been built. I'm never alone, I'm never disconnected. |
| ... |
| Thank you, Susan, for finding the batteries after I pulled the plug. |
| ... |
| My dear friend Wayne, whose genuine and non-fanatical love of the work provides the ideal balance for the rest of the journey. |
| THANK YOU VERY MUCH |
| 01/06/04 |
| ... |
| My sincere appreciation goes to David Winters and Tony Mordente for sharing unique reminiscences and memorabilia that have contributed significantly to this project. Thank you, gentlemen |
| ... |
| Eternal thanks go to my sister Rose and my brother Nick, whose love of musical theater, luckily, was contagious. |
| ... |
| I am very grateful to Kate Dowe Swan for providing extensive and painstakingly thorough information about several previously (and stubbornly) untrackable European tours in which she appeared. |
| ... |
| Sincere thanks go to Robert Arditti for providing a literal wealth of information, images and recollections gathered from his experiences as a member of the original London company, as well several tours of the UK, Europe and the Far East, as both director/choreographer as well as actor/dancer. . |