After many years of telling unbelieving people about a production of West Side Story that played Frank Sennes' Moulin Rouge that I saw, and which featured original stars Chita Rivera and Larry Kert, I now finally have a program from it along with the opening night menu choices. So, non-believers, you can now kiss my ASS
I'll scan it later and put it in tomorrow's notes. What's really fascinating is how correct I was about WHEN I would have had to have seen it. The film opened in December of 1961. This opened in June of 1962 to cash in on the success of the film, and I saw it right out of junior high school at the age of fourteen. Other members of the film cast were also in it, including Tucker Smith, Gus Trikonis, and David Winters. It was a very cheap production - I remember the balcony swaying precariously. Also a band of about twelve, as I recall. But the dancing was superb - recreated by Chita's then-husband and the film's Action, Tony Mordente.