Boy, boy, crazy boy, stay cool boy…
Got a rocket in your pocket…
Keep coolly cool, boy!

If you told me many moons ago that I was going to be part of a Broadway production, I would’ve laughed at that humor. Never in a million years have I dreamed of seeing my name and picture inside a Playbill. But then West Side Story came along.

Having been a fan of both the Broadway show and Academy Award-winning film, it was a privilege to be able to join the Jakarta Performing Arts Community on its West Side Story adventure (its 8th AND biggest production to date after the success of their previous shows like Burlesque, Fame and The Nightmare Before Christmas). With a global message about acceptance and tolerance, the timing couldn’t have been more right for this timeless musical to be introduced (and reintroduced) to different generations. And so we all made our debut on May 12th at one of Jakarta’s oldest theaters Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), followed by 4 more shows until closing night on Sunday the 14th.

My time as one of the vocal coaches for the West Side Story cast has impacted my life and opened up a unique path in my music career to always strive to tell stories for the betterment of society through music and lyrics. Thanks Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents for being the ones to start it all and to all the cast and crews who I was honored to embark on this journey with.

For my international friends who didn’t get to see this, I have copies of the exclusive West Side Story program book for the first 3 names who contacted me to request one. 🙂 Shoot me an e-mail or tweet me to get yours. Or simply comment below. You might be one of the lucky ones. “Could be… Who knows…” 😉

E-mail: julesalveria@gmail.com
TWITTER: @JulesOfficial_

To learn more about JPAC, go check out http://www.jpacwestsidestory.com!