Carol Lawrence, Original Maria on Broadway in West Side Story Visits Cast of OCCT in Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach, CA, August 12, 2024 — OCCT’s Cast of West Side Story meets Carol Lawrence, original “Maria” on
Broadway

What: Production of West Side Story
Where: Huntington Beach High School Historic Theatre
When: August 9-11, August 15-17th
Details: For tickets, visit www.OCCT.org

What a surprise and honor it was for this young cast (ages 8 to 19) of Orange County Children’s Theatre’s (“OCCT”) Production of West Side Story to have a personal visit from Ms. Carol Lawrence, the original “Maria” on Broadway. It was Day One of Tech Week – the week prior to the opening night of a production in which all of the technical elements are present during rehearsal for the first time – when Ms. Lawrence (in red suit) stopped by the theatre to observe rehearsal and meet the cast.

Ms. Lawrence stayed for two hours visiting with the cast, offering critiques and
encouragement. It was such an honor for her to visit rehearsal and provide this boost of enthusiasm. Ms. Lawrence is planning to attend Opening Night on Friday, August 9th, and the cast couldn’t be more thrilled.

Savannah Burke, one of the leads playing “Maria,” commented, “Getting the opportunity to meet the original Maria from Broadway was so surreal. Our rehearsals that followed felt invigorated and more alive than they had been before. This is a show that need to be seen!” Jolynn Hallum, the other lead to play “Maria”, also commented, “Carol Lawrence is a stunning performer, and I am incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to meet her. Throughout the years, I have viewed countless performances of Ms. Lawrence’s performances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Now, I am honored to dedicate one of my own performances to such an exemplar of the arts.”