TACLOBAN CITY - One of the most popular Broadway musicales of all time made its debut in Leyte on Monday, in lieu of Tacloban City's ongoing fiesta.

The "West Side Story," based on a book by Arthur Laurents, was staged for two nights starring local talents at the Balyuan Amphitheater. It reportedly gained consecutive standing ovations from Tacloban audiences who witnessed the play.

Internationally acclaimed playwrights Al Claude Evangelio and Jess de Paz directed the show and expressed his deep appreciation for the actors and actresses, all local talents, who participated in the production.

"I'm very glad to have worked with really brilliant and intelligent talents in Tacloban," said Evangelio, who won honorable mention for his play "Broken Icons" at the Palanca Awards in 1994.

Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, meanwhile, said his administration will vigorously promote Waray talents and culture.

The "West Side Story," loosely based on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," explores racial tensions in 1950s New York through the eyes of two young lovers, Tony and Maria, who are each allied with rival gangs called the Jets, a motley crew of New York natives, and the Sharks, a gang of Puerto Rican immigrants.

The musicale's success spawned the hit 1961 Hollywood film of the same name, starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer.