Could it be? Yes, it could!

In the spring of 1968, a few weeks before graduating from AMDA, Kurt’s classmate and girlfriend, Victoria Morales (soon to be known as Victoria Mallory) was cast as Maria in the first major revival of West Side Story. Richard Rodgers was producing the show at Lincoln Center. Kurt had not auditioned for the show as he remembered his High School choir teacher dropping West Side Story from consideration as the school’s musical a few years earlier because there was no one strong enough to sing the role of Tony.

Late one evening after a few beers, Kurt put on the original cast album and as he sang along with Larry Kert, the original Tony, he had a mini-epiphany. Long story short, after five auditions for Richard Rodgers, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, Kurt was cast as Tony. On June 24, 1968, opening night, seated directly behind Leonard Bernstein was Kurt’s family and his choir teacher.

Kurt played opposite Vicki all through the summer of 1968 at The State Theatre with a forty-piece orchestra and an incredible cast. Not a bad hop for a Frog Prince and a Pink Bunny Rabbit!