Meet and Greet: Somewhere
HOSTED BY THE GUTHRIE THEATER
NOVEMBER 11, 2025
Rehearsals are officially underway for the Guthrie’s newest production, a mounting of Tony Award winning playwright Matthew López’s play-with-dance, Somewhere.
It’s 1959, and the musical West Side Story has captured the hearts of America, including the tight-knit Candelaria family who dreams of making it big in show business: the siblings take acting and dance lessons, mother Inez works as an usher and father Pepe tours as a bandleader. When an exciting update about a West Side Story film arrives, it is overshadowed by devastating news — their Manhattan tenement apartment is being demolished to build Lincoln Center, and they have 30 days to vacate. Filled with music and dance, this heartfelt family drama explores the tension between pursuing dreams and managing the realities of life.
Broadway World was invited into the room where it happens - a meet and greet of the team bringing this poignant story to life - on the first day of rehearsals. What followed was a semi-deep dive into the creative process that will take place to shape the McGuire Proscenium Stage into the world of New York City apartments that the Candelaria family will reside in.
Guthrie artistic director and director of the piece, Joseph Haj, illustrated that this play is all about culture and the harsh reality of trying to balance the creation of the cultural center of New York City, Lincoln Center, while also encompassing the cultural aspects of heritage and community that are created by immigrants and the pieces of the world they bring with them.
As Haj stepped aside, he introduced the playwright himself, Matthew López, who took time to be present for the first few days of rehearsals to kick it off right. During his time at the microphone, López regaled those in attendance with the inspiration of the piece, drawing from his own family’s stories and experiences living in New York during this time, even though the characters are fictional, they possess many of their real life qualities. He took great care and pride in sharing a slew of antidotes about his life and the piece as a whole, often diverging to offer us insight into how he sees the world.
Perhaps his most profound message had nothing to do with the play in particular, it was his unwavering admiration of regional theater and fervent belief that is the life blood of the theater community. “It is where careers are begun, It is where careers are maintained. I don’t know if I can name a single American writer who was born after 1975 who doesn’t have a relationship with some regional theater”.
His dedication to his craft was on full display and it was shown through his visible excitement for the Guthrie to take his piece and bring it to life as only the Guthrie can.
After his rousing introduction, Lopez and Haj stepped aside to let the creatives shine in their respective art forms. The scenic design was shown and discussed, promising to be not only brilliant in its visuals but arresting in the messages it will portray.
Much can be said for Alejo Vietti’s costume concepts. Arriving from Argentina, Vietti shared that his dreams were almost not realized when he immigrated to the United States with almost nothing to his name. A theme that resonates so strongly with the themes within the piece. His brilliant eye has created a costume design which incorporates the color palettes of the tropical island where the Candelaria family hail from. All to be changed (for the better or worse) by the introduction of a name named Jamie. While the family is forced to adjust to a new life, their wardrobe may just be a part of them that they can hold to, to offer a symbol of their “old” life.
As the piece is described as a play-with-dance, it is only fitting that a strong choreographer is on board and who better to take those reins than the brilliant Maija García, whose choreography of the Guthrie’s 2018 production of West Side Story was transcendent. As she spoke about her plans for Somewhere, she focused on ensuring that the dance and movement within the show reflected each and every character’s intentions and inner “fierceness” to inspire their actions. Sharing parts of her life, García recalled how her family moved from Cuba in 1959 and her father purchased a copy of the album of West Side Story. It was that record that help him learn English and assisted in creating a life for his family in a new place. She recounted that through her life she lived the very message of the piece, wrestling with the economic reality while trying to achieve her aspirations.
Guiding those movements is the sound designer, who has promised quite a mesmerizing score to accompany the show. His ideas of rooting the music in latin sounds and variations of familiar pieces from West Side Story is the perfect tie in to the story and it will certainly be something to look forward to.
Giving life to the piece through way of lighting is an inspiring designer who has crafted a design that blends the fantasy of stardom with the reality of the family’s predicament. Using her skills to fashion a realistic world that is harsh but shattered by the vibrance of show business and the marvel that goes with it.
Throughout the meet and greet, it was very evident that this is a project of love, hope, and inspiration. The team aims to bring a beautiful, tragic, and (we were promised, at times) funny story to the Guthrie stage with life and heart. Somewhere is going to be a piece that is not to be missed and that sentiment is coming just from the first meeting.
The cast and creatives of Somewhere. (Guthrie Theater)
