Two new musical productions open in Vienna on Feb. 19, the night of the world-famous Opera Ball at the Staatsoper.

The locally-produced Nunsense and the touring production of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, two shows as different as they come, will rival for the attention of Vienna's musical fans for the next weeks.

Dan Goggin's Nunsense will play the Metropol-Theater, whose productions of Guys and Dolls and Elvis have found great appeal with its audiences. Marianne Mendt, one of Austria's best-known pop-singers in the seventies, is Mother Superior, Nina Proll, Sigrid Hauser, Andrea Haendler and Bettina Soriat make up the rest of the convent. Werner Sobotka directs Nonnsens, Cedric Lee Bradley does the choreography.

At the considerably bigger Ronacher-Theater, West Side Story follows the Paris-bound Fame, both produced by Wolfgang Bocksch. A Bocksch-production of WSS already played the Ronacher-Theater in summer 1994.

The All-American cast will be led by Max van Essen as Tony and Dana Lynn Caruso as Maria. Michelle Delean is Anita, Martin Avilles is Bernado. Alan Johnson directs and choreographs this production, Donald Chan is the musical director. Even the Opera Ball at Vienna's Staatsoper offers a musical star this year: Raquel Welch, Broadway's third and last Victor/Victoria, will waltz the night away.

Nonnsense plays the Metropol-Theater Feb. 19-21, 24- 28, March 3-7 and 10-14 31, April 1-4 and 7-11. Tickets can be ordered at (+43)-1-407 77 407.

West Side Story has its first and only preview on Feb. 19, then plays from Feb. 20 to March 6. Performances run Tue. - Sun. 7.30 PM, matinees Sat. and Sun. 3.00 PM. Tickets at (+43)-1-588 85.

--By Bernd Freimueller
Austria Correspondent