West Side Story’s Natalie Cortez Shares Where She Gets Her Kicks at the Palace

After understudying the part, Natalie Cortez has mambo-ed her way into the leading role of Sharks girl Anita in West Side Story, and she invited Broadway.com to come check out her new digs at the Palace Theatre. “It’s the biggest dressing room I’ve ever had,” the dancer tells us. Cortez made her Broadway debut in the 2008 revival of A Chorus Line, and her dressing room at the Palace Theatre is filled with mementos of family and fans. Join us as we take a closer look.

Photos by Jenny Anderson for Broadway.com
 

"This is a collage of photos I always keep. There’s one of my mom and me when I was a kid, one of my stage debut at the YMCA Nutcracker—I was a mouse—when I was 4 or 5, my husband and my son from last summer, and a photo of my sister, my mom and me."


"This is my Chorus Line playbill, signed by all my castmates from the show, which I love."


"This is my son’s handprint. His name is Jake, and he’s 15 months old now. It’s something I always keep with me."


"This is my rehearsal hat from A Chorus Line. Well, it’s called the rehearsal hat but it’s not; it’s actually the show hat for “One,” and it pops out. I love it, and my son really loves it."


"My grandmother was a hair stylist for 50 years at Lord &Taylor, and this is her old makeup case that she gave me. I keep all my fan letters in it. I never throw away fan mail; it’s precious. You never know when you’re gonna get it again! So, that’s where I keep it, and it makes me feel good on days when I don’t feel so good about myself."