Though Bernardo taunts and provokes Tony, ridiculing his attempt to make peace, Tony keeps his composure. Robbins felt if the three were going to join forces, they should return to East Side Story, and Bernstein agreed. The production continued for over a year. Feeling there is no longer anything to live for, Tony leaves to find Chino, begging for him to shoot him as well. [59] The original balletic, finger snapping choreography is replaced by swaggering, hip-hop and latin-influenced dancing. Initially he resisted, because he was determined to write the full score for his next project (Saturday Night had been aborted). The surround sound knocked my socks off from the opening aerial ambiance of Manhattan streets to the orchestrations themselves. [108][109], From 1973 to 2004, Wild Side Story, a camp parody musical, based loosely on West Side Story and adapting parts of the musical's music and lyrics, was performed a total of more than 500 times in Miami Beach, Florida, Stockholm, Gran Canaria and Los Angeles. The Jets, however, are not stool pigeons and won't tell him anything. [96], A 2021 film adaptation, written by Tony Kushner, directed by Steven Spielberg and choreographed by Justin Peck, was filmed in 2019. [67][68] The cast featured Kyle Harris as Tony and Ali Ewoldt as Maria. ... Robbins' energetic choreography and Bernstein's grand score accentuated the satiric, hard-edged lyrics of Sondheim, and Laurents' capture of the angry voice of urban youth. [27] However, Suskin writes in Show Tunes that "As the writing progressed and the extent of Bernstein's lyric contributions became less, the composer agreed to rescind his credit. Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding. West Side Story tells a story of how Tony (a polish America who used to lead the local gang, the jets) and Maria (a Puerto Rican teen part of the rivaling gang) find love despite their backgrounds and public opinions. [16] Columbia Records initially declined to record the cast album, saying the score was too depressing and too difficult. His painted backdrops were stunning, but the sets were, for the most part, either shabby looking or too stylized. Bernstein's score for the musical includes "Jet Song", "Something's Coming", "Maria", "Tonight", "America", "Cool", "One Hand, One Heart", "I Feel Pretty", "Somewhere", "Gee, Officer Krupke" and "A Boy Like That". Bernardo believes that he will fight Tony, but must settle for fighting Diesel, Riff's second-in-command, instead. [citation needed] From 1982–1984 a tour of South America, Israel and Europe was mounted with talent from New York with direction and choreography by Jay Norman and Lee Theodore, veterans of the original Broadway cast. [39] The original scenic, lighting, and costume designs were used. And unlike the typical Broadway musical of the 1950s and before, West Side Story does not offer audiences a happy ending. It wasn't his project. The cast includes Shereen Pimentel as Maria, Isaac Cole Powell as Tony, Amar Ramasar as Bernardo, Thomas Jay Ryan as Lt. Schrank and Yesenia Ayala as Anita, who is also set to appear in the upcoming film remake. The items on display provide a rare window into this complex process. The Jets, Sharks, and adults flock around the lovers. [65], A national tour, directed by Alan Johnson, was produced in 2002. [2] The young protagonist, Tony, a former member of the Jets and best friend of the gang's leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. Diesel is renamed Ice. West Side Story gang fight “West Side Story” is undoubtedly one of the most famous American musicals. It featured Christian Bautista as Tony, Karylle and Joanna Ampil as Maria. Use the HTML below. Then the Sharks and Jets plan a rumble under the highway--whoever wins gains control of the streets. He gave the ensemble more freedom than Broadway dancers had previously been given to interpret their roles, and the dancers were thrilled to be treated like actors instead of just choreographed bodies. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Because of its opening date, the show was not eligible for 2020 Tony Award consideration. Some were wonderful singers but couldn't dance very well, or vice versa ... and if they could do both, they couldn't act. [97][98] Kushner reportedly kept the story closer to the original Broadway musical than the 1961 film, stating that "[T]here are aspects of urban life in '57, '58, '59 that weren't touched on in the 1961 movie that we are focusing on. This time I went through with the purchase and am now wondering what could have come over me, not buying it before.Those here who have said you really need to watch it on the Big Screen are absolutely right. Two of the Jets, A-Rab and Baby John, are set on by Officer Krupke, but they manage to escape him. Tony suggests "a fair fight" (fists only), which the leaders agree to, despite the other members' protests. Riff wants to convince his best friend and former member of the Jets, Tony, to meet the Jets at the dance. As Tony leaves, he tells Maria to meet him at Doc's so they can run away to the country. [12], The original book Laurents wrote closely adhered to Romeo and Juliet, but the characters based on Rosaline and the parents of the doomed lovers were eliminated early on. They meet the rest of the gang. When a gang leader advises his cohorts to play it "Cool", the intolerable tension between an effort at control and the instinctive drives of these potential killers is stingingly graphic. [86] Ramin, Kostal and Bernstein are billed as orchestrators for the show. Just as Tony sees Maria alive, Chino arrives and shoots Tony. It goes terribly wrong, and before the lovers know what's happened, tragedy strikes and doesn't stop until the climactic and heartbreaking ending. The writer concluded: "On the cusp of the 1960s, American society, still recovering from the enormous upheaval of World War II, was seeking stability and control. It seems odd that it was nominated for Best Picture but as a musical it received no Best Song nominations. Bernstein was despondent, but Sondheim convinced his friend Hal Prince, who was in Boston overseeing the out-of-town tryout of the new George Abbott musical New Girl in Town, to read the script. Featured performers were George Chakiris, who won an Academy Award as Bernardo in the 1961 film version, as Riff, Marlys Watters as Maria, Don McKay as Tony, and Chita Rivera reprising her Broadway role as Anita. I played West Side Story loud, very loud. West Side Story is the award-winning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy "Romeo and Juliet". Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer star in this classic musical retelling of 'Romeo and Juliet' set among New York's warring gangs. He proposed that the plot focus on the conflict between an Irish Catholic family and a Jewish family living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan,[4] during the Easter–Passover season. In Hawaii in 1941, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his captain's wife and second-in-command are falling in love. [71][72] In 1961, a tour of Israel, Africa and the Near East was mounted. West Side Story Opens December 10, 2021 Actors renowned in theater and film, those new to the silver screen, and a host of talented singers and dancers will join Steven Spielberg and his crew in bringing a new adaptation of the original, beloved stage musical West Side Stor y to the cinema for a … [25] The pre-Broadway run in Washington, D.C. was a critical and commercial success, although none of the reviews mentioned Sondheim, listed as co-lyricist, who was overshadowed by the better-known Bernstein. [105] The 2005 short musical comedy film West Bank Story, which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, concerns a love story between a Jew and a Palestinian and parodies several aspects of West Side Story. Puerto RicoMy heart's devotion Let it sink back in the ocean Always the hurricanes blowing Always the population growing And the money owing [40], In 2007, Arthur Laurents stated, "I've come up with a way of doing [West Side Story] that will make it absolutely contemporary without changing a word or a note. The suite is included as bonus tracks on the 1957 original Broadway cast recording. Lt. Schrank arrives to question Maria about her brother's death, and Anita agrees to go to Doc's to tell Tony to wait. There he met Sondheim, who had heard that East Side Story, now retitled West Side Story, was back on track. Having watched On The Town only a few days back, it was interesting to contrast the two musicals. This is followed by a monologue by the ineffective Lt. Schrank trying to find out the location of the rumble. [64] A 1987 U.S. tour starred Jack Wagner as Tony, with Valarie Pettiford as Anita and was directed by Alan Johnson. [56][57] It is directed by Ivo van Hove, with choreography by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker[58] and is produced by Scott Rudin, Barry Diller and David Geffen. West Side Story opened at New York's Winter Garden Theater on September 26, 1957, and has remained in the repertory ever since. Allen won the Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. West Side Story. People have been listening to that message, and humming the songs, ever since the show premiered on Broadway in 1957 and debuted on … The Jets' leader, Riff, suggests setting up a rumble with the Sharks. The set consists mostly of large screens featuring video, several cast members carry iPhones, and the Jets are not all white. They are warned by police officers Krupke and Lt. Schrank to stop fighting on their beat. [37], A UK national tour started in 1997 and starred David Habbin as Tony, Katie Knight Adams as Maria and Anna-Jane Casey as Anita. [22], Throughout the rehearsal period, the New York newspapers were filled with articles about gang warfare, keeping the show's plot timely. A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies. She admits that Chino has a gun and is looking for Tony. As a result, by opening night on Broadway, none of his collaborators were talking to him. It goes terribly wrong, and before the lovers know what's happened, tragedy strikes and doesn't stop until the climactic and heartbreaking ending. A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process. Meanwhile, Anita, Rosalia, and the other Shark girls discuss the differences between the territory of Puerto Rico and the mainland United States of America, with Anita defending America, and Rosalia yearning for Puerto Rico ("America"). It closed September 28, 1985. Maria is a Puerto Rican migrant. Anybodys arrives and tells the Jets that she has been spying on the Puerto Ricans; she has discovered that Chino has a gun and is looking for Tony. [citation needed] In 1962, the West End (H. M. Tennent) production launched a five-month Scandinavian tour opening in Copenhagen, continuing to Oslo, Gothenburg, Stockholm and Helsinki. They decide that they need to have one big rumble to settle the matter once and for all – even if winning requires fig… Juvenile delinquency is seen as an ailment of society: "No one wants a fella with a social disease!" Maria is young and innocent and has never known love—until Tony. It was staged by Gerald Freedman with choreography re-mounted by Tom Abbott. [47] An amazing omission on my part, as having seen it, I just think it's simply wonderful.I bought the DVD "on spec" in a CD/DVD exchange store in Sydney for $10. The production's national tour was launched on July 1, 1959, in Denver and then played in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Boston. After tryouts in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia beginning in August 1957, the original Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 26, 1957,[31] to positive reviews. They plan to run away together. The police chase the Sharks off, and then the Jets plan how they can assure their continued dominance of the street. When the knives come out, and bodies begin to fly wildly through space under buttermilk clouds, the sheer visual excitement is breathtaking .... Mr. Bernstein has permitted himself a few moments of graceful, lingering melody: in a yearning "Maria", in the hushed falling line of "Tonight", in the wistful declaration of "I Have a Love". The music of "Gee, Officer Krupke" was pulled from the Venice scene in Candide. He was outvoted on other issues: he felt the lyrics to "America" and "I Feel Pretty" were too witty for the characters singing them, but they stayed in the score and proved to be audience favorites. After Riff is killed, Ice takes control of the Jets, rather than Action. Bernstein composed West Side Story and Candide concurrently, which led to some switches of material between the two works. [24] As the rehearsals wore on, Bernstein fought to keep his score together, as other members of the team called on him to cut out more and more of the sweeping or complex "operatic" passages. [10], In New York City, Laurents went to the opening night party for a new play by Ugo Betti. The photography used the wide screen format uncompromisingly. However, the Spanish lyrics sung by the Sharks in the "Tonight" (Quintet) remained in Spanish. Frustrated, Schrank threatens to beat the crap out of the Jets unless they make nice. We take a first look at Steven Spielberg’s remake WEST SIDE STORY, coming out Dec. 10, 2021 (2020, COVID delayed). Laurents ultimately invented what sounded like real street talk but actually was not: "cut the frabba-jabba", for example. West Side Story was one of those times. It's been a long while since I've watched a film with a silly grin on my face right through, sometimes gasping at the sheer knock-out brilliance of what film-making can be at its best. Although I think I've seen just about every musical there is from the forties to the seventies, I'd never seen West Side Story until last night. "Director's Cut – At 90, Playwright Still Vibrant, Vicious", See Simeone, Nigel (2009) "Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story", pp. West Side Story is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. [70], The original Australian production opened in October 1960 at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, before touring to the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney in February 1961. You'll be the first to hear about exclusive presales and any news about West Side Story! Before he goes, they dream of their wedding ("One Hand, One Heart"). Bernstein suggested they rework East Side Story and set it in Los Angeles, but Laurents felt he was more familiar with Puerto Ricans in the United States and Harlem than he was with Mexican Americans and Olvera Street. West Side Story cast list, listed alphabetically with photos when available. But West side Story was his baby, and it shows.The sheer brilliance of the music, the enchanting daring of it, its raucous atonality coupled with sweetness of melody are awesomely impressive, as show-stopper after show-stopper is thrown onto the screen to continually up the amazement quotient, time after time. Was this review helpful to you? Another she yells. View production, box office, & company info. It premiered in September of 1957 in New York and was made into a movie in the 1960s. With Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez. Action has taken charge; he accepts Anybodys into the Jets and includes her in the search. The Broadway revival began previews at the Palace Theatre on February 23, 2009, and opened on March 19, 2009. Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention. Tony, Maria, Anita, Bernardo and the Sharks, and Riff and the Jets all anticipate the events to come that night ("Tonight Quintet"). He plans to make the challenge to Bernardo, the Sharks' leader, that night at the neighborhood dance. You could tell that Bernstein was holding himself back in On The Town. When Tony arrives, Maria insists that he must stop the fight altogether, which he agrees to do. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. [94] The soundtrack album won a Grammy Award and was ranked No. The production was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, orchestrated by Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal, and produced by Robert E. Griffith and Harold Prince, with lighting designed by Jean Rosenthal. [32] Carol Lawrence received the 1958 Theatre World Award. [85] It was orchestrated by Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal following detailed instructions from Bernstein, who then wrote revisions on their manuscript (the original, heavily annotated by Ramin, Kostal and Bernstein himself is in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Columbia University). The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays. Laurents felt that the building tension needed to be alleviated in order to increase the impact of the play's tragic outcome, so comic relief in the form of Officer Krupke was added to the second act. [44][45][46] In August 2009, some of the lyrics for "A Boy Like That" ("Un Hombre Asi") and "I Feel Pretty" ("Me Siento Hermosa"), which were previously sung in Spanish in the revival, were changed back to the original English. [8], Laurents was soon hired to write the screenplay for a remake of the 1934 Greta Garbo film The Painted Veil for Ava Gardner. Maria sends Tony to stop it, hoping it can end the violence. The feuding families become two warring New York City gangs--the white Jets led by Riff and the Latino Sharks, led by Bernardo. Drama. The show lampoons the musical's tragic love story, and also lip-synching and drag shows. While in Hollywood, he contacted Bernstein, who was in town conducting at the Hollywood Bowl. Tony arrives to see Maria and she initially pounds on his chest with rage, but she still loves him. [52] The production closed on January 2, 2011 after 748 performances and 27 previews. [49][50] The cast recording won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. The production transferred to London's West End opening at the Prince Edward Theatre in October 1998, transferring to the Prince of Wales Theatre where it closed in January 2000. The radioactive fallout from West Side Story must still be descending on Broadway this morning. She was raised Roman Catholic and continues to pray regularly. West Side Story is the award-winning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy "Romeo and Juliet". Director, choreographer, and idea-man Jerome Robbins has put together, and then blasted apart, the most savage, restless, electrifying dance patterns we've been exposed to in a dozen seasons .... the show rides with a catastrophic roar over the spider-web fire-escapes, the shadowed trestles, and the plain dirt battlegrounds of a big city feud ... there is fresh excitement in the next debacle, and the next. Contrary to rumor, Sondheim did not write music for the show; his only contribution came on "Something's Coming", where he developed the main strain of the chorus from music Bernstein wrote for the verse.[28]. 85–92: 'Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal: Orchestrating the Show', Learn how and when to remove this template message, Grammy Award for Best Sound Track Album or Recording of Original Cast from Motion Picture or Television, Best Jazz Performance – Large Group (Instrumental), Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Robert Flaherty Documentary Award (Television), Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role in a Musical, "Excerpts from Bernstein's West Side Log, see 1949 and 1955", "Leonard Bernstein by Humphrey Burton, Chapter 26", "West Side Story: 'We were all very young, "Dharon E. Jones Set to Take Over as Riff in West Side Story on Broadway", "'West Side Story' London Production, 1958", albemarle-london "Archive Page, 'West Side Story'", "Broadway s'addice ai «guerrieri della notte»", "A Song Like That: Collaborators Reconsider Spanish Lyrics in 'West Side Story'", "Cavenaugh, Scaglione, Olivo, Green and Akram to Lead Cast of 'West Side Story' Revival", "Billy Elliot, Norman Conquests, Hair, God of Carnage Are Tony Award Winners", "Nominations for 2009 Tony Awards Announced; Billy Elliot Earns 15 Nominations", "Gee, Officer Krupke, I Need Those Violins", "Broadway's 'West Side Story' Postpones Opening Night Following Leading Man's Onstage Knee Injury", "West Side Story Will Return to Broadway, Directed by Ivo van Hove", "Broadway League Extends Shutdown Until June 2021", "Theater Review; 'West Side Story': Staging At Its Best", Information from the WestSideStory.com "2002, " 'West Side Story' National Tour to Launch in October", "Grammy Award-Winning Smash Hit 'West Side Story' Launches National Tour at Detroit's Fisher Theatre", " 'West Side Story' 50th Anniversary Production", Information about the translation (in French only), Marco Zunino y Rossana Fernández Maldonado protagonizan Amor sin barreras, "Outstanding Classical Program in the Performing Arts – 1985", "Release of Steven Spielberg's West Side Story Movie Delayed Nearly a Year", "West Side Story: High school student cast as Maria in Spielberg remake", "PBreaking: 2020 Drama Desk Awards Nominations- The Full List! Maria is the lead female character in the 1961 film West Side Story. The translations are by Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda. Sondheim did not care for Laurents' opinion. [62], The New York City Center Light Opera Company production played for a limited engagement of 31 performances from April 8, 1964 to May 3, 1964. West Side Story was actually the first piece of popular music our family ever allowed into the home. [48] Olivo won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress, while Scaglione was nominated for the award for Leading Actress. In the 1964 and 1980 revivals, "Somewhere" was sung by Francisca rather than Consuelo. Sondheim found Larry Kert and Chita Rivera, who created the roles of Tony and Anita, respectively.