Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. It consists of nine movements: Prologue (Allegro Moderato), "Somewhere" (Adagio), Scherzo (Vivace e Leggiero), Mambo (Meno Presto), Cha-Cha (Andantino Con Grazia), Meeting Scene (Meno Mosso), "Cool" Fugue (Allegretto), Rumble (Molto Allegro), Finale (Adagio). Use the HTML below. On The town is, of course, 15 years or so older than West side Story, but a comparison between the two scores is chalk and cheese. [53] The revival sold 1,074,462 tickets on Broadway over the course of nearly two years[54] and was a financial success. Conceived in 1949, West Side Story has a serious message that pleads for racial tolerance, delivered in unforgettable song and dance. Tony kills Bernardo in a fit of rage, which in turn provokes an all-out fight like the fight in the Prologue. They described the project as "lyric theater", and Laurents wrote a first draft he called East Side Story. A black police detective is asked to investigate a murder in a racially hostile southern town. As the walls of Maria's bedroom disappear, they find themselves in a dreamlike world of peace ("Somewhere"). 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. The sound of approaching police sirens is heard, and everyone scatters, except Tony, who stands in shock at what he has done. As in Romeo and Juliet, the love between members of two rival groups in West Side Story leads to violent confrontations "and a tragic ending with an underlying message: Violence breeds violence, so make peace and learn to share turf. Just as Tony sees Maria alive, Chino arrives and shoots Tony. [106], In 1963, the magazine Mad published "East Side Story" which was set at the United Nations building on the East Side of Manhattan, a parody of the Cold War, with the two rival gangs led by John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev, by writer Frank Jacobs and illustrator Mort Drucker. [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. [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. Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy. Favorite Oscar-Winning Best Picture Crime Movie? In [the score], there is the drive, the bounce, the restlessness and the sweetness of our town. The production continued for over a year. A grieving Anita arrives at Maria's apartment. It’s all on Hulu. When the police leave, the Jets bemoan the Sharks coming onto their turf. But when Riff's best friend (and former Jet) Tony and Bernardo's younger sister Maria meet at a dance, no one can do anything to stop their love. Maxine Gordon was Anybodys. They meet the rest of the gang. A Broadway revival opened at the Minskoff Theatre on February 14, 1980 and closed on November 30, 1980, after 333 performances. Maria prays that what he has told her is a lie. Gradually, all the members of both gangs assemble on either side of Tony's body, showing that the feud is over. [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. [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. 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. As Tony leaves, he tells Maria to meet him at Doc's so they can run away to the country. Far less well known is the fact that Shakespeare based his play (1594) on other material, particularly a narrative poem by Arthur Brooke entitled The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562). However, she is unable to bring herself to fire the gun and drops it, crying in grief. Puerto RicoMy heart's devotion Let it sink back in the ocean Always the hurricanes blowing Always the population growing And the money owing You can view additional information about each West Side Story actor on … Initially he resisted, because he was determined to write the full score for his next project (Saturday Night had been aborted). It featured Christian Bautista as Tony, Karylle and Joanna Ampil as Maria. West Side Story was actually the first piece of popular music our family ever allowed into the home. His painted backdrops were stunning, but the sets were, for the most part, either shabby looking or too stylized. Both de Guzman and Allen received Tony Award nominations as Best Featured Actress in a Musical, and the musical was nominated as Best Reproduction (Play or Musical). This is followed by a monologue by the ineffective Lt. Schrank trying to find out the location of the rumble. West Side Story Overview - The BEST Broadway source for West Side Story tickets and West Side Story information, photos and videos. [74] An international tour (2005–2010), directed and choreographed by Joey McKneely played in Tokyo, Paris, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Singapore, São Paulo, France, Taiwan, China, Italy, Rotterdam and Spain. And then we had the really tough problem of casting it, because the characters had to be able not only to sing but dance and act and be taken for teenagers. [42][43] The production wove Spanish lyrics and dialogue into the English libretto. *By subscribing, you agree to receive email from the promoters regarding West Side Story and future events. Laurents accepted and suggested Bernstein and Robbins join the creative team. [citation needed], Staatstheater Nürnberg staged a production in Germany from 1972 in a German translation by Marcel Prawy, starring Barry Hanner as Tony and Glenda Glayzer as Maria. Action has taken charge; he accepts Anybodys into the Jets and includes her in the search. With Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez. Riedel, Michael. [94] The soundtrack album won a Grammy Award and was ranked No. We take a first look at Steven Spielberg’s remake WEST SIDE STORY, coming out Dec. 10, 2021 (2020, COVID delayed). Just as Romeo and Juliet are born to rival families, Tony and Maria are associated with rival gangs. [69], The musical has also been adapted to be performed as Deaf Side Story using both English and American Sign Language, with deaf Sharks and hearing Jets. Maria sends Tony to stop it, hoping it can end the violence. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. 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". Written by Laurents ultimately invented what sounded like real street talk but actually was not: "cut the frabba-jabba", for example. Other notable cast members included Brent Barrett as Diesel, Harolyn Blackwell as Francisca, Stephen Bogardus as Mouth Piece and Reed Jones as Big Deal. Book by Arthur Laurents. [citation needed] Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival performed West Side Story in 1999, starring Tyley Ross as Tony and Ma-Anne Dionisio as Maria, and again in 2009,[73] The Austrian Bregenz Festival presented West Side Story in the German translation by Prawy in 2003 and 2004, directed by Francesca Zambello, followed by a German tour. [22], Throughout the rehearsal period, the New York newspapers were filled with articles about gang warfare, keeping the show's plot timely. It starred Ken Marshall as Tony, Josie de Guzman as Maria and Debbie Allen as Anita. [16] Columbia Records initially declined to record the cast album, saying the score was too depressing and too difficult. The production subsequently toured the UK for a second time.[38]. Riff and Bernardo agree to meet for a War Council at Doc's, a drug store which is considered neutral ground, but meanwhile, an infatuated and happy Tony finds Maria's building and serenades her outside her bedroom ("Maria"). It's mesmerizing, powerful, stunning, poetic, beautifully filled with art, moving, lovely, and downright beautiful. In the 1964 and 1980 revivals, "Somewhere" was sung by Francisca rather than Consuelo. Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew, and the other a devout Christian, compete in the 1924 Olympics. [23] Robbins wanted a gritty realism from his sneaker- and jeans-clad cast. They plan to run away together. 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. [11] Meanwhile, Laurents had written a new draft of the book changing the characters' backgrounds: Anton, once an Irish American, was now of Polish and Irish descent, and the formerly Jewish Maria had become a Puerto Rican. He liked it but decided to ask Abbott, his longtime mentor, for his opinion, and Abbott advised him to turn it down. Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. 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. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Then the Sharks and Jets plan a rumble under the highway--whoever wins gains control of the streets. The soundtrack of the West Side Story film is deservedly one of the most popular soundtrack recordings of all time, and one of the relatively few to have attained long-term popularity beyond a specialized soundtrack/theatrical musical audience. But Oscar Hammerstein convinced him that he would benefit from the experience, and he accepted. You could tell that Bernstein was holding himself back in On The Town. Direction and choreography were reproduced by Lee Theodore, and scenery was by Oliver Smith. A female girlie club entertainer in Weimar Republic era Berlin romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power around them. [71][72] In 1961, a tour of Israel, Africa and the Near East was mounted. Gualberto Castro played the part of Tony; Maria Medina was Maria; among other cast members was Macaria. She admits that Chino has a gun and is looking for Tony. Unfortunately, the Jets, who have found Tony, have congregated at Doc's, and they taunt Anita with racist slurs and eventually attempt rape. The American theatre took a venturesome forward step when the firm of Griffith & Prince presented West Side Story at the Winter Garden last evening. Maria confesses to Anita that she is not in love with Chino. 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". 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. It received the most Academy Awards (10 wins) of any musical film, including Best Picture. Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship which may not stay platonic for long. [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. [51] In July 2010, the producers reduced the size of the orchestra, replacing five musicians with an off-stage synthesizer. [35] David Holliday, who had been playing Gladhand since the London opening, took over as Tony. At the dance, after introductions, the teenagers begin to dance; soon a challenge dance is called ("Dance at the Gym"), during which Tony and Maria (who aren't taking part in the challenge dance) see each other across the room and are drawn to each other. [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). 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. [63] The Musical Theater of Lincoln Center and Richard Rodgers production opened at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center, in June 1968 and closed in September 1968 after 89 performances. Sondheim did not care for Laurents' opinion. [17], The show was nearly complete in the fall of 1956, but almost everyone on the creative team needed to fulfill other commitments first. Because of its opening date, the show was not eligible for 2020 Tony Award consideration. 133 of 172 people found this review helpful. A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process. However, the Spanish lyrics sung by the Sharks in the "Tonight" (Quintet) remained in Spanish. The theme of two lovers thwarted by circumstances beyond their control, however, had long before been established in West… Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer star in this classic musical retelling of 'Romeo and Juliet' set among New York's warring gangs. [60] Some theatergoers felt that the set turned the theatre into a cinema, but critic Charles McNulty argued that it weaves technology into a multimedia "performance work that defies our usual vocabulary". The Jets get antsy while waiting for the Sharks inside Doc's drugstore. It was staged at the outdoor plaza of Hong Kong Cultural Centre. [77] A French language adaptation, translated by Philippe Gobeille, opened in Montreal, Quebec, in March 2008. West Side Story, theatre music by American composer Leonard Bernstein that premiered August 19, 1957, in Washington, D.C., before moving to Broadway for a second opening on September 26, 1957. [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. Tony tells Doc about Maria. [102] In the third season of the series Glee, three episodes feature characters auditioning, rehearsing and performing a school production of West Side Story. [39] The original scenic, lighting, and costume designs were used. It was staged by Gerald Freedman with choreography re-mounted by Tom Abbott. Tony arrives to see Maria and she initially pounds on his chest with rage, but she still loves him. [103][104], In film, Pixar animator Aaron Hartline used the first meeting between Tony and Maria as inspiration for the moment when Ken meets Barbie in Toy Story 3. Prince, aware that Abbott was the primary reason New Girl was in trouble, decided to ignore him, and he and his producing partner Robert Griffith flew to New York to hear the score. For other uses, see, Stage musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The police chase the Sharks off, and then the Jets plan how they can assure their continued dominance of the street. Doc relates the news to Tony, who has been dreaming of heading to the countryside to have children with Maria. The show lampoons the musical's tragic love story, and also lip-synching and drag shows. 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. The Jets, however, are not stool pigeons and won't tell him anything. The feuding families become two warring New York City gangs--the white Jets led by Riff and the Latino Sharks, led by Bernardo. West Side Story opened at New York's Winter Garden Theater on September 26, 1957, and has remained in the repertory ever since. Only the bodies of Riff and Bernardo remain. Were the songs in West Side Story eligible for an Oscar nomination? 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! Prince began cutting the budget and raising money. [78] A Philippine version played in 2008 at the Meralco Theater. Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy. Other notable cast members included Suzuko Mimori as Anita, Ryuji Kamiyama as Riff, and Masataka Nakagauchi as Bernardo. Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding. And unlike the typical Broadway musical of the 1950s and before, West Side Story does not offer audiences a happy ending. With the help of Oscar Hammerstein, Laurents convinced Bernstein and Sondheim to move "One Hand, One Heart", which he considered too pristine for the balcony scene, to the scene set in the bridal shop, and as a result "Tonight" was written to replace it. Sondheim found Larry Kert and Chita Rivera, who created the roles of Tony and Anita, respectively. People have been listening to that message, and humming the songs, ever since the show premiered on Broadway in 1957 and debuted on … You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The original 1957 Broadway production, conceived, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins and produced by Robert E. Griffith and Harold Prince, marked Sondheim's Broadway debut. [5] Eager to write his first musical, Laurents immediately agreed. While in Hollywood, he contacted Bernstein, who was in town conducting at the Hollywood Bowl. [67][68] The cast featured Kyle Harris as Tony and Ali Ewoldt as Maria. Directed by Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise. Maria holds Tony in her arms (and sings a quiet, brief reprise of "Somewhere") as he dies. An adaptation of the 1957 musical, West Side Story explores forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. The surround sound knocked my socks off from the opening aerial ambiance of Manhattan streets to the orchestrations themselves. Having watched On The Town only a few days back, it was interesting to contrast the two musicals. Tony attempts to intervene, inadvertently leading to Riff being fatally stabbed by Bernardo. The photography used the wide screen format uncompromisingly. West Side Story is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The Jets and Sharks form a procession, and together carry Tony away, with Maria the last one in the procession. To cheer themselves up, they lampoon Krupke and the other adults who don't understand them ("Gee, Officer Krupke"). [80], A Japanese production ran from November 2019 to January 2020, at the IHI Stage Around Tokyo, featuring a double-cast with Mamoru Miyano and Shouta Aoi as Tony, and Kii Kitano and Rena Sasamoto as Maria. The two draw their switchblades and get in a fight ("The Rumble"). It closed September 28, 1985. 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]. Typical was John Chapman's review in the New York Daily News on September 27, 1957, headed: "West Side Story a Splendid and Super-Modern Musical Drama". The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won ten, including George Chakiris for Supporting Actor, Rita Moreno for Supporting Actress, and Best Picture. The cast featured Don McKay (Tony), Julia Migenes (Maria) and Luba Lisa (Anita).