west side story
The 1980 Broadway production was recreated by Tom Abbott. [100][101], The television show Curb Your Enthusiasm extensively referenced West Side Story in the 2009 season seven episode "Officer Krupke". Diesel is renamed Ice. View production, box office, & company info. "[99] The cast is set to include Ansel Elgort as Tony, newcomer Rachel Zegler as Maria and Ariana DeBose as Anita. Tony suggests "a fair fight" (fists only), which the leaders agree to, despite the other members' protests. Maria confesses to Anita that she is not in love with Chino. Maria and Tony begin meeting in secret, planning to run away. The cast starred Steven Pacey as Tony and Jan Hartley as Maria. The police chase the Sharks off, and then the Jets plan how they can assure their continued dominance of the street. Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy. The musical explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. Tony attempts to intervene, inadvertently leading to Riff being fatally stabbed by Bernardo. The resulting film was a tremendous critical as well as commercial success—Wise’s biggest hit to date—and received 10 Academy Awards, including best picture… When the police leave, the Jets bemoan the Sharks coming onto their turf. On September 26, 1957, West Side Story, composed by Leonard Bernstein, opens at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway.For the groundbreaking musical, … 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. [23] Robbins wanted a gritty realism from his sneaker- and jeans-clad cast. 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. Based on a Conception of JEROME ROBBINS. As Tony leaves, he tells Maria to meet him at Doc's so they can run away to the country. You could tell that Bernstein was holding himself back in On The Town. Walter Kerr wrote in the New York Herald Tribune on September 27, 1957:[82]. Robbins felt if the three were going to join forces, they should return to East Side Story, and Bernstein agreed. It is fascinatingly tricky and melodically beguiling, and it marks the progression of an admirable composer ... Time magazine found the dance and gang warfare more compelling than the love story and noted that the show's "putting choreography foremost, may prove a milestone in musical-drama history". His painted backdrops were stunning, but the sets were, for the most part, either shabby looking or too stylized. A grieving Anita arrives at Maria's apartment. It takes up the American musical idiom where it was left when George Gershwin died. Maria sends Tony to stop it, hoping it can end the violence. Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention. Scenic and lighting design are by Jan Versweyveld, with costumes by An d'Huys. [32] Robbins won the Tony Award for Best Choreographer, and Oliver Smith won the Tony for Best Scenic Designer. Favorite Oscar-Winning Best Picture Crime Movie? 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. 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. [59] The original balletic, finger snapping choreography is replaced by swaggering, hip-hop and latin-influenced dancing. The sound of approaching police sirens is heard, and everyone scatters, except Tony, who stands in shock at what he has done. In 1947, Jerome Robbins approached Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents about collaborating on a contemporary musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. It ran for 732 performances before going on tour. Her character is based on Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, who falls in love with Romeo (Tony). 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. Feeling there is no longer anything to live for, Tony leaves to find Chino, begging for him to shoot him as well. Tony kills Bernardo in a fit of rage, which in turn provokes an all-out fight like the fight in the Prologue. [107] In the Discworld series of books by Terry Pratchett, two feuding noble families are named Selachii and Venturi, the scientific names for "sharks" and "jets". It premiered in September of 1957 in New York and was made into a movie in the 1960s. 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 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. 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". 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. [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. It wasn't his project. Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Drama. 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. In the 2009 revival, "Cool" was performed by Riff, the Jets, and the, A 1993 recording on the TER label, the first recording to document the full score including the, The 2009 new Broadway cast album, with Josefina Scaglione as Maria, Matt Cavenaugh as Tony and Karen Olivo as Anita won the 2010. [6][7], In 1955, theatrical producer Martin Gabel was working on a stage adaptation of the James M. Cain novel Serenade, about an opera singer who comes to the realization he is homosexual, and he invited Laurents to write the book. This is a bold new kind of musical theatre – a juke-box Manhattan opera. 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]. Detective Schrank, the senior cop on the beat, tries to get the Jets to tell him which Puerto Ricans are starting trouble in the neighborhood, as he claims he is on their side. The two draw their switchblades and get in a fight ("The Rumble"). 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. Ultimately, some of the cast were teenagers, some were 21, some were 30 but looked 16. [39] The original scenic, lighting, and costume designs were used. ", The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, Mônica e Cebolinha: No Mundo de Romeu e Julieta, In Fair Palestine: A Story of Romeo and Juliet, A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Songfest: A Cycle of American Poems for Six Singers and Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Cats: Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording, Les Misérables: The Complete Symphonic Recording, Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs Of Leiber And Stoller, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Side_Story&oldid=1016614963, Modern adaptations of works by William Shakespeare, Plays and musicals based on Romeo and Juliet, Articles with Italian-language sources (it), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2019, Articles needing additional references from September 2017, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Action, A-Rab, Baby John, Big Deal, Gee-Tar, Mouthpiece, Snowboy, Tiger and Anybodys, Indio, Luis, Anxious, Nibbles, Juano, Toro and Moose, Rosalia, Consuelo, Teresita, Francisca, Estella and Marguerita, Doc, owner of the local drugstore/soda shop, Krupke, neighborhood cop and Schrank's right-hand man, Glad Hand, well meaning social worker in charge of the dance, "Prologue" – Orchestra, danced by Jets & Sharks, "The Dance at the Gym" – Orchestra, danced by Jets & Sharks, "The Rumble" – Orchestra, danced by Riff, Bernardo, Sharks & Jets, "Procession and Nightmare" – Tony, Maria & Ensemble. The radioactive fallout from West Side Story must still be descending on Broadway this morning. 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 … Riff wants to convince his best friend and former member of the Jets, Tony, to meet the Jets at the dance. 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. She appears on her fire escape, and the two profess their love for one another ("Tonight"). When Robbins opted to drop out, the three men went their separate ways, and the piece was shelved for almost five years. [94] The soundtrack album won a Grammy Award and was ranked No. Allen won the Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. It was staged at the outdoor plaza of Hong Kong Cultural Centre. [49][50] The cast recording won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. And Tony, searching for life beyond the savagery of the streets, has discovered love for the first time with her, too. 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. Tony tells Doc about Maria. 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). After Riff is killed, Ice takes control of the Jets, rather than Action. Another song, "Kid Stuff", was added and quickly removed during the Washington, D.C. tryout when Laurents convinced the others it was helping tip the balance of the show into typical musical comedy.[14]. Other notable cast members included Brent Barrett as Diesel, Harolyn Blackwell as Francisca, Stephen Bogardus as Mouth Piece and Reed Jones as Big Deal. Church of Saint Paul the Apostle, Columbus Avenue & West 60th Street, New York City, New York, USA. [102] In the third season of the series Glee, three episodes feature characters auditioning, rehearsing and performing a school production of West Side Story. Conceived in 1949, West Side Story has a serious message that pleads for racial tolerance, delivered in unforgettable song and dance. [77] A French language adaptation, translated by Philippe Gobeille, opened in Montreal, Quebec, in March 2008. 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. Bernstein had decided he needed to concentrate solely on the music, and he and Robbins had invited Betty Comden and Adolph Green to write the lyrics, but the team opted to work on Peter Pan instead. [citation needed], A 2000 Hong Kong production had Cantonese lyrics and featured Hong Kong rock star Paul Wong as Tony. [83] One writer noted: "The story appealed to society's undercurrent of rebellion from authority that surfaced in 1950s films like Rebel Without a Cause. A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process. Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding. When hero Larry Kert is stomping out the visionary insistence of "Something's Coming" both music and tumultuous story are given their due. 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. It received the most Academy Awards (10 wins) of any musical film, including Best Picture. [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. [36] A London production originated at Leicester Haymarket Theatre in early 1984 and transferred on May 16, 1984 to Her Majesty's Theatre. Before he goes, they dream of their wedding ("One Hand, One Heart"). West Side Story - America Lyrics. West Side Story is a timeless classic, but despite six decades of history, you've never seen a production like this one. There was no caution here to frame the action for possible television cropping, or even much consideration given to a 2.35:1 "Cinemascope" presentation. West Side Story was one of those times. 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 goes terribly wrong, and before the lovers know what's happened, tragedy strikes and doesn't stop until the climactic and heartbreaking ending. Music by Doc relates the news to Tony, who has been dreaming of heading to the countryside to have children with Maria. Just as Tony sees Maria alive, Chino arrives and shoots Tony. As a result, by opening night on Broadway, none of his collaborators were talking to him. Bernstein magnanimously removed his name as co-author of the lyrics, although Sondheim was uncertain he wanted to receive sole credit for what he considered to be overly florid contributions by Bernstein. 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. [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. They described the project as "lyric theater", and Laurents wrote a first draft he called East Side Story. Were the songs in West Side Story eligible for an Oscar nomination? [1] It was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. I played West Side Story loud, very loud. Riff helps them let out their aggression ("Cool"). 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. Maria has just arrived from Puerto Rico for her arranged marriage to Chino, a friend of Bernardo's. Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Robbins kept the cast members playing the Sharks and the Jets separate in order to discourage them from socializing with each other and reminded everyone of the reality of gang violence by posting news stories on the bulletin board backstage. A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies. With Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez. The musical is based off of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and this is one of the better known facts about… The translations are by Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda. [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. It’s all on Hulu. The feuding families become two warring New York City gangs--the white Jets led by Riff and the Latino Sharks, led by Bernardo. [15] Tony and Maria's duet, "One Hand, One Heart", was originally intended for Cunegonde in Candide. 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"). Tony initially refuses, but Riff wins him over. Click Here to buy West Side Story tickets today! Juvenile delinquency is seen as an ailment of society: "No one wants a fella with a social disease!" Action has taken charge; he accepts Anybodys into the Jets and includes her in the search. Only after he completed it did the group realize it was little more than a musicalization of themes that had already been covered in plays like Abie's Irish Rose. [53] The revival sold 1,074,462 tickets on Broadway over the course of nearly two years[54] and was a financial success. It was an almost perfect transfer from film to DVD: color, sharpness, depth. With Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn. [35] David Holliday, who had been playing Gladhand since the London opening, took over as Tony. Also nominated were Carol Lawrence as Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Max Goberman as Best Musical Director and Conductor, and Irene Sharaff for Best Costume Design. Then the Sharks and Jets plan a rumble under the highway--whoever wins gains control of the streets. The set consists mostly of large screens featuring video, several cast members carry iPhones, and the Jets are not all white. Later the scenes related to Juliet's faking her death and committing suicide also were deleted. He liked it but decided to ask Abbott, his longtime mentor, for his opinion, and Abbott advised him to turn it down. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. [10], In New York City, Laurents went to the opening night party for a new play by Ugo Betti. Laurents accepted and suggested Bernstein and Robbins join the creative team. The cast starred Larry Kert as Tony, Carol Lawrence as Maria, Chita Rivera as Anita and David Winters as Baby John. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. [96], A 2021 film adaptation, written by Tony Kushner, directed by Steven Spielberg and choreographed by Justin Peck, was filmed in 2019. [citation needed] In 1977, a Spanish adaptation, Amor Sin Barreras, was produced in Mexico City by Alfonso Rosas Prigo and Ruben Boido, with direction by Ruben Boido, at the Hidalgo Theater. [47] He arrived in Hollywood to choreograph the dance sequences for the 1956 film The King and I, and he and Laurents began developing the musical while working on their respective projects, keeping in touch with Bernstein, who had returned to New York. Puerto RicoMy heart's devotion Let it sink back in the ocean Always the hurricanes blowing Always the population growing And the money owing Recordings of West Side Story include the following: The 1961 film adaptation of the musical received praise from critics and the public, and became the second-highest-grossing film of the year in the United States. "Director's Cut – At 90, Playwright Still Vibrant, Vicious", See Simeone, Nigel (2009) "Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story", pp. [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. This list of West Side Story actors includes any West Side Story actresses and all other actors from the film. [42][43] The production wove Spanish lyrics and dialogue into the English libretto. Other notable cast members included Suzuko Mimori as Anita, Ryuji Kamiyama as Riff, and Masataka Nakagauchi as Bernardo. Maria holds Tony in her arms (and sings a quiet, brief reprise of "Somewhere") as he dies. West Side Story West Side Story gang fight “West Side Story” is undoubtedly one of the most famous American musicals. The Jets and Sharks form a procession, and together carry Tony away, with Maria the last one in the procession. West Side Story is the award-winning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy "Romeo and Juliet". 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. Maria and Tony begin meeting in secret, planning to run away. Tony, Maria, Anita, Bernardo and the Sharks, and Riff and the Jets all anticipate the events to come that night ("Tonight Quintet"). The cast featured Don McKay (Tony), Julia Migenes (Maria) and Luba Lisa (Anita). [26], It has been rumored that while Bernstein was off trying to fix the musical Candide, Sondheim wrote some of the music for West Side Story, and that Bernstein's co-lyricist billing mysteriously disappeared from the credits of West Side Story during the tryout, presumably as a trade-off. 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. [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. Use the HTML below. Direction and choreography were reproduced by Lee Theodore, and scenery was by Oliver Smith. 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. The numbers were almost self-censored. Every member of both gangs was always a potential killer even then. Maxine Gordon was Anybodys. A live, semi-staged 2013 recording by the San Francisco Symphony under Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, featuring Cheyenne Jackson, This page was last edited on 8 April 2021, at 03:54.