He is a director and producer, known for west side story 1961. Works stage west side story 1957 leonard bernstein. West side story fact sheet archived december 1, 2008, at the wayback machine, 2001, accessed august 18, 2011. Theres a lot of plot in west side story but its scenes are probably the shortest of any book musical thats ever existed. Deutsche grammophon, 2005 originally leonard bernstein conducts west side story, 2002 bernstein, leonard, stephen sondhiem, arthur laurents, et al. West side story eng2d1 varahidis new york and puerto rico historical background 19th century rivalries in west side story a larger, more established group who see themselves as the legitimate owners of the west side territory the jets do not like that. Find books like west side story from the worlds largest community of readers. Bernardo doesnt, but you come away with the real sense that these two are going to have epic, earthshattering nookie when this little number is over. Life talk of the town, san diego update, november 30, 1979, p.
After owning their miserable little neighborhood for years, the jets, the fingersnapping street gang led by riff russ tamblyn, find themselves in a turf war with the upstart puerto rican sharks, led by bernardo george chakiris. The feud between the houses of the capulets and the montagues is recreated in one involving two teenage gangs, the jets and the sharks. Arthur laurents who wrote the book and stephen sondheim lyricist aimed for lofty. Sarah winnemucca tells the story in her 1883 book about her peoples folklore and culture, life among the piutes. If you put some viagra in a vase, it will make flowers stand up straight for a week beyond when they would normally wilt. The shocking story behind west side story fame focus. As puerto ricans, the sharks are outcast almost from the beginning. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and. The foregoing culture areas account for roughly the eastern half of the conterminous united states.
As west side story celebrates its 60th anniversary, it stands as more than. West side story musical by bernstein and sondheim and. It starred carol lawrence as maria west side story opened on broadway at the winter garden theatre on 26 september 1957, and on the west end at her majestys theatre on 12. It was inspired by william shakespeares play romeo and juliet. The gem of broadway musicals, west side story s commentary on love and prejudice is relevant to any time and place. A dark and dense musical drama, west side story dramatized the race and. This groundbreaking collaboration among bernstein, jerome robbins conception and choreography, arthur laurents book, and stephen sondheim lyrics captured the fiber of american society through its best and worst characteristics. The music was composed by leonard bernstein, and the lyrics were written by stephen sondheim. The book tells the story of maria, a firstgeneration immigrant from puerto rico. You can hire a clown in switzerland to stalk your kid and creepily smash a cake into their face on their birthday.
The jets are boys who were born in america, but have polish roots. Interesting facts about the creation of west side story. Maybe this is why west side story gets produced year after year after year. West side story is a tragic love story set in new york city in the mid1950s on the west side of the city.
Conceived in 1949, west side story has a serious message that pleads for racial. When i was 14 in 2002, i watched west side story for the first time and became obsessed with the movie musical, which premiered 55 years ago in new york city on oct. In every census decade but one from 1850 to 1960, the west s population growth rate was more than. Whenever i see a movie or stage production of a play, i am always interested to read the actual book to have a different perspective on the characters and overall plot. One of the wackier ideas in american history, the u.
It is based on shakespeares play, romeo and juliet. He got leonard bernstein music and arthur laurents book on board. West side story, adapted from romeo and juliet, could have been east side story. West side story, theatre music by american composer leonard bernstein that premiered august 19, 1957, in washington, d. Since then, looking back, laurents says, im not very proud of myself for ignoring the fact that jerry informed, because that validated him. Just as romeo and juliet are born to rival families, tony and maria are associated with rival gangs. West side story was the first film to win the best picture academy award for two directors. One of the ideas bounced around early on by choreographer jerome robbins was having the. My dad who introduced me to the film later regretted it, because i listened to the soundtrack every night and tried to learn the dances. West side story won an almostrecord ten oscars, including best picture, supporting awards to chakiris and rita moreno as bernardos girlfriend, anita, and best director to robbins and wise. Get to know the back story of west side story, plus some fun facts about how it came.
In this lesson, we will explore west side story, a musical written by composer leonard bernstein. West side story was a modern, urban adaption of romeo and juliet set in gritty 1950s new york. And unlike the typical broadway musical of the 1950s and before, west side story does not offer audiences a happy ending. She is known for her work on west side story 1961, frightened girls 1963 and family matters 1989. Irving shulman 191995 was a novelist and screenwriter, known for his depictions of urban life. Tony mordente was born on december 3, 1935 in new york city, new york, usa as anthony c. Arthur laurents july 14, 1917 may 5, 2011 was an american playwright, stage director and screenwriter after writing scripts for radio shows after college and then training films for the u. West side story cool was such a demanding number for the performers, harvey evans aka harvey hohnecker, who played mouthpiece, later stated that the actors ritually burned their kneepads upon wrapping the scene. One of the ideas bounced around early on by choreographer jerome robbins was having the plot. In looking at the story, we will also examine the songs and characters and learn a bit about. There is a dilemma in classifying the in the 20th century the rapid growth of the west continued. After this daring musical made its big apple debut in september 1957, critics reacted as if an atomic bomb had gone off over manhattan.
In terms of the making of wss, i have a book whose author i cant remember, havent read it in a while, but found a book called the making of west side story which is filled with all those facts. Title sequence from the facts of life 1960, designed by saul bass help me make more videos. Army during world war ii, laurents turned to writing for broadway, producing a body of work that includes west side story. The official website the official website, in all its glory.
West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim. Facts and history of west side story opera australia. West side story transfers shakespeare s romeo and juliet to presentday new york. He composed the score for the broadway musical west side story. The love story of romeo and juliet becomes that of maria and tony. Hank walkerthe life picture collectiongetty images. The musical is a 20thcentury american adaptation of the shakespearean tale of romeo and juliet. He is the author of ten books, including the novels the amboy dukes, cry tough, and the square trap, which were all adapted into movies. It took a long time before he accepted the fact that i was my own man. West side story 1961 is an energetic, widelyacclaimed, melodramatic musical a modernday, loose retelling of shakespeares romeo and juliet tragedy of feuding families, although the setting is the upper west side of new york city in the late 1950s with conflict between rival street gangs rather than families.
The real life drama behind west side story written in the mid1950s, west side story showcased adult themes and harsh language, which was bold for. With its interwoven love story, racial commentary, gang violence, plus catchy song and dance numbers, there was something for everyone in it. It started out as a successful broadway musical, before becoming an extremely popular film in 1961. Six facts you didnt know about west side story as it returns to london in a striking production at sadlers wells.
Goodreads members who liked west side story also liked. Gina trikonis was born on january 2, 1939 in new york city, new york, usa. Upper west side, new york, 1950s, during the last days of summer. West side story was originally about jews and catholics history. It opened on broadway at the winter garden theatre on 26 september 1957, and on the west end at her majestys theatre on 12 december 1958. West side story played for almost two years on stage in new york, racking up a total of 732 performances.
The fullydanced prolog shows the tension built up between the jets and the sharks two rival gangs in new yorks upper west side. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1. West side story shows how racism and xenophobia create a system that dooms the youths of working class families. Rival street gangs engage in relatively harmless activities until one fight spells tragedy for two young lovers. West side story simple english wikipedia, the free. West side story special edition dvd collectors set.
When laurents turned in a first draft of the book, then titled east side story, upon. West side story movie souvenir programme program on. A musical set on the west side of new york city around 1957. Failed bandit elmer mccurdys corpse had a more interesting life than the man did. Top 10 disturbing true crime books you wont want to read twice april 16. West side story summary and study guide supersummary. Explore the musical life of leonard bernstein, composer, conductor and teacher of music, on.
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