As Tony leaves, he tells Maria to meet him at Doc's so they can run away to the country. [23] Robbins wanted a gritty realism from his sneaker- and jeans-clad cast. Tony suggests "a fair fight" (fists only), which the leaders agree to, despite the other members' protests. The other reviews generally joined in speculation about how the new work would influence the course of musical theater. Laurents accepted and suggested Bernstein and Robbins join the creative team. When Tony arrives, Maria insists that he must stop the fight altogether, which he agrees to do. [94] The soundtrack album won a Grammy Award and was ranked No. His painted backdrops were stunning, but the sets were, for the most part, either shabby looking or too stylized. (1967 Tony Award for Best Musical) and Nick & Nora; and the screenplays The Snake Pit, Rope, Caught, Anastasia, Bonjour Tristesse, The Way We Were, and The Turning Point (Golden Globe Award, Screenwriters Guild Award, Writers Guild of America Award, National Board of Review Best Picture Award). . Shakespeare may have killed off both title … 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). [20] In his memoirs, Prince recalled, "Sondheim and Bernstein sat at the piano playing through the music, and soon I was singing along with them."[16]. [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. Bernstein composed West Side Story and Candide concurrently, which led to some switches of material between the two works. Allen won the Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. He has also directed plays and musicals for the theatre, among them I Can Get it for You Wholesale, Invitation to a March, Anyone Can Whistle, The Enclave, The Madwoman of Central Park West, Birds of Paradise, three revivals of Gypsy (with Angela Lansbury in 1974, with Tyne Daly in 1989, with Patti LuPone in 2007) and La Cage Aux Folles (1984 Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical, 1985 Sydney Drama Critics Award for Directing). [35] David Holliday, who had been playing Gladhand since the London opening, took over as Tony. He has also written radio episodes for “Hollywood Playhouse,” “Assignment Home” (Variety Radio Award, 1945), “The Thin Man,” “Army Service Force Presents,” “The Man Behind the Gun,” and “This is Your FBI.”. "Gee, Officer Krupke" is moved before "Cool" and is sung by Riff instead of Action, and "Cool" is sung by Ice instead of Riff. It was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. [66] A national tour of the 2009 Broadway revival began in October 2010 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, and toured for two seasons. The film won ten Academy Awards in its eleven nominated categories, including Best Picture. 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. 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. [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. The story is set in the mid 1950s in the Upper West Side of New York City, a multiracial, blue-collar neighborhood. A 1961 musical film adaptation, co-directed by Robert Wise and Robbins, starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn. The tomboy Anybodys, who stubbornly wishes that she could become a Jet, tells Tony to flee from the scene at the last moment and flees with the knives. But the 91-year-old isn’t offering just another staging of the critically acclaimed script that won two Tony Awards and spawned the Oscar-winning 1961 film. Tony is convinced that something important is round the corner ("Something's Coming"). The play was criticized for glamorizing gangs, and its portrayal of Puerto Ricans and lack of authentic Latin casting were weaknesses. [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. [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. [32] Carol Lawrence received the 1958 Theatre World Award. . It starred Ken Marshall as Tony, Josie de Guzman as Maria and Debbie Allen as Anita. [36] A London production originated at Leicester Haymarket Theatre in early 1984 and transferred on May 16, 1984 to Her Majesty's Theatre. The Broadway revival began previews at the Palace Theatre on February 23, 2009, and opened on March 19, 2009. The members of the Sharks, from Puerto Rico, are taunted by the Jets, a white gang. [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. The girl has survived the Holocaust and emigrated from Israel; the conflict was to be centered around anti-Semitism of the Catholic "Jets" towards the Jewish "Emeralds" (a name that made its way into the script as a reference). [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. Only the bodies of Riff and Bernardo remain. West Side Story is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. "[41] He directed a pre-Broadway production of West Side Story at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. that ran from December 15, 2008, through January 17, 2009. Tony was played by Kurt Peterson, with Victoria Mallory as Maria. 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. A Broadway revival opened at the Minskoff Theatre on February 14, 1980 and closed on November 30, 1980, after 333 performances. Rita Moreno (Anita) was the first Latina actress ever to win an Oscar. [8], Laurents was soon hired to write the screenplay for a remake of the 1934 Greta Garbo film The Painted Veil for Ava Gardner. In spite of her attempts to conceal it, Anita sees that Tony has been with Maria, and launches an angry tirade against him ("A Boy Like That"). 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". She appears on her fire escape, and the two profess their love for one another ("Tonight"). Tony kills Bernardo in a fit of rage, which in turn provokes an all-out fight like the fight in the Prologue. However, the Spanish lyrics sung by the Sharks in the "Tonight" (Quintet) remained in Spanish. So 'East Side Story' moved across town to become West Side Story—a story focused on clashes between gangs of white Americans and newly immigrated Puerto Ricans. [32] Robbins won the Tony Award for Best Choreographer, and Oliver Smith won the Tony for Best Scenic Designer. "Director's Cut – At 90, Playwright Still Vibrant, Vicious", See Simeone, Nigel (2009) "Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story", pp. [16] Laurents explained the style that the creative team finally decided on: Just as Tony and Maria, our Romeo and Juliet, set themselves apart from the other kids by their love, so we have tried to set them even further apart by their language, their songs, their movement. It was staged at the outdoor plaza of Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Other notable cast members included Brent Barrett as Diesel, Harolyn Blackwell as Francisca, Stephen Bogardus as Mouth Piece and Reed Jones as Big Deal. The Minskoff production subsequently opened the Nervi Festival in Genoa, Italy, in July 1981 with Josie de Guzman as Maria and Brent Barrett as Tony. The unfiltered treatment of the social problems of that time with such pointed, sophisticated music, make this… But Oscar Hammerstein convinced him that he would benefit from the experience, and he accepted. 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). In 1961, Bernstein prepared a suite of orchestral music from the show, titled Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. West Side Story would not receive another major update for nearly 30 years after the 1980 revival closed, when a new production was planned for 2009, helmed by the show's book writer, Arthur Laurents. It is, to me, extraordinarily exciting ... the manner of telling the story is a provocative and artful blend of music, dance and plot – and the music and the dancing are superb. 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. [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. Angry at the death of another friend, the Jets move towards the Sharks but Maria takes Chino's gun and tells everyone that "all of [them]" killed Tony and the others because of their hate for each other, and, "Now I can kill too, because now I have hate!" [16] Columbia Records initially declined to record the cast album, saying the score was too depressing and too difficult. The production continued for over a year. Riff meets Tony while he's working at Doc's Drugstore to persuade him to come. Bernstein wanted to present the material in operatic form, but Robbins and Laurents resisted the suggestion. Juvenile delinquency is seen as an ailment of society: "No one wants a fella with a social disease!" Arthur Laurents (1917-2011'), 'a playwright, screenwriter, and director, wrote two of Broadway's landmark shows, Gypsy and West Side Story, and created one of Hollywood's most well-known romances, The Way We Were. 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"). 1 on the Billboard chart for a record 54 weeks. [47] [15] Tony and Maria's duet, "One Hand, One Heart", was originally intended for Cunegonde in Candide. 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. Because of its opening date, the show was not eligible for 2020 Tony Award consideration. The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, and focus on social problems marked a turning point in musical theatre. [5], There were problems with Oliver Smith's designs. From the first notes to the final breath, West Side Story is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of all time. It is widely known that West Side Story (WSS) is based directly on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (R&J). [95] Differences in the film from the stage version include that "Tonight" is moved to follow "America", and Bernardo sings a line in "America" instead of Rosalia, with changes in the lyrics. [51] In July 2010, the producers reduced the size of the orchestra, replacing five musicians with an off-stage synthesizer. Arthur Laurents’s most popular book is Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story. [110], This article is about the stage musical. [citation needed] The Japanese Takarazuka Revue has performed the show twice. Other notable cast members included Suzuko Mimori as Anita, Ryuji Kamiyama as Riff, and Masataka Nakagauchi as Bernando. He was 93. The last two screenplays were novels as well. When the producer of The Painted Veil replaced Gardner with Eleanor Parker and asked Laurents to revise his script with her in mind, he backed out of the film, freeing him to devote all his time to the stage musical. Robbins was involved with Bells Are Ringing, then Bernstein with Candide, and in January 1957 A Clearing in the Woods, Laurents' latest play, opened and quickly closed. It is set against an urban background of interracial warfare with many of its themes still fully resonating today. Now they actually will be. Arthur Laurents is the author of musical plays such as West Side Story, Gypsy, Anyone Can Whistle, Do I Hear A Waltz?, Hallelujah Baby! In [the score], there is the drive, the bounce, the restlessness and the sweetness of our town. The suite is included as bonus tracks on the 1957 original Broadway cast recording. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is a 1957 musical composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. ", 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, List of compositions by Leonard Bernstein, Category:Compositions by Leonard Bernstein, 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=1013351933, 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. Maria prays that what he has told her is a lie. Sondheim did not care for Laurents' opinion. 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. Riff helps them let out their aggression ("Cool"). [5] Eager to write his first musical, Laurents immediately agreed. [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". Tensions rise as a shark girl named Maria and a Jet named Tony fall for eachother, but there's a problem they can never be allowed to be together. Though Bernardo taunts and provokes Tony, ridiculing his attempt to make peace, Tony keeps his composure. 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