The numbers were almost self-censored. Top 10 Best West Side Story Songs // Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/c/MsMojo?sub_confirmation=1These songs will make you … Prince refused to spend money on new construction, and Smith was obliged to improve what he had as best he could with very little money to do it. There he met Sondheim, who had heard that East Side Story, now retitled West Side Story, was back on track. [39] The original scenic, lighting, and costume designs were used. [71][72] In 1961, a tour of Israel, Africa and the Near East was mounted. It goes terribly wrong, and before the lovers know what's happened, tragedy strikes and doesn't stop until the climactic and heartbreaking ending. Was this review helpful to you? The film's screenplay is expected to hew more closely to the Broadway script than to the 1961 film adaptation directed by Robert Wise and J… Maria has just arrived from Puerto Rico for her arranged marriage to Chino, a friend of Bernardo's. Walter Kerr wrote in the New York Herald Tribune on September 27, 1957:[82]. A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process. 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. 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. The next day, Maria is in a very happy mood at the bridal shop, as she anticipates seeing Tony again, but she is dismayed when she learns about the upcoming rumble from Anita. The surround sound knocked my socks off from the opening aerial ambiance of Manhattan streets to the orchestrations themselves. And unlike the typical Broadway musical of the 1950s and before, West Side Story does not offer audiences a happy ending. [49][50] The cast recording won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. 18 wins & 10 nominations. 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. Feeling there is no longer anything to live for, Tony leaves to find Chino, begging for him to shoot him as well. The real world has managed to intrude so much on the 2020 Broadway revival of "West Side Story" that, however one considers its artistic merits or achievements, it … Use the HTML below. Sondheim auditioned by playing the score for Saturday Night, his musical that was scheduled to open in the fall. 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 is convinced that something important is round the corner ("Something's Coming"). Music by Scenic and lighting design are by Jan Versweyveld, with costumes by An d'Huys. Play it loud. ... 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. Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding. [16] Columbia Records initially declined to record the cast album, saying the score was too depressing and too difficult. [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. The play was criticized for glamorizing gangs, and its portrayal of Puerto Ricans and lack of authentic Latin casting were weaknesses. [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. 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]. The 1980 Broadway production was recreated by Tom Abbott. [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. This is followed by a monologue by the ineffective Lt. Schrank trying to find out the location of the rumble. View production, box office, & company info. People have been listening to that message, and humming the songs, ever since the show premiered on Broadway in 1957 and debuted on … Maria is young and innocent and has never known love—until Tony. Tony attempts to intervene, inadvertently leading to Riff being fatally stabbed by Bernardo. Robert Jeffrey took over from David Holliday as Tony and Jill Martin played Maria. However, she is unable to bring herself to fire the gun and drops it, crying in grief. 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"). Maria is the lead female character in the 1961 film West Side Story. [102] In the third season of the series Glee, three episodes feature characters auditioning, rehearsing and performing a school production of West Side Story. The gang separates to find Tony and protect him. To cheer themselves up, they lampoon Krupke and the other adults who don't understand them ("Gee, Officer Krupke"). [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. [65], A national tour, directed by Alan Johnson, was produced in 2002. 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. West Side Story gang fight “West Side Story” is undoubtedly one of the most famous American musicals. 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. Tony was played by Kurt Peterson, with Victoria Mallory as Maria. It was an almost perfect transfer from film to DVD: color, sharpness, depth. Puerto RicoMy heart's devotion Let it sink back in the ocean Always the hurricanes blowing Always the population growing And the money owing It is widely known that West Side Story (WSS) is based directly on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (R&J). 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". It's mesmerizing, powerful, stunning, poetic, beautifully filled with art, moving, lovely, and downright beautiful. A black police detective is asked to investigate a murder in a racially hostile southern town. Only Tony and Maria try to live in a different world". [1] It was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Then the Sharks and Jets plan a rumble under the highway--whoever wins gains control of the streets. It starred Ken Marshall as Tony, Josie de Guzman as Maria and Debbie Allen as Anita. Robbins felt if the three were going to join forces, they should return to East Side Story, and Bernstein agreed. 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. The cast featured Matt Cavenaugh as Tony, Josefina Scaglione as Maria, and Karen Olivo as Anita. [33] The production closed on June 27, 1959, after 732 performances. When hero Larry Kert is stomping out the visionary insistence of "Something's Coming" both music and tumultuous story are given their due. 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. [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. Book by Arthur Laurents. Bernstein wanted to present the material in operatic form, but Robbins and Laurents resisted the suggestion. [94] The soundtrack album won a Grammy Award and was ranked No. But Oscar Hammerstein convinced him that he would benefit from the experience, and he accepted. As the walls of Maria's bedroom disappear, they find themselves in a dreamlike world of peace ("Somewhere"). 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. The Jets, however, are not stool pigeons and won't tell him anything. Some of the Jets are unsure of his loyalty, but Riff is adamant that Tony is still one of them ("Jet Song"). The Sharks arrive to discuss weapons to use in the rumble. 1 on the Billboard chart for a record 54 weeks. Having watched On The Town only a few days back, it was interesting to contrast the two musicals. 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… [86] Ramin, Kostal and Bernstein are billed as orchestrators for the show. On September 26, 1957, West Side Story, composed by Leonard Bernstein, opens at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway.For the groundbreaking musical, … Robbins then announced he did not want to choreograph the show, but changed his mind when Prince agreed to an eight-week dance rehearsal period (instead of the customary four), since there was to be more dancing in West Side Story than in any previous Broadway show,[16] and allowed Robbins to hire Peter Gennaro as his assistant. Though Bernardo taunts and provokes Tony, ridiculing his attempt to make peace, Tony keeps his composure. We take a first look at Steven Spielberg’s remake WEST SIDE STORY, coming out Dec. 10, 2021 (2020, COVID delayed). As Tony leaves, he tells Maria to meet him at Doc's so they can run away to the country. [78] A Philippine version played in 2008 at the Meralco Theater. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman. It featured Christian Bautista as Tony, Karylle and Joanna Ampil as Maria. 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. [48] Olivo won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress, while Scaglione was nominated for the award for Leading Actress. The sound of approaching police sirens is heard, and everyone scatters, except Tony, who stands in shock at what he has done. 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. Maria is a Puerto Rican migrant. Later the scenes related to Juliet's faking her death and committing suicide also were deleted.