Just as romeo and juliet are born to rival families, tony and maria are associated with rival gangs. 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. Five fast facts winner of 10 academy awards soundtrack was no 1 on the billboard charts for 54 weeks 94% on rotten tomatoes based on romeo and juliet, which is based on a poem by arthur brooke called the tragic historye of romeus and juliet, which is based on a poem by the roman poet ovid called pyramus and thisbe actors worked over 16. Aug 09, 20 if any aspect of west side story is still undervalued it is the book by arthur laurents. Subscribe for more official content from ben platt. Apr 16, 2009 after the spectacular success of his recently directed remount of gypsy, with patti lupone, for which he wrote the 1959 book, laurent has again transformed his writers eye into a directors perspective on west side story, for which he wrote the book in 1957. West side story original broadway cast, a 1957 recording west side story, an adaptation directed by robert wise and jerome robbins. Two perennial classicswilliam shakespeares romeo and juliet and the broadway musical west side story in a single volume. West side story, theatre music by american composer leonard bernstein that premiered august 19, 1957, in washington, d.
Social issues in west side story the odyssey online. West side story 410 movie clip america 1961 hd youtube. Cultural perspectives on an american musical, wells presents a major scholarly study of the famous american musical west side story, viewing the work from cultural, historical, and musical perspectives. On the other hand, in the rise and fall of the broadway musical, mark grant concentrates on the growth of the musical in light of changes in technology and music, and in writing the book and lyrics. It may be unfair to dismiss west side story based on this admittedly altered version, but i found its 2009 revival, directed by bookwriter laurents, similarly.
Apr 05, 2017 hidan love story michaela black, a young teenage girl dragged into the gang world. Set in new york city, it introduces two groups, the. The san francisco symphony continues their celebration of the centennial of leonard bernsteins birth with this special exhibit, on display january 18 through february 28. It was inspired by william shakespeares play romeo and juliet. From the mambo craze of the 1950s to the works ongoing permeation of popular culture, wells looks at the myriad ways in which this canonic musical reflects and refracts american culture. 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. West side story is a tragic love story set in new york city in the mid1950s on the west. Ppas west side story 2018 full performance hd youtube. On the one hand, these elements could be seen as contemporary. West side story explores racial, ethnic, political. 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. The score by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim are widely regarded as among the best ever written. Prejudices in the west side story by arthur laurents. In the pages of this book, the backstage tale comes to life along with insight on what has made the film a favorite across six decades.
West side story movie souvenir programme program on. The musicals that were produced around that time period were meant to be strictly for entertainment, for the most part. West side story is a 1957 american musical west side story may also refer to. Interesting facts about the creation of west side story.
He then realises his mistake killing his loves brother and begs for forgiveness, which, of course, maria gives him. West side story 1971 paperback by pocket books ebay. West side story and the american idea of getting along. Need reed 1 book from west side story sax on the web forum. Mar 15, 2018 ben platt covering maria from west side story. They decide they have to leave the city, and the pointless hate, behind. Murphy 7 december 2006 west side story chapter 3 in this chapter, anita is making the dress for maria. West side story chapters 610 quiz 25 questions by zaberk last updated. Broadways new west side story is at war with itself.
The official website the official website, in all its glory. West side story is widely considered one of the greatest achievements of the. The jets meet the sharks there, with both sides bringing their girlfriends. West side story 1961 the feuding families become two warring new york city gangs the white jets led by riff and the puerto rican sharks, led by bernardo. Peter n the song america is sung by the puerto rican sharks. The show sold out, repeating its success so substantially in the subsequent philadelphia tryout that police were. When they first conceived the show in 1949, robbins, bernstein and laurents set their story on the east side of manhattan, and gave it the working title east side story.
With a screenplay by ernest lehman, the film is an adaptation of the 1957 broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was inspired by william shakespeares play romeo and juliet. The action takes place on the west side of new york city. West side story summary and study guide supersummary. West side story is the awardwinning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy romeo and juliet. Murphy 7 december 2006 west side story chapter 4 this is the party chapter. In my book club we took the comparison between this and the outsides. With ansel elgort, rachel zegler, ariana debose, david alvarez. Very interesting to compare contrast on that side of the.
There are some major differences between the two works. West side story is a romantic tragedy about two characters that are supposedly completely different and arent accepted when they fall in love. West side story was very innovative, especially for its time period. Jan 26, 2018 get ready for the 21stcentury edition of the jets vs. Also, in this book, our cast gets last names that arent in the stage production or the film. West side story tells of starcrossed lovers in the new york city slums of the 1950s. His version, van hove said in an interview in the guardian, would reflect the much rougher world that had. Very interesting to compare contrast on that side of the story. Mar 02, 2009 west side story made its out of town debut in washington, d. During the filming of west side story, abbott was a dance assistant during the filming. Like the outsiders, west side story is a story about two rival gangs, and has a body count of three.
He is perhaps best known for his long conducting relationship with the new york philharmonic, which included the acclaimed young peoples concerts series, and his compositions including west side leonard bernstein was an american conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. Two teenagers from rival new york city gangs fall in love, but tensions between their friends build towards tragedy. Plot summary for west side story 1961, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Anita is marias friend and, so far, has nothing to do with the plot. The incredible saga of west side story broadway buzz. There are some nice solo lines for alto in the first book, lots of flute playing including some exposed passages in the third octave, and two fun spots. Goodreads members who liked west side story also liked. Its one of my least favorite scenes in the whole musical. The tragedy of love thwarted by fate has always intrigued writers. It not only transposes romeo and juliet to the world of new york gangs. West side story in the slums of the upper west side of manhattan, new york, a gang of polishamerican teenagers called the jets compete with a rival gang of recently immigrated puerto ricans, the sharks, to own the neighborhood streets. West side story is a 1961 american musical romantic drama film directed by robert wise and jerome robbins. Find books like west side story from the worlds largest community of readers.
Shulman also wrote the original treatment for rebel without a cause, the film that shot james dean to stardom. The book west side story written by arthur laurents is set in the mid 1950s, created as modern version of shakespeares romeo and juliet. In a desperate attempt to escape the east side, michaela moves to the west side of the city but will the notorious gang known as the akatsuki turn down the chance to have the famous killer amongst them. West side story, the movie, was produced in 1961, featured natalie wood as maria, and was directed by robert wise and jerome robbins. West side story, a tragic love story of tony and maria, touches all in many ways. He originated this role in the 1957 role and reprised the character in the 1961 film. West side story is a tragic love story set in new york city in the mid1950s on the west side of the city.
On the contrary, the boys are singing about wanting to go back to puerto rico. Terms in this set 41 who is the leader of the jets. The suite is included as bonus tracks on the 1957 original broadway cast recording. It stars natalie wood, richard beymer, russ tamblyn, rita moreno, and george chakiris, and was. The score by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim are. Play eatteaate the play, west side story, was written by arthur laurents.
In the book for west side story, arthur laurents used street slang taken from what source. The feuding families become two warring new york city gangsthe white jets led by riff and the latino sharks, led by bernardo. West side story musical by bernstein and sondheim and. The girls who sing in this song are singing about how much they hate puerto rico and love america. Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding. West side story chapter 3 big trouble in this chapter. Need reed 1 book from west side story i dont have a copy of the book but ive played the show. I have had a lot of conversation with people who participate and are fans of musical theatre and the popular oppinion is that west side story is the best musical in all aspects overall. Terms of use west side story film 1961 metrogoldwynmayer studios inc. From that moment on, west side story is an incandescent piece of work that finds odd bits of beauty amid the rubbish of the streets. Maybe this is why west side story gets produced year after year after year.
Both are stories of unrequited love that end tragically, but there are many elements that make them very different. In 1949, the film version of the 1944 broadway musical on the town had just. The word polack is a slur against people of polish descent. This was all in the name of a more general deprettifying of west side story. This area is full of west side story has been a play that i have been wanting to read for quite a long time. 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. He was the first conductor born and educated in the united states of america to receive worldwide acclaim. West side story simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Steven spielberg is officially remaking west side storyand. This quiz has been developed to test your knowledge about the.
We are making local book deliveries and shipping orders. The music was composed by leonard bernstein, and the lyrics were written by stephen sondheim. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Nigel simeone begins by exploring the long process of creating west side story, including a discussion of bernsteins sketches, early drafts of the score and script, as well as cut songs. Mar 17, 2010 wakefield youth music theatre present west side story at theatre royal wakefield from 2 to 11 september 2010. As an alternative, the kindle ebook is available now and can be read on any device with the free kindle app. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim. And unlike the typical broadway musical of the 1950s and before, west side story does not offer audiences a happy ending. He composed the musical west side story principally from autumn 1955 through summer 1957, and it received its. Arthur laurents book remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. In the sixteenth century, william shakespeare took this theme and fashioned one of the worlds great plays. Swain spend an entire chapter on the analysis of west side story.
Irving shulman 191995 was a novelist and screenwriter, known for his depictions of urban life. West side story by irving shulman, 1967, pocket books edition, in english west side story 1967 edition open library. It more closely follows the type of storyline of romeo and juliet, however, though at the end juliets counterpart, maria, survives, and romeos tony does not commit suicide, but is killed by someone else whose counterpart in romeo and juliet is killed by romeo, in the original play only. West side story is a musical tragedy film, directed by robert wise and jerome robbins, which is an awardwinning and adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy, romeo and juliet. Should i just watch the movie, if so, where can i watch it. Although he was required to pay them, bernstein removed which section from west side story s theater orchestra. The story revolves around quarrelsome families of two new york city gangs the white jets led by the riff and the puerto rican sharks, led by bernardo. Shortly before west side story opened on broadway in the fall of 1957, the lyricist stephen sondheim received an angry letter from a doctor. West side story is a musical adapted from shakespeares play and was first performed in 1957.
Even though west side story was not written by latinos, and there are many problematic choices in the text and the movie, including brownface and the stereotyping of puerto rican people, there is still a lot of resonance in the text for modern latinx people around issues like immigration, colorism, belonging, and assimilation, she said, adding that the musical, with a book by. There are dozens, or perhaps dozens of dozens of books about west side story but if you have a general interest in the show, its development. Bernstein west side story leonard bernstein was born august 25, 1918, in lawrence, massachusetts, and died october 14, 1990, in new york city. Random house firm, the feud between two new york teenage gangs abruptly ends the brief happiness shared by maria, a puerto rican girl, and tony, a member of the jets. West side story mass market paperback april 15, 1990. Crazy to think that what happens takes place in that time frame. The sharks mostly recent puerto rican immigrants and the jets mostly second generation european immigrants circa 1960.
It is based on shakespeares play, romeo and juliet. 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. In the process, his best friend and jet leader riff is killed by marias brother, bernardo. The core of the book is the commentary on the music itself. West side story movie analysis linkedin slideshare. West side story based on a conception of jerome robbins book by music by lyrics by arthur leonard stephen laurents bernstein sondheim choreography by.
West side story chapter 4 instead bernardo is kind of. Located on the first tier lobby, the exhibit examines the unique relationship between the symphony and bernstein as a conductor, composer, educator, activist, and friend. Jul 30, 20 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. 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. West side story by irving shulman from the silver screen to the great white wayone of the greatest stories of all time. West side story is one of the few broadway musicals that can make a genuine claim to transforming the genre. The musical is a 20thcentury american adaptation of the shakespearean tale of romeo and juliet. West side story based on a conception by jerome robbins book by music by lyrics by arthur laurents leonard bernstein stephen sondheim. Published april 15th 1990 by pocket books first published 1961. 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. Please view my other interesting uploads and documentaries. West side story shows how racism and xenophobia create a system that dooms the youths of working class families. Steven spielberg is officially remaking west side story, the classic romantic musical about rival gangs in new york city.
West side story chapter 4 instead bernardo is kind of like. Stay tuned for a post pandemic going out of business sale announcement. Westside stories used books we have decided to permanently close westside stories after 8 years of serving the buffalos west side. They planned to stage the conflict between rival catholic and jewish groups. They are getting ready for the party thats in a few hours.
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