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. No curtain had ever come down on the 1st act with two dead bodies onstage. 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. Arthur laurentss first successful broadway production was. A comprehensive database of west side story quizzes online, test your knowledge with west side story quiz questions. West side story mass market paperback april 15, 1990.
West side story, adapted from romeo and juliet, could have been east side story. West side story is a tragic love story set in new york city in the mid1950s on the west side of the city. Examine the social issues in west side story in addition to being a beautiful and heartfelt work of musical theater, west side story was one of the first musicals to engage with the tough issues of the day, including gang violence, immigration, social inequality, and sexism. This is the place for you if youve ever been involved in, or infatuated with, west side story as an actor, singer, dancer, musician, producer, director, designer, crew or just as important as a fan. The most interesting chapters are on the musical manuscripts and the score. To ask other readers questions about west side story, please sign up. They planned to stage the conflict between rival catholic and jewish groups. West side story test west side story chapters 610 quiz. Celebrating 60 years of west side story and the musical. One other thing this book provesjerome preisler and jack gregory didnt invent the reverse process of the bringing of a story from. This side of paradise, being published directly after the war in 1920. Rita moreno became the first latina actress to ever win an oscar. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
If youre planning your trip for a future date, you can book your tickets up to 90 days in advance on headout. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. It you pay close attention, the first words of dialogue in west side story are beat it. 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 based on shakespeares play, romeo and juliet. The lead was george chakiris, who went on to win his own oscar for supporting actor as bernardo in west side story. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and. West side story revival breaks all the rules for all the right reasons director ivo van hove reimagines the classic for the 21st century with a remarkable cast of fresh talent and. Books by leonard bernstein author of west side story. This will allow you to pick good seats for west side story without having to visit the theatre boxoffice. The items on display provide a rare window into this complex process. Deutsche grammophon, 2005 originally leonard bernstein conducts west side story, 2002 bernstein, leonard, stephen sondhiem, arthur laurents, et al. Yet his most famous writing was the book, the great. West side story summary and study guide supersummary.
Broadway theatre seating chart watch west side story on. The musical is a 20thcentury american adaptation of the shakespearean tale of romeo and juliet. The opening prologue from the 10time academy award winning musical film west side story, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary on november 15, 2011. The wss first issue came out in 1969, and since then. If any aspect of west side story is still undervalued it is the book by arthur laurents. West side story, a 1961 soundtrack album from the film. The music was composed by leonard bernstein, and the lyrics were written by stephen sondheim. Now its back, and mesmerizing audiences once again. West side story west end west side story more than fifty years ago one musical changed theater forever. 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. Rival street gangs engage in relatively harmless activities until one fight spells tragedy for two young lovers. Arthur laurents book remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. A summary of west side story 378 words 123 help me.
West side story prologue official full number 50th. Eager to write his first musical, laurents immediately agreed. The resulting film was a tremendous critical as well as commercial successwises biggest hit to dateand received 10 academy awards, including best picture. West side story original broadway cast, a 1957 recording west side story, an adaptation directed by robert wise and jerome robbins. Leonard bernsteins most popular book is west side story. West side story special edition dvd collectors set. West side story, untold opinion the harvard crimson. West side story simple english wikipedia, the free. Shulman also wrote the original treatment for rebel without a cause, the film that shot james dean to stardom.
It was inspired by william shakespeares play romeo and juliet the story is set in the upper west side neighborhood in new york city in the mid 1950s, a multiracial, bluecollar neighborhood. Toggle expanding contracting information section similar items. Chakiris, who won an oscar for playing bernardo, has greek ancestry. West side story actually helped break one barrier for minority actors. West side story has been featured in many books on broadway, but it has yet to be. A really good book that always has me wanting to keep reading, it has parts that get you out of your. West side story and the american imagination by misha berson. Terms of use west side story film 1961 metrogoldwynmayer studios inc. This 39page guide for west side story by irving shulman includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 2 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis.
A musical set on the west side of new york city around 1957. 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. Published april 15th 1990 by pocket books first published 1961. Leonard bernstein has 127 books on goodreads with 11663 ratings. The four shows on the town, wonderful town, candide, and west side story. 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 score by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim are. Symphonic dances from west side story works works leonard. Plot summary for west side story 1961, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. West side story, a novelization of the film by irving shulman.
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. 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. One of the ideas bounced around early on by choreographer jerome robbins was having the. West side story explores racial, ethnic, political. Irving shulman 191995 was a novelist and screenwriter, known for his depictions of urban life. West side story and the american idea of getting along. Reaching back to my memories of ninth grade music history, this is what i learned about west side story. West side story movie souvenir programme program on. As seen in west side story, the broadway musical is a collaborative medium which involves the librettist, composer, lyricist, director, and choreographer how to best convey the story they wish to tell. West side story tells a story of how tony a polish america who used to lead the local gang, the jets and maria a puerto rican teen part of the rivaling gang find love despite their backgrounds and public opinions. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. A playlist for leonard bernstein fanatics and first.
In the book for west side story, arthur laurents used street slang taken from what source. Need reed 1 book from west side story sax on the web forum. Musical west side story turns 55 this week, but its longevity was not assured, as the people involved in the first broadway production tell the bbcs vincent dowd. Our online west side story trivia quizzes can be adapted to suit your requirements for taking some of the top west side story quizzes. 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. West side story, theatre music by american composer leonard bernstein that premiered august 19, 1957, in washington, d. West side story is a 1957 american musical west side story may also refer to. The twoway you might not know marni nixons name, but youve probably heard.