West side story actually started out as east side story in jerome robbins original pitch to bernstein in 1947. 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 film version of 1961 was a smashing success, earning 10 oscars, including. West side story is groundbreaking in a lot of ways, but when it comes to delivering the information, it tends to rely on the triedandtrue technique of moving to the character we need to see when we need to see him or her, then moving back as the story demands. Tonight ensemble maria, tony, anita, riff, bernardo, jets and sharks in this number, all the. They are getting ready for the party thats in a few hours. This area is full of west side story has been a play that i have been wanting to read for quite a long time. In 1993, a puerto rican tourism official groused to the chicago tribune that west side story, the musicalturnedmovie that cast manhattans irish and boricuas as montagues and capulets, had given the island an unsavory reputation. Irving shulman 191995 was a novelist and screenwriter, known for his depictions of urban life. On the contrary, the boys are singing about wanting to go back to puerto rico.
Bernardo stabs riff and kills him, then tony, in a fit of rage, stabs and kills bernardo. The girls who sing in this song are singing about how much they hate puerto rico and love america. Social issues in west side story the odyssey online. The sharply snapping fingers of sauntering hoodlums set up a menacing rhythm as the jets and the sharks, the two street gangs of west side. Immediately download the west side story summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for. Published april 15th 1990 by pocket books first published 1961. On a hot late1950s summer in new yorks upper west side, william shakespeares timeless story of romeo and juliet 1968 comes to life, as a fierce enmity between two antagonistic street gangs paves the way for heartbreak and tragedy. The 1957 musical west side story was a collaboration among composer leonard bernstein, lyricist stephen sondheim, and choreographer jerome robbins.
At the time, the phrase broadway musical was synonymous. West side story 1957 was originally east side story. West side story by irving shulman, 1967, pocket books edition, in english west side story 1967 edition open library. This storymusical takes place in upper west side neighborhood in new york city in the 1950s early 1960s. West side story is a tragic love story set in new york city in the mid1950s on the west side of the city.
Once more, the clan of the montagues are at odds with the capulets. 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. West side story, american musical film, released in 1961, that was inspired by. Complete casting has been announced for carnegie halls largescale revival of west side story, which will be presented march 46 at the knockdown center, a. The story is set in the upper west side neighborhood in new york city in the mid 1950s, a multiracial, bluecollar neighborhood. West side story chapter 3 big trouble in this chapter. Having said that, it still pulls off the odd trick or two that deviates from our. 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. I know that theres not an exact character for character match but just the idea of 2 people from enemy groups falling in love. While the movie version of west side story is among the most faithful of hollywood adaptations, a number of changes were made in translating the work to film, some to suit the medium, others to suit the audience sensibilities, and one or two socalled artistic choices. A comparison of romeo and juliet by william shakespeare and west side story. 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. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published.
It is only fitting that the current north american tour of west side story is returning to its birth. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and. West side story won ten academy awards, the second highest number of oscars received for an individual film at that time. In paris it played for four straight years at the george v theater, creating a record. Ponyboy explains that the greasers rule the poorer east side of town, while the socs run the wealthier west side of town. The outsiders compares to west side story showing 15 of 5. Arab west side story action west side story baby john west side story snowboy west side story. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature.
The musicals that were produced around that time period were meant to be strictly for entertainment, for the most part. Just beyond where they were filming stood half a block of boarded tenements destined for demolition which would soon make way for the newly constructed lincoln center. 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. In my book club we took the comparison between this and the outsides. Two youngsters from rival new york city gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy. In the weeks leading up to the production, students and community members across new york city wrote original songs inspired by west side story in the halls songwriting projects. West side story opened at the winter garden theatre on sept. Luckily for us, they found an entirely new way to tell the story of romeo and juliet. West side story simple english wikipedia, the free. The title was changed to west side story when the creators realized that gang warfare in new york had moved from the east side to the west. Need reed 1 book from west side story i dont have a copy of the book but ive played the show. Posts about west side story written by orwhatyouwill.
When it premiered on broadway in 1957, it showed how dancing, singing, acting, and design could merge into a single means of expression, a seamless unity. West side story based on a conception of jerome robbins book by music by lyrics by arthur leonard stephen laurents bernstein sondheim choreography by jerome robbins rehearsal script as of october 21, 2008. There is no grand song that says new york city, such as new york, new york declaring that this is a helluva town. How puerto ricans have reinvented and reinterpreted west side story the poets, performers and artists who have made it their own. Plot summary for west side story 1961, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Analysis the tonight ensemble from west side story. With natalie wood, george chakiris, richard beymer, russ tamblyn. West side story is a fairly strict adaptation of one of shakespeares greatest works. This oversimplification of the tulsa setting reflects the characters longstanding beliefs that people belong to either one gang or the other, and there is no middle ground.
West side story summary and study guide supersummary. Shulman also wrote the original treatment for rebel without a cause, the film that shot james dean to stardom. The 1961 film version features richard beymer, natalie wood, george chakiris and rita moreno. 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, an ethnic, bluecollar neighborhood in the early 1960s, much of the neighborhood was cleared in an urban renewal project. The film opens with aerial shots establishing the setting. Whether it was completely new vision as a concept musical, or the pinnacle of an already established tradition, it marked the most impressive body of choreography in a single show and was acclaimed. The music was composed by leonard bernstein, and the lyrics were written by stephen sondheim. Very interesting to compare contrast on that side of the. West side story is set in the upper west side neighborhood in new york city in the mid 1950s, an ethnic, bluecollar neighborhood in the early 1960s, much of the neighborhood was cleared in an urban renewal project for the lincoln center, which changed the neighborhoods character. Swain spend an entire chapter on the analysis of west side story. 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. West side story opened at new yorks winter garden theater on september 26, 1957, and has remained in the repertory ever since. The landmark musical west side story featuring a score by leonard bernstein and stephen sondheim, a book by arthur laurents and choreography by jerome robbins made its world premiere on august 19, 1957 at the national theatre. Baby john, portrayed as feminine, sensitive, and unwilling to assault anita, was coded as gay.
While it seems only natural now, the idea of filming on actual city streets took some time in. The search for new direction in the history of american musical. A west side story remake doesnt have to be a bad thing. Peter n the song america is sung by the puerto rican sharks. Instead of fair verona, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean, its the mean streets of 1950s new york city, where young gangs rumble over the right to walk down the street. A group of communitybased arts organizations also joined carnegie hall in this. It was a very brave move for the creative team of this musical to. The setting is moved from verona to manhattan in the 1950s, and the rival street gangs the jets and the sharks replace the feuding families of montague and capulet. 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. 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. See more ideas about west side story, story setting and set design. Besides best motion picture, the film also won best actor in a supporting role chakiris, best actress in a supporting role moren0, art direction boris leven and victor a. Anybody was a babydyke or a wouldbe trans, depending on your interpretation she.
Read analysis the tonight ensemble from west side story free essay and over 89,000 other research documents. The story of the broadway musical and film west side story is detailed on the official website see below. Rare is the work of art so popular and enduring to color the impression of an island with a population greater than 20 us states, but then there arent many. Has anyone else thought of how the outsiders compares to west side story and romeo and juliet. Im all for someone capable doing an earnest, thoughtful remake of the. It set the irish catholic jets against the jewish emeralds, which was in keeping with the ethnic makeup of the lower east side area of manhattan. This story is about the rivalry between the sharks puerto ricans vs. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim. West side story is a tragic love story set in new york city in the mid1950s on the west.
Murphy 7 december 2006 west side story chapter 3 in this chapter, anita is making the dress for maria. Asked in new york city, musical movies, west side story was west side story set in the upper west side. The action of the outsiders takes place in tulsa, oklahoma in the 1960s. Crazy to think that what happens takes place in that time frame. Setting compare and contrast plot the book west side story takes place on the west side of new york city in the 1950s. In 1960 on a cold morning in february, the makers of west side story began filming along manhattans west 68th street.
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. It was inspired by william shakespeare s play romeo and juliet. Anita is marias friend and, so far, has nothing to do with the plot. Need reed 1 book from west side story sax on the web forum. I feel there were a lot of untold stories within the framework of west side story. After owning their miserable little neighborhood for years, the jets, the fingersnapping street gang led by riff. When west side story opened on broadway in 1957, it was a new kind of musical. Its only supposed to be bernardo and ice using their fists, but when tony arrives to stop it, things escalate. The history of the west side how it became the setting of the musical. The musical explores the rivalry between the jets and the sharks, two teenage.
Natalie wood was 23 years old when she played maria. Why west side story is still relevant the girl who. The latest broadway revival also tried out at the national in 2008. West side story is set in and around the 1950s on the west side of manhattan, new york city. I honestly liked this book because it was a quick read with a good plot. If youve never seen west side story, here are just a few reasons you might want to get watch itlike now the cast. It is based on shakespeares play, romeo and juliet. The scenes in the book mostly take place at a drugstore, a playground and on the streets.
Analysis the tonight ensemble from west side story essay. West side story was very innovative, especially for its time period. The academy award for best picture of 1961 went to the movie version of west side story. The story west side story is like a modern romeo and juliet. The reallife drama behind west side story written in the mid1950s, west side story showcased adult themes and harsh language, which was bold for musical productions. Its been many years since ive read the book but its all pretty clear in my mind. It is said that natalie desperately wanted her splendor costar, warren beatty to get the part of tony.
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