Don't miss West Side Story - 1961 Film at Sala Luttazzi on September 28, 2021, 6 pm.
Learn more about West Side Story here.
West Side Story the Musical - Broadway Debut: September 26, 1957
When West Side Story opened on Broadway on September 26, 1957, it changed the nature of the American musical and challenged the country’s view of itself. The show dealt seriously with violence, adolescent gangs, and racial prejudice—themes rarely included in musicals—and ended with one of the show’s leads dead on stage. The integration of music, dance, and script and the theatricality of the staging were a revelation to audiences. At a time when most musicals were star vehicles, with separate dancing and singing choruses, West Side Story was cast with relative unknowns who acted, sang, and danced in this exceptionally demanding work.
The musical’s success must be credited primarily to its creators, extraordinary artists who brought out the best in each other. Composer Leonard Bernstein created his most memorable score—complex, passionate, tuneful, shocking, and bursting with rhythmic energy. Jerome Robbins, credited with conceiving the show, doubled as director and choreographer. Lyricist Stephen Sondheim, in his first Broadway musical, exhibited the wit, intelligence, and craft that would make him the pre-eminent songwriter of his generation. Arthur Laurents staged William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in contemporary Manhattan, with a lean, concise libretto, which allowed for the integration of language, music, dance, and movement. All of these elements came together to create a groundbreaking musical.
West Side Story the original Film - Release Date: October 18, 1961
Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, the 1961 film adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris. Released on October 18, 1961, the MGM film received high praise from critics and viewers, and became the second highest-grossing film of the year in the United States. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10, including Best Picture (in addition to a special award for Robbins), becoming the record holder for the most wins for a musical.
The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for the National Film Registry in 1997.
Original Cast and Production Staff
2021 Remake of West Side Story - Release Date: December 10, 2021
West Side Story is produced and directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner (Lincoln). The film has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway musical.
The cast includes Rita Moreno, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Anita in the 1961 film version of West Side Story, in the role of Valentina, a reconceived and expanded version of the character of Doc, the owner of the corner store in which Tony works.
2021 Cast and Production Staff
Take a VIRTUAL TOUR of the PLACES that INSPIRED the Making of West Side Story 1961.
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