West side story is produced and directed by steven spielberg from a script by academy awardnominated screenwriter and pulitzer prizewinning playwright tony kushner. West side story was originally about jews and catholics. Most of the jets couples are dressed in lightcolored party clothes, while the sharks wear darker colors. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay andor viewings of west side story. Location and time upper west side, new york, 1950s, during the last days of summer. In the sixteenth century, william shakespeare took this theme and fashioned one of the worlds great plays. On september 26, 1957, west side story, composed by leonard bernstein, opens at the winter garden theatre on broadway. Het compacte maar meeslepende script van arthur laurents. As west side story celebrates its 60th anniversary, it stands as more than art. As we approach the centennial of leonard bernsteins birth on august 25, 2018 cultural institutions around the world are beginning to celebrate the varied life of this decidedly american icon. Most of the jets couples are dressed in lightcolored party clothes, while the. Westside story is a modern musical representation of the classic story romeo and juliet. In the midst of the deepseated rivalry between the puerto rican gang, the sharks, and the white gang, the jets, maria and tony discover that ancient grudges are no match for true love.
West side story is a bridge between the socalled golden age musicals of rodgers and hammerstein and the sondheim era about to begin. Laurents was soon hired to write the screenplay for a remake of the 1934 greta garbo film the painted veil for ava gardner. Met zijn radicale remake van west side story waagt ivo van hove. The musical is a 20thcentury american adaptation of the shakespearean tale of romeo and juliet. It shows the growing tensions between the sharks, a puerto rican gang, and the jets, a gang made up of american boys. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and. The fullydanced prolog shows the tension built up between the jets and the sharks two rival gangs in new yorks upper west side. It takes the same theme as shakespeares, romeo and juliet, in that it is about two lovers whose relationship is not accepted by others because of conflicting backgrounds. West side story is the awardwinning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy, romeo and juliet. West side story 1961 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. West side story scene and musical sequence outlines.
West side story script transcript from the screenplay. I know, i know, i still need to get the cast names in there and ill be eternally tweaking it, so if you have any corrections. 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. It is primarily a condensation of the growing rivalry between two teenage games, the. West side story school edition music theatre international. The film has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 broadway musical, which was written by arthur laurents with music by leonard bernstein, lyrics by stephen sondheim. Ernest lehman was one of the most critically lauded and commercially successful screenwriters in hollywood. Heres a short compare and contrast by seattle times. Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding.
Tony kushner exploring the story with new west side. The west player checker with this script you can easy check status of players author neversleep1911 daily installs 0 total installs 1,239 ratings 5 0 0 created 20150225. West side story script broadway musical act i scene one 5. The jets dance with more bold movements, the sharks with sinuous, sleek steps. Stevens, at the winter garden, new york city, september 26, 1957, with the following cast. In our own time, shakespeares drama has been used as a basis for the. My brother, sister, and i have always had west side story in our lives.
The film is an adaptation of the 1957 broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was inspired by. Rita moreno asked for west side story remake script. Two perennial classicswilliam shakespeares romeo and juliet and the broadway musical west side storyin a single volume. Thanks to my daughter, we had excellent seats in the mezzanine along the rail. 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. It was an artistic confrontation of social issues from immigration and bigotry to economic inequality and gang. West side story, theatre music by american composer leonard bernstein that premiered august 19, 1957, in washington, d.
With additional resources for students and directors, west side story school edition makes the iconic musical more accessible and meaningful for high school performers. Rita moreno is already giving tough notes on the west side. Be sure both of these plays are in the book, or you may end. West side story script transcript from the screenplay andor natalie. Details interactive script breakdown powered by productionpro. Ernest lehman and alfred hitchcock discussing north by northwest. The 1961 musical drama film west side story was directed by robert wise and jerome robbins.
Heres a closer look at west side story and some of the surprising elements that make it one of the most memorable works of musical theater. Gosh, steven prances around the set like a kid, moreno said. 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. I attended a performance of west side story at the pantages on sunday. The cinematic version is etched into my mind, so i felt compelled to. What had once been termed musical comedy became musical theatre, as producers and directors realized for the first time that the principles of serious drama should be applied to serious musicals. Tensions rise as a shark girl named maria and a jet named tony fall for eachother, but theres a problem they can never be allowed to be together. Tensions are high between the gangs but two kids, one from each rival gang, fall in love leading to tragedy. The leading ladies full concert 092898 carnegie hall official. Peter marks wrote in the washington post that making the script bilingual gives a truer sense of the cultural misunderstandings at the heart of west side story as expressed in the.
From the musical play west side story based on a conception of jerome robbins. The script for west side story has been available for many decades in paperback book form, paired with the script for romeo and juliet. Celebrating 60 years of west side story and the musical genius of leonard bernstein. Inspired by the timeless story of romeo and juliet, west side story takes shakespeares starcrossed lovers, and places them in the vibrant battleground of new york citys west side in the 1950s. West side story reunion w rita moreno, russ tamblyn, george chakiris the talk 16nov2011 duration. Easy piano playalong volume 18 hal leonard easy piano playalong by stephen sondheim and leonard bernstein may 1, 2015 4. West side story, based on plays by william shakespeare and jerome robbins although not as famous as the original romeo and juliet, on which this modern. West side story full script free download as pdf file. West side story script taken from a transcript of the screenplay andor the natalie wood musical movie based on the broadway play. The feuding families become two warring new york city gangs the white jets led by riff and the puerto rican sharks, led by bernardo.
The jets riff, the leadermickey calin tony, his friendlarry kert actioneddie roll arabtony mordente baby johndavid winters snowboygrover dale big dealmartin charnin. West side story original, musical, drama, broadway opened in new york city sep 26, 1957 and played through jun 27, 1959. 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 jets riff, the leadermickey calin tony, his friendlarry kert actioneddie roll arabtony mordente baby johndavid winters snowboygrover dale big dealmartin charnin dieselhank brunjes geetartommy abbott mouthpiecefrank green tigerlowell harris their girls graziella. West side story a strong show with dated script enquirer contributor published 10. Essay about analysis of west side story 1161 words. For the groundbreaking musical, bernstein provided a propulsive and. A changed west side story returns to a changed new york. It is hard to believe that this was the first time i had seen it on stage. Glad hand john astin, a square social worker who has. Anrqousgene c4viz ntrblesroanie lec juat\tojay nomdn the jets toroer,re castqldo ripp. The original stage musical of west side story now revived and touring to seattle differs from the wellknown film in key ways. West side story musical by bernstein and sondheim and. Analysis of west side story west side story came out in 1961 as a melodramatic musical that took place in new york.
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. The west color tchat adds new features to the chat of the west author tom robert daily installs 1 total installs 7,368 ratings 5 0 0 created 20150107 updated 20190907. Two youngsters from rival new york city gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy. He received six academy award nominations during his career, without a single win. West side story is a bit more mature, a tragic romeo and juliet love story, but moreno said hes still a kid behind the scenes. But west side story, winner of two tony and 10 academy awards, has endured because its also incredibly entertaining. The boys sideburned, longhaired are vital, restless, sardonic. Title west side story scene and musical sequence outlines, draft scripts, song lists, lyrics, 1955 contributor names bernstein, leonard 19181990 author. With natalie wood, george chakiris, richard beymer, russ tamblyn. Read more about the west side story high school edition here. Prologue the opening is a halfdanced, halfmimed, dance of sorts. The icon of stage and screena member of the legendary egot tribeis taking her acting and producing role in the west side story remake very.
Finally, the west side story script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the natalie wood musical movie based on the broadway play. The sharks and the jets are rival gangs fighting for the same territory. Arthur laurents book remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. West side story west side story was first presented by robert e.
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