The musical "West Side Story" - content, interesting facts, video, history

L. Bernstein musical "West Side Story"

Who among you is not familiar with William Shakespeare's immortal masterpiece? The plot of the story does not lose popularity at all times and in every city of every country you can meet your Romeo and Juliet. At this time, she formed the basis of the most popular musical "West Side Story".

Summary

The action takes place in the New York West Side, in which there were many immigrants from different countries, and of course various conflicts in this situation were inevitable. Just imagine the streets of the American city of the 60s, in which various street gangs try to divide spheres of influence. It is interesting to observe how the musical exactly follows the original source: here there are two warring clans, only these are youth groups of white immigrants and Puerto Ricans. And two young lovers - Tony and Maria, who are not destined to be together, despite their passionate feelings for each other. There is even a dance party and a romantic scene on the balcony, only now it is just a fire escape. Times change, and props change. As a result of the street skirmish, Tony dies, and Maria mourns her lost love bitterly. The plot is unchanged, only the outcome is a little more spectacular.

A photo:

Interesting Facts:

• Interestingly, according to the original idea, modern Montecchi and Capulets were supposed to be Jews and Catholics, however, Jerome Robbins (director) and Leonard Bernstein (composer) decided that these feuds lost their relevance and shifted attention to street gangs.
• The premiere of the musical was a great success and was well received by critics and the public. Now this performance is in the top three of the best musicals of all time. This is due not only to the legendary work of William Shakespeare, but also to the brilliant music of L. Bernstein.
• After the success on Broadway, the performance was filmed and highly acclaimed by various awards in the cinema, including 10 Oscars.
• The director of the first Broadway production, Jerome Robbins, did not allow the 2nd groups of actors playing "rockets" and "sharks" to meet backstage, dine together and chat outside the theater.
• Initially, according to the idea of ​​Bernstein, the musical was supposed to be called "East Side Story" and narrate the hostility of Catholics with Jews. But for 6 years, during which the composer was looking for like-minded people, the situation in the country changed, and he chose a more urgent problem.
• An updated version of the musical appeared in 2009, and it was she who was able to win the Tony Award in the nomination for best supporting actress. In this production, new songs are being played - partly translated into Spanish.
• The Russian production of "West Side Story" was presented at a Moscow theater venue in 2009, and at the same time won the award "The Musical Heart of the Theater."
• The famous Lincoln Center is currently built at the location of the film on West Side Story, namely between 61 and 110 Avenue. The slums shown in the film were demolished immediately after the end of the shooting process.
• Popular singer Elvis Presley really wanted to take part in the filming of the musical musical "West Side Story." However, his producer thought that it would take too much time and did not allow him to be shot.
• Many songs from the musical have become independent popular compositions that listen to music lovers around the world with pleasure.

Popular numbers:

Maria (listen)

I Feel Pretty (listen)

America (listen)

Mambo (listen)

History of creation

Based on the immortal work of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" created many works of art, and the plot, described in the tragedy, inspired creative figures to new productions. The composer Leonard Bernstein also fell under the influence of Shakespeare’s magic, and for several years had the idea of ​​creating his own work based on the classics. In the end, he still realized his dream, with the support of other creative people. The script of the story was created by Arthur Lorents, the words to the songs were written by Stephen Sondheim. The choreographer was Jerome Robbins. The authors adapted the Shakespearean drama to the realities of Manhattan of the 50s of the XX century. Then in New York there were many migrants from Latin America, and inevitable clashes between youth groups took place. About two of them - "Shark", consisting of children of European immigrants, and "Rocket" - young Puerto Ricans, and decided to tell the creators of the musical. Bernstein created unique pieces of music based on classical music, complemented by Latin American rhythms and jazz notes. Such a score gives the musical a special charm, immersing the audience in the atmosphere of America of the 50s.

The basis of the plot is the love of two young people belonging to the warring companies, Tony and Maria. Some moments almost repeat the plot of Shakespeare: for example, the fact that Maria is the sister of the leader of "Shark", who in a fight kills Tony. The feelings of the young lovers are quite colorful and expressive: Tony performs the night serenade for the beloved, and later she will even be able to close his eyes to the murder of her brother, just to be with the chosen one. At the cost of several lives, including the life of the main character, the members of both companies understand the horror and meaninglessness of their enmity. The statement highlights the difficult social problems of the time, and also shows the elements of everyday life of the warring factions: fights, police raids, youth parties. The play exposed all the cruelty of the artificially created confrontation, which made no sense, but as a result, young and very promising people died.

Productions

West Side Story is a musical and theatrical production consisting of two acts with a total duration of 120 minutes (75 minutes is the first act and 45 minutes is the second), was shown on the scene more than 700 times. The history of modern Romeo and Juliet has won the hearts of the public, and tickets to the musical still are bought up several months before the performance.

But the recognition came to Bernstein and his colleagues immediately. After the premiere, held September 26, 1957. on the Winter Garden theater stage, the production received only positive feedback from journalists, while the public accepted the performance rather neutrally. They never received the prestigious "Tony" award that year, but the excellent choreography was noted especially.

The rise of the popularity of the musical occurred after the first film based on this plot by Robert Wise. Since then, "West Side Story" travels the world in its original version, and as a material for other productions. The musical is often put on completely different theater stages - from amateur small scenes to huge theaters with world fame. It should be noted that "West Side Story" was accepted even in the Soviet Union: in 1965 the play was translated into Russian, and in 1969 the premiere of the Russian-language musical under the direction of G.Tovstonogov was held in Leningrad. In 2007, the Novosibirsk Youth Theater "Globus" signed a contract according to which the musicals are produced with the help of the American creative team, with the obligatory condition of preserving the original Robbins choreography.

Filmography

The plot of the musical turned out to be so clear and interesting to Americans of that time that in 1961, director Robert Wise made his film version. The film uses original dance numbers, which Jerome Robbins himself set during the shooting, as well as the music of Bernstein and the song of Sondheim. Filming of the film musical took place exactly where the story was about the story of Tony and Maria - in the Manhattan area of ​​the West Side. The film has received many prestigious awards, and is also considered the second most popular film musical created in America. In Russia, this version was shown in 1963 as part of the Moscow International Film Festival. There the tape was presented out of competition. So that no one took a copy, after the completion of the next part, the film was immediately delivered to the embassy.

The plot of the classic play of Shakespeare is eternal, it will always find responses in the hearts of people, remaining relevant at any time and in any country. Leonard Bernstein and his colleagues were able to create on its basis a completely new work, combining several types of art, which touched the hearts of the public no less than the classical drama. In "West Side Story" classic compositions are successfully intertwined with jazz and Latin American rhythms, giving it a special flavor and turning it into a real masterpiece. He is shocked by his intense action, the magnificent play of actors, music and spectacular decorations.