Arthur laurentss most popular book is romeo and juliet and west side story. What are the similarities between romeo and juliet and. Plot summary for west side story 1961, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. West side story was filmed there, but the populations who inspired it had been removed to upper manhattan and the bronx. After owning their miserable little neighborhood for years, the jets, the fingersnapping street gang led by riff. West side story is set in and around the 1950s on the west side of manhattan, new york city. In 1993, a small section of west 65th street the old northern boundary of san juan hill was renamed for leonard bernstein. 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.
When west side story opened on broadway in 1957, it was a new kind of musical. Books by arthur laurents author of west side story edition. Anonymous period 8 11514 film west side story analysis west side story is an adaption of a play written by arthur laurents, and remade into a film, directed by robert wise and jerome robbins. The film opens with aerial shots establishing the setting, a workingclass neighborhood of new york city. Click download or read online button to get west side story book pdf online book now. 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. In 1960 on a cold morning in february, the makers of west side story began filming along manhattans west 68th street. View a seating chart for west side story at broadway theatre. Social issues in west side story the odyssey online. Those familiar with leonard bernsteins west side story are generally aware that it is an updating of shakespeares tragic love story romeo and juliet. It is a duet sung by lovers tony and maria, and features one of bernsteins bestknown and loved melodies. The tragedy of love thwarted by fate has always intrigued writers. Very interesting to compare contrast on that side of the. Childrens story book released to help children and young.
In the sixteenth century, william shakespeare took this theme and fashioned one of the worlds great plays. In this story, the violence between two gangs also caused death. The jets, a local white street gang headed by riff played. 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. West side story summary and study guide supersummary. The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, and focus on social problems marked a turning point in american musical theatre. The 1957 musical west side story was a collaboration among composer leonard bernstein, lyricist stephen sondheim, and choreographer jerome robbins. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and. The feuding families become two warring new york city gangsthe white jets led by riff and the latino sharks, led by bernardo. Although west side story is a direct rendition of shakespeares original play, many of the themes and symbols are altered to fit the modern perspective. See the location of your west side story tickets, a view from the seat at the broadway theatre. The characters have a direct correlation to each other, yet racial. The musical explores the rivalry between the jets and the sharks, two teenage.
A classical story with a modern setting, it still stands as one of the major contributions of the american theater. The action of the outsiders takes place in tulsa, oklahoma in the 1960s. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Tonight is one of the most popular songs from this 1957 broadway musical smash hit. Arthur laurents has 27 books on goodreads with 6955 ratings. To ask other readers questions about west side story, please sign up. Setting compare and contrast plot the book west side story takes place on the west side of new york city in the 1950s.
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. The setting comes at least partially from the fact that everyone who created west side story was from new york. In my book club we took the comparison between this and the outsides. 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.
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. See more ideas about west side story, story setting and set design. 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. They wrote about what they knew, and what they knew were those working class neighborhoods full of kids with not a lot of hope. 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. West side story book pdf online download ebook pdf, epub. The question and answer section for west side story 1961 film is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. I wanted to learn how the puerto ricans coped with the racism and. 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 s theme is centered on the struggles of two group. The sharks mostly recent puerto rican immigrants and the jets mostly second generation european immigrants circa 1960. West side story may have stereotypical depictions of puerto ricans but the original film in particular is considered an important film for latino americans nevertheless misaimed fandom the entire argument over which gang is more sympathetic. While it seems only natural now, the idea of filming on actual city streets took some time in. Like romeo and juliet, west side story is about the forbidden love affair between two teenagers.
This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. West side story is the awardwinning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy romeo and juliet. Two perennial classicswilliam shakespeares romeo and juliet and the broadway musical west side story in a single volume. Romeo and juliet, west side story, compare and contrast. The film version of 1961 was a smashing success, earning 10 oscars, including. Hinton tells the story of 14yearold ponyboy curtis and his struggle with right and wrong in a society in which he is. Prince, who was at the start of what would be a magnificent career as a broadway producer and director, read laurents book and was interested in the new musical but unsure about it. Crimes really havent changed, only the faces attached to them have, and a lot of the social issues presented in west side story are definitely still relevant to todays society. It is based on shakespeares play, romeo and juliet. For this list, we picked the best, catchiest, and most memorable tunes from this classic musical.
The music was composed by leonard bernstein, and the lyrics were written by stephen sondheim. That displacement made it possible for west side story to be filmed and performed there, too. 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. West side story opened at new yorks winter garden theater on september 26, 1957, and has remained in the repertory ever since. A new story book that aims to help children understand and come to terms with covid19 has been produced by a collaboration of more than 50 organizations working in the humanitarian sector, including the world health organization, the united nations childrens fund, the united nations high. Shakespeares romeo and juliet and west side story both have a lot in common as well as major differences that set them apart.
Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our. Similarities between west side story and romeo and juliet include the central conflict, the setting where the two main characters meet, the balcony scene and the violent conflict between the characters. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. West side story insights educational guide 2 created by joey landwehr jcompany artistic director dear fellow educators, at jcompany youth theatre, we believe that live theatre and the school curriculum go. It is a testament to the musical and theatrical brilliance of west side story that this teenage urban love story, set to shakespeares classic romeo and juliet, has survived its outmoded 50sstyle book arthur laurents replete with dead end kids posturings and corny, streetwise lingo i still cringe when i. The scenes in the book mostly take place at a drugstore, a playground and on the streets. West side story simple english wikipedia, the free. Ponyboy explains that the greasers rule the poorer east side of town, while the socs run the wealthier west side of town. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim. 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. 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. Can you write a haiku 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables with.
Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding. In the film west side story, there is a fierce battle between the jets and the sharks captured above. West side story began on the broadway stage and was immediately recognized as one of the most creative musical productions of the 20th century. The setting of the two stories is one of the few differences. Its success as a motion picture was equally spectacular. Asked in new york city, musical movies, west side story. Romeo and juliet takes place in vernon in the 1 5th century while west side story took place in new york around the sasss. West side story might have never been done if it werent for theatre producer hal prince. West side story test west side story chapters 610 quiz.
At the time, the phrase broadway musical was synonymous. 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. The feuding families become two warring new york city. West side story is a tragic love story set in new york city in the mid1950s on the west side of the city. Crazy to think that what happens takes place in that time frame. West side story tickets seating chart, broadway, new york. 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. 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.
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