West Side Story facts for kids
Quick facts for kids West Side Story |
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Scene from the first performance of West Side Story in 1957
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| Music | Leonard Bernstein |
| Lyrics | Stephen Sondheim |
| Book | Arthur Laurents |
| Basis | Romeo and Juliet, play by William Shakespeare |
| Productions | Broadway (1957) West End (1958) Movie (1961) |
West Side Story is a very famous musical. It tells a story similar to Shakespeare's well-known play, Romeo and Juliet. The story for the musical was written by Arthur Laurents. The amazing music was created by Leonard Bernstein, and the lyrics (the words to the songs) were written by Stephen Sondheim. The original show starred Carol Lawrence as Maria.
West Side Story first opened on Broadway in New York City on September 26, 1957. It then opened in London's West End on December 12, 1958. The London show was performed over 1,000 times! The musical won two Tony Awards, which are big awards for theatre shows.
Later, in 1961, West Side Story was made into a movie. It starred Natalie Wood as Maria. The movie was a huge success and won 10 Academy Awards, which are top awards for films.
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What is West Side Story About?
The story of West Side Story takes place in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City. This was in the middle of the 1950s. It was a working-class area, meaning many people living there had jobs that paid average wages. The neighborhood had many different ethnic groups (people from various cultural backgrounds).
The musical shows the rivalry (or competition) between two teenage street gangs. These gangs are called the Jets and the Sharks. They come from different ethnic backgrounds. The Sharks are made up of immigrants from Puerto Rico. The Jets are Caucasian (white), and their families came from places like Ireland and Italy. The two gangs are always fighting over who controls different parts of the neighborhood.
There are four main characters in the story:
- Riff, who is the leader of the Jets.
- Bernardo, who is the leader of the Sharks. He is also Maria's brother.
- Maria, Bernardo's sister.
- Tony, who is Riff's best friend. Tony used to be a member of the Jets.
Tony meets Maria at a dance and they quickly fall in love. This causes even more trouble and fighting between the Jets and the Sharks. Their love story is at the heart of the musical.
Famous Songs
Leonard Bernstein wrote all the music for West Side Story. His songs are very well-known and loved. Some of the most famous songs from the musical include:
- "Something's Coming"
- "Maria"
- "America"
- "Somewhere"
- "Tonight"
- "Jet Song"
- "I Feel Pretty"
- "A Boy Like That"
- "One Hand, One Heart"
- "Gee, Officer Krupke"
- "Cool"
Why West Side Story is Important
West Side Story was a very important musical for its time. It had a more serious theme than many musicals before it. The music was also very complex and beautiful. It featured long dance scenes that helped tell the story.
The musical also focused on real-life social problems. These included gang violence and prejudice (unfair feelings towards certain groups). Because of these things, West Side Story became a major turning point in American musical theatre. It showed that musicals could be about serious topics and still be very popular.
Related pages
Images for kids
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L-R: Elizabeth Taylor, Carmen Guitterez, Marilyn Cooper, and Carol Lawrence from the original Broadway cast sing "I Feel Pretty" (1957)
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Larry Kert as Tony, original Broadway production (1957)
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Shark girls in "America", Portland Center Stage production, 2007
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Tony (Justin Gordon) and Maria (Erica Racz) in Pacific Repertory Theatre production, 2001
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"Gee, Officer Krupke" sung by the Jets, original Broadway cast (1957)
See also
In Spanish: West Side Story (musical) para niños
