West Side Story Revival 2009 - Articles Page 1.8
Run Time:
2 hours and 40 minutes, with one intermission
2 hours and 40 minutes, with one intermission
Ages: 12+
Opened: March 19, 2009Closing: January 02, 2011
West Side Story - 2009 - Broadway History , Info & More
Palace Theatre (Broadway)
1564 Broadway New York, NY
More than fifty years ago, a show about New York City changed musical theatre forever. Now, it's coming home to make history once again. This spring, WEST SIDE STORY returns to Broadway in a groundbreaking new production directed by its legendary librettist, Tony Award® winner Arthur Laurents.
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. Mr. Laurents' book remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim -- a collection of standards that includes "Tonight," "America," "Maria," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere" -- is widely regarded as one of the best ever written. And the extraordinary, Tony-winning winning choreography by Jerome Robbins completely changed the language of Broadway dance. This production will offer a bold new design that builds on the show's raw power and emotion to create a fresh experience unlike any that came before it.
Don't miss this thrilling presentation of a matchless work of art.
West Side Story - 2009 - Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR West Side Story
West Side Story
7 / 10
The idea that a musical as brilliant as 'West Side Story' would require reinventing seems a bit dubious, and the doubts are confirmed by the new Broadway revival. Reconceived and staged by its original book writer Arthur Laurents to achieve a new level of grittiness, this production features a lot of tweaks -- most notably the use of Spanish for two of the songs and some of the dialogue -- that don't add appreciably to its impact. And unlike the 91-year-old Laurents' recent smash revival of 'Gypsy,' this production is further undercut by some significant deficiencies in the staging and performances.
West Side Story
7 / 10
It's tempting to reward this uneven but enjoyable revival — helmed by 91-year-old Laurents himself — solely for the bilingual innovation. But for 52 years, the Jets have had the upper hand over their Spanish-speaking rivals, the Sharks, in this musical retelling of Romeo and Juliet set among mid-'50s Manhattan street gangs. The Jets have more lines and more scenes; they get three songs of their own — one which exists solely to establish their superiority ('When you're a Jet you're the top cat in town'). They even had their own language: 'Daddy-O,' 'Cracko-jacko,' 'Buddy boy.' Now, Laurents and Miranda have leveled the playing field; by translating a few key scenes — our first encounter with Maria and Anita (the sensational Karen Olivo) in the bridal shop, the pre-'America' banter between the Puerto Rican guys and their girls — the Sharks have more presence. By letting them sing in Spanish, they reclaim their own language as well.
Category
21 - 45 of 115
West Side Story FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What productions of West Side Story have there been?
West Side Story has had 21 productions including Broadway which opened in 1957, Broadway which opened in 1957, West End which opened in 1958, US Tour which opened in 1959, Broadway which opened in 1960, Broadway which opened in 1960, Broadway which opened in 1964, Broadway which opened in 1964, Broadway which opened in 1968, Broadway which opened in 1980, Broadway which opened in 1980, Milburn, NJ (Regional) which opened in 1991, Regional (UK) which opened in 1992, West End which opened in 1998, Houston, TX (Regional) which opened in 2006, Broadway which opened in 2009, US Tour which opened in 2010, Washington, DC (Regional) which opened in 2015, Washington, DC (Regional) which opened in 2018, Regional (US) which opened in 2018 and Broadway which opened in 2020.
What Tony Awards has West Side Story been nominated for?
Best Lighting Design of a Musical for Howell Binkley.
What awards has West Side Story been nominated for?
West Side Story has been nominated for several awards. These include Outstanding Revival of a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards for Pal Joey, Outstanding Director of a Musical at the Outer Critics Circle Awards for Arthur Laurents, Outstanding Revival of a Musical at the Outer Critics Circle Awards, and Performance at the Theatre World Awards for Josefina Scaglione.
What awards has West Side Story won?
West Side Story has won several awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards for Pal Joey. Arthur Laurents won the Outstanding Director of a Musical award at the Outer Critics Circle Awards. The show also won Outstanding Revival of a Musical at the Outer Critics Circle Awards. Josefina Scaglione received the Performance award at the Theatre World Awards.
Videos
