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.
Laurents injected added realism by having the Sharks speak in their native Spanish much of the time. And Lin Manuel Miranda of 'In the Heights' fame had the task of translating two very familiar songs, 'I Feel Pretty' and 'A Boy Like That' into 'Siento Hermosa' and 'Un Hombre Asi.' The result is very effective and certainly deepens the characters. The problem is the renewed focus on gritty realism forces more scrutiny on the rest of the elements. The gang members are hardly threatening at all.
The musical’s status as a masterpiece rests largely on its two most exceptional assets: the expansive push and pull of Bernstein’s score, and the extraordinary mix of truculence and grace in the dances created by the show’s original director-choreographer, Jerome Robbins. But modern audiences, weaned on the sour milk of irony, have a built-in resistance to song and dance in a dramatic context, especially one so violent as West Side Story’s. The show had to adapt, and Laurents has labored—within the constraints of what remains a faithful account of a 1950s musical—to disguise its traces of old-fashioned corn and bring its themes into hardened focus.
1957 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1958 | West End |
London Production West End |
1959 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1960 | Broadway |
Return Engagement [Broadway] Broadway |
1964 | Broadway |
City Center Revival Broadway |
1968 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1980 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1991 | Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
Paper Mill Production Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
1992 | Regional (UK) |
Regional Revival Regional (UK) |
1998 | West End |
London Revival West End |
2006 | Houston, TX (Regional) |
Theatre Under the Stars Production Houston, TX (Regional) |
2009 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2010 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
2015 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
Signature Theatre Production Washington, DC (Regional) |
2018 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
National Symphony Orchestra Concert Revival Washington, DC (Regional) |
2018 | Regional (US) |
100th Birthday Celebration Revival Production Regional (US) |
2020 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Karen Olivo |
2009 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Karen Olivo |
2009 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musica | Pal Joey |
2009 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Matt Cavenaugh |
2009 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Josefina Scaglione |
2009 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Arthur Laurents |
2009 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Karen Olivo |
2009 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | 0 |
2009 | Theatre World Awards | Performance | Josefina Scaglione |
2009 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Howell Binkley |
2009 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Karen Olivo |
2009 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Josefina Scaglione |
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