Shakespeare Takes to the Streets: "West Side Story"(w1)

Tony and Maria recreate the famous" balcony scene".

    I am accursed with an appreciation for a random selection of musicals. Unsurprisingly, my two favorites are based in Latin American culture. Allow me to present, rant, and ultimately and with much bias, promote the classic musical, "West Side Story".
    "West Side Story", created by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, is essentially Romeo and Juliet. Remember how Baz Luhrmann did that hip, newfangled, modern update of the ye olde R&J? Turns out, Bernstein and Sondheim skinned that cat decades before Baz.
    Without giving entirely too much away, "West Side Story" is a story of two warring gangs (much like the Capulet's and Montague's) living in New York City's West Side during the 1950's. One gang, the Jets, is comprised of first generation Americans, whose relatively fresh foreign status is hidden only by their skin and birthplace. The second gang, the Sharks, is comprised of muchachos straight from Puerto Rico, bitter from the treatment they have received, instead of the streets paved with gold that they were promised. Their conflict is the basis for our plot.
   Romeo takes the form of Tony, a distant member of the Jets. His Juliet is Maria, tragically the sister of the leader of the Sharks. They meet, fall in love, etc. You know the drill.
    For the more literary of mind, the various plot lines and supporting characters featured in Shakespeare's classic tragedy are flawlessly incorporated. Yes, people die, lies are told, plans go awry. But how? I'll leave it up to you to actually watch West Side Story (you can find the movie at any upstanding local library, or perhaps a performance in your community theater circuit).
    While West Side Story has been performed all over, from Broadway to the West End, it's story is still profound and reaches new heights today, still creating a bridge of tolerance as prejudice against Latin Americans festers. The frustrations of the Sharks, lead by the charismatic Bernardo, against the many barriers they face in New York, is contrasted well by the enjoyment of other freedoms by the female companions of the Sharks (lead by Anita, Bernardo's girlfriend, a role in which the gorgeous Rita Moreno won the Best Supporting Actress Award in '61.)
     But let's focus on a happier note: the sheer musicality of this....musical. Sondheim is well known for his complex and genius compositions. Numbers such as the quintet "Tonight", the orchestrations from "Dance At The Gym" containing the moving mambo number, and "A Boy Like That" demonstrate the passion of such a story. As this is a musical, choreography is central. In West Side Story, our gang members don't just stage fight with panache: they dance. They dance fight. I can't stress how much I am absolutely in love with the dance fighting. DID I MENTION THE DANCE FIGHTING? Okay, on a serious note, the suave nature of all of these young men is stunning. The paradox of having violent young men dance gracefully, starting slowly until the scene builds into this highly emotional ballet, is just genius.

   Well, I believe this is enough gushing for now. It is my sincerest wish that you view this musical. I mean, it did win the 1961 Academy Award for Best Picture. If nothing else, maybe the song "Maria" will get stuck in your head.