Tony Tuesday: WEST SIDE STORY

Besties, this week we’re hopping back to the late noughties for a revival of potentially the most infamous musical of all time. This week’s TONY Tuesday is:

‘Dance at the Gym’ from WEST SIDE STORY.

WEST SIDE STORY is a 1957 musical loosely based on the story of Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare. The story, set in New York City’s Upper West Side, explores the rivalry between two teenage gangs from different ethnic backgrounds. When Tony, a former member of the American “Jets”, falls in love with Maria, the younger sister of the Puerto Rican “Sharks” leader Bernardo, tensions between the two gangs hit an all-time high. The musical marked Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway debut as a lyricist, the music was composed by Leonard Bernstein and the book by Arthur Laurents. 

Choreographer Jerome Robbins first instigated the idea of a musical adaptation based on Romeo & Juliet a decade before West Side Story opened. Initially they had wanted to focus on an Irish Catholic American family and that of a family of Jewish immigrants living in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, this became East Side Story. However, once they completed the project, they realised it held far too many similarities to productions they had already produced, and the musical was shelved. 8 years passed before the three creatives were reunited when Laurents suggested they join the project he was working on. Robbins felt that if they were working together, they should revisit East Side Story, however Laurents was committed to the project, but it did introduce them to up-and-coming composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. When that project went nowhere, Laurents signed on to write a screenplay for a film and moved to Hollywood. When he met with Bernstein who was conducting at the Hollywood Bowl, they noticed the current rise in juvenile gangs and felt this could be an angle for East Side Story and contacted Robbins who was instantly sold. Due to the change in tone of the show and the focus on Puerto Ricans in the United States, the show was retitled West Side Story. When composer Bernstein decided he solely wanted to work on the music, he invited Comden and Green to write the lyrics, however, they declined in favour of Peter Pan and Stephen Sondheim was asked. Initially Sondheim was resistant as he wanted to write the full score, however, Oscar Hammerstein convinced him this would be a worthwhile project and he signed on. A lot of producers passed on West Side Story due to it being deemed too dark and depressing and the show came into financial struggle just months before it started rehearsals when backers started pulling out. Sondheim contacted his friend Hal Prince who read the script and after flying to New York and hearing the score, signed on. 

West Side Story was believed impossible to mount by the industry at the time. It was the most choreographically heavy and musically complex show to date. The cast were required to act, sing and dance to an exceptional level as well as pass for teenagers. Hal Prince gave Jerome Robbins 8 weeks to rehearse the dancers as opposed to the usual four. The show received its pre=Broadway run in Washington D.C. and was a commercial and critical success. The Broadway production opened at The Winter Garden Theater on September 26th, 1957. The production was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, with scenic design by Oliver Smith, lighting design by Jean Rosenthal, costume design by Irene Sharaff and orchestrations by Side Ramin and Irwin Kostal. The opening night cast consisted of Larry Kent as Tony, Carol Lawrence as Maria, Chita Rivera as Anita, and Michael Callan as Riff. The production was nominated for 8 1958 TONY Awards and won two for choreography and scenic design. The production closed in 1959. A national tour launched the year the musical closed and played its final stint back at the Winter Garden in 1960. 

The UK professional premiere opened at the Manchester Opera House in 1958 before transferring to Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End. The production was again directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Don McKay starred as Tony, with Marlys Watters as Maria, George Chakiris as Riff and Chita Rivera reprising her role of Anita. The musical has enjoyed multiple West End revivals and national tours. 

The production was revived on Broadway at the Minksoff Theatre in 1980, again directed and choreographed by Robbins. Ken Marshall starred as Tony, with Josie de Guzman as Maria and Debbie Allen as Anita. The production ran till February of that same year. Guzman and Allen were both TONY nominated for their roles. 

The next major revival was directed by Arthur Laurents and it had a try out in Washington D.C in 2008 before transferring to Broadway in 2009 opening at the Palace Theater in March. This production wove Spanish lyrics and dialogue into the English libretto. The musical starred Matt Cavanaugh as Tony, Josefina Scaglione as Maria and Karen Olivo as Anita. Olivo became the first person to win a TONY Award in an acting category for West Side Story. The production ran for two years and was a financial success. 

An Ivo van Hove directed revival opened at The Broadway Theater in December 2019 for previews. The cast included Isaac Powell as Tony, Shereen Pimental as Maria and Yesenia Ayala as Anita. The revival omits the song ‘I Feel Pretty’ and it shortens the libretto. The iconic ballet choreography is replaced with commercial, hip-hop and latin dance. The production was suspended on 12 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The musical was adapted into a successful motion picture in 1961, winning 10 Oscars out of its 11 nominations. A remake of the film directed by Steven Spielberg is set to make its release in December 2021. 

Besties, I’m just going to assume you’ve all been amazing and listened to this iconic show, because I simply cannot believe you haven’t!

Cast recordings available on streaming services. Film version available from retailers. 

FACTS:

Music: Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim 
Book: Arthur Laurents
Theatre: The Winter Garden Theatre
Run: 26 September 1957 – 27 June 1959 (732 performances) 

TONYS:

(NOMINATED) Best Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Carol Lawrence, Best Costume Design – Irene Sharaff, Best Conductor and Musical Director – Max Goberman

(1964) Best Producer of a Musical – City Center Light Opera Company, Best Conductor and Musical Director – Charles Jaffe

(1980) Best Revival, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical – Josie de Guzman, Debbie Allen

(2009) Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, Best Lighting Design – Howard Binkley 

(WON) Best Choreography – Jerome Robbins, Best Scenic Design – Oliver Smith

(2009) Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical – Karen Olivo