West Side Story

West Side Story

by Arthur Laurents

Brent Yurong, Jeniffer Quero, Kimberly Roberts, Rheanna Toquib

Author continued...

Theatrical/ Film Career

Legendary Librettist, Playwright, Screen Writer and Director

Racial Tension

• Maria, Puerto Rican girl
• Tony, American boy
• Sharks, Puerto Rican gang
• Jets, American gang

• early film scripts: Rope (1948), Anastasia (1956), Bonjour Tristesse (1958), The Way We Were (1973), The Turning Point (1977)
• landmark musicals: West Side Story and Gypsy
• earned Tony Award nominations for Best Musical

Themes & Motifs

Arthur Laurents

Love & Romance

Works Cited

• Based on Romeo and Juliet's family feud
• Maria and Tony, have a love forbidden by the opposing gangs
• The rivalry ends with a negative outcome for both couples

• Racial Tension and Gang rivalry
• Class Struggle
• Love and Romance
• Social Realism
• Loyalty

Book: Arthur Laurents

Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim

Music: Leonard Bernstein

Entire Original Notion Production Directed and

Choreographed by Jerome Robbins

Orchestrations by Leonard Bernstein with Sid

Ramin and Irwin Kostal

• July 14, 1918- May 5, 2011
• Born in Brooklyn, New York
• resided in Manhattan​, New York
• Married for 52 years to actor, Tom Hatcher
• Graduate from Cornell University, majoring in Theater Arts
• Drafted into the U.S Army during WWll​
• never fought in combat, instead wrote films/plays for the Armed Service Force Presents (army radio)

Loyalty

• Tony and Maria's relationship
• Anita and Bernardo
• Sharks and Jets

Awards &

Accomplishments

Plot Summary

"Just Play it Cool, Boy." Orwhatyouwill.wordpress.com.

WordPress, 16 Feb. 2012. Web. 14 May 2015

McLoughlin, Kevin. "West Side Story Emphasizes Social

Issues." Dailyillini.com. The Daily Illini, 14 Apr. 2009. Web. 15 May 2015.

Rokos, Brian. "San Bernardino: Gang fight sparked West

Side Story." Pe.com. The Press-Enterprise, 26 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 May 2015.

Simonson, Robert. "Arthur Laurents, Legendary

Librettist, Playwright, Screenwriter and Director." Playbill.com. Playbill, Inc., 6 May 2011. Web. 14 May 2015.

Academy Awards

• Best Picture, Supporting Actor/Actress, Direction, etc.

Antoinette Perry Awards

• Scenic Design, Oliver Smith
• Choreography, Jerome Robbins

Grammy Awards

• Best Soundtrack

New York Film Critics Award

• Best Picture

Symbolism

Background

San Bernardino Gang

Fight 1955

Two street gangs of Manhattan, the Sharks (Puerto Rican) and Jets (American), feud over territory. As tension and conflict arises between the two gangs, Tony (Jets) falls in love with a Shark's sister, Maria. Although knowing that they can't be together because of the gang's war, they still continue to do so. Meanwhile, the two gangs prepare for a rumble, as Tony then tries to stop it out of love for Maria, in the process, Tony's best friend and Jet leader Riff is killed by Maria's brother, Bernardo. In anger, Tony then kills Bernardo but then realizes his mistake (killing his love's brother) and begs for Maria's forgiveness. All is forgiven, and so they decide to leave the city. They plan the meet at Doc's Candy Store and take a bus to the country. Chino, the Shark Maria is supposed to marry, vows to kill Tony. Maria asks Anita, Bernardo's girlfriend, to tell Tony she will be a little late meeting him at Doc's Candy Store, but when Anita is mauled by the Jets, she angrily tells them that Maria is dead, murdered by Chino, which is a lie. Doc overhears this and reluctantly tells Tony. Tony is devastated and furious, and hunts Chino down so he can be killed too. Then Tony runs into Maria at the playground and is overjoyed. As soon as they embrace, Chino runs in with a gun and shoots Tony. Tony tries to stay alive but is overcome by the bullet and dies.

• Modern musical version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
• the rival street gangs (Sharks and Jets) represent the Capulet and Montague families
• Focused on two religions, Catholics and Jews
• Originally made as East Side Story
• Located in lower East Manhattan
• Edited to be about two rival gangs, after being inspired by the San Bernardino gang fight in 1955

• the feud between the houses of the Capulets and the Montagues is re-created involving the two gangs
• the characters in West Side Story pertain/represent a certain character in Romeo and Juliet
• famous balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet transpires on a fire-escape of an ugly New York tenement.

West Side Story

Creative Team