The story line is a reworking of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet set among Polish-American and Puerto Rican street gangs in New York City's Upper West Side. Tony and Maria fall in love, despite the fact that they are associated with rival gangs - Tony with the Jets, and Puerto Ricann-born Maria with the Sharks.
The dark theme, sophisticated music, and focus on social problems marked a turning point in English language musical theatre, which had previously (with rare exceptions) tended toward light and fluffy themes. West Side Story is still produced frequently by local theatres and is occasionally produced by classical opera companies.
Bernstein's score for the musical has been extremely popular. Some of the songs include "Something's Coming", "Maria", "America", "Tonight", "Gee, Officer Krupke", "I Feel Pretty", "One Hand, One Heart" and "Cool".
The film was #41 on American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Movies and #3 on its 100 Years, 100 Passions, and has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Credits
Book by Arthur Laurents
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed and Choreographed by Jerome Robbins
| The Jets | The Sharks | |
|---|---|---|
|
Riff, The Leader Tony, His Friend Action A-Rab Baby Snowboy Big Deal Diesel Gee-Tar Mouth Piece Tiger |
Bernardo, The Leader Maria, His Sister Anita, His Girl Chino, His Friend Pepe Indio Luis Anxious Nibbles Juano Toro Moose |
|
| Their Girls | Their Girls | |
|
Graziella Velma Minnie Clarice Pauline Anybodys |
Rosalia Consuelo Teresita Francisca Estella Margarita |
|
| The Adults | ||
|
Doc Lt. Schrank Officer Krupke Glad Hand | ||
Academy Award wins and nominations for the movie
Wins (10)