![]() Said Laurents himself in a 2008 interview with AARP: “Because of our own bias and the cultural conventions of 1957, it was almost impossible for the characters in ‘West Side Story’ to have authenticity.” Though the 1957 Broadway production and its 1961 film adaptation remain groundbreaking for Robbins’ trailblazing choreography, Bernstein’s complex compositions and Sondheim’s formative writing experience, it also remains a classic case of cultural appropriation. (John Springer Collection / Corbis via Getty Images) ![]() They are underprivileged and the haves and have-nots have more to do with their psyches than their economics.” “We had Puerto Rican gangs there, and the story would work well.”Īccording to Craig Zadan’s book “Sondheim & Co,” Stephen Sondheim, then a rookie lyricist, was hesitant to sign on for the project because “I’ve never been that poor and I’ve never even known a Puerto Rican!” But his agent “told him not to think in those terms. It’s a seemingly insignificant moment that had a colossal impact.”īecause of the article, “Lennie wanted to set the action in Los Angeles, but I suggested New York,” Laurents recalled to The Times in 2009. This was a mess that hadn’t been worked on in six years. Noted “Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story” author Nigel Simeone, “If they hadn’t seen that newspaper story, I’m not even sure would have gotten finished. “We decided to make the show about teenage gangs, to make it more timely,” Laurents told The Times in 2009. It sparked the idea to inject the tragic love story with some topical racial conflict. Six years later, The Times published an article about a fight that broke out between Latino gangs in San Bernardino: Two young men fought outside a dance at Johnson Community Hall, one died. However, the concept felt too similar to Anne Nichols’ popular 1920s play “Abie’s Irish Rose,” and the trio shelved the project, then titled “East Side Story.” “West Side Story” was conceived by director and choreographer Jerome Robbins, who approached book writer Arthur Laurents and composer Leonard Bernstein in 1949 about a contemporary musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” He suggested the star-crossed lovers hail from an Irish Catholic family and a Jewish family as they feuded in Manhattan’s Lower East Side during the Easter-Passover season. “I really felt - we felt, all of us, together - that we needed this to be a Latinx production.”Įntertainment & Arts Commentary: Does ‘West Side Story’ work best as a film? An opera? Neither?Ī look at how Leonard Bernstein’s score has functioned on Broadway, in opera, through recording and, once more, in feature film. “It’s important that representation be authentic to return the piece to the integrity that I think it deserves,” he said in a “20/20” special. Remaking “West Side Story” in the 21st century required such changes, said filmmaker Steven Spielberg. territory after it was rewritten with less confrontational lyrics. And a newly added moment sees the Sharks singing the original version of “La Borinqueña,” which became the official anthem of the U.S. A notable portion of dialogue is in Spanish, delivered without subtitles appearing on-screen. Twenty members of its cast are Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent eight of these actors were found at casting calls in San Juan. Thankfully, no actor is in brownface in the new version of the movie musical, now playing in theaters. ![]() That’s really also how little people know about Puerto Ricans.” “I was so stunned that I didn’t say anything. That makeup artist then accused her of being racist. “We are many colors,” she recalled in a 2019 interview with the Associated Press. Moreno, who is Puerto Rican, questioned the makeup artist on set about the practice. When Rita Moreno was filming the 1961 movie “ West Side Story,” her skin color - as well as that of the numerous white actors playing Puerto Rican characters - was darkened with makeup.
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