In 1961, the film of West Side Story premiered, adapted from Broadway, and based on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”
The story is set in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen in the mid-1950’s, and explores the rivalry of two gangs, one white and one Puerto Rican. Tony, who is white, and Maria, who is Puerto Rican, fall in love, and the story ends as tragically as the Shakespearean play (although the book included a rape which did not explicitly appear in the show or movie).
The musical featured music by Leonard Bernstein, and in his debut, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The famous Jerome Robbins did the choreography (later emulated in part by Michael Jackson in “Beat It.”)
In the scene shown below, the males and females attached to the Puerto Rican gang spar over what is good and bad about America.
Sunday Treat – Real America vs. Fake America, 1961-Style
The story is set in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen in the mid-1950’s, and explores the rivalry of two gangs, one white and one Puerto Rican. Tony, who is white, and Maria, who is Puerto Rican, fall in love, and the story ends as tragically as the Shakespearean play (although the book included a rape which did not explicitly appear in the show or movie).
The musical featured music by Leonard Bernstein, and in his debut, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The famous Jerome Robbins did the choreography (later emulated in part by Michael Jackson in “Beat It.”)
In the scene shown below, the males and females attached to the Puerto Rican gang spar over what is good and bad about America.
Filed under: Commentary