Somethings comingand its coming with an authenticity that should galvanize an already acclaimed classic love story. Four dances from west side story by leonard bernstein wind. West side story was the kind of musical people thought was good for them, a pious expression of admirable but unrealistic liberal sentiments, and certainly its street gangs at war one puerto rican, one the descendants of european immigrants seem touchingly innocent compared to contemporary reality. West side story is a romantic tragedy about two characters that are supposedly completely different and arent accepted when they fall in love. William shakespeares romeo and juliet and arthur laurents west side story are very similar in comparison. He practically stands alone as a writer who owes his lasting fame to his authorship. From arthur laurents, playwright, screenwriter, directora mesmerizing book about theater, the art, the artist, the insider, the outsiderand the making of two of the greatest musicals of the american stage, west side story and gypsy.
Arthur laurents july 14, 1917 may 5, 2011 was an american playwright, stage director and screenwriter after writing scripts for radio shows after college and then training. Full script of the musical west side story in hardcover format. Its not a revival, says arthur laurents, 90, its original librettist and the man behind the latest production. The score by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim are. The characters in both these tragic stories are almost symmetric in what kind of role they play and how they interact. West side story 1964 broadway tickets, news, info, photos. Four dances from west side story features some of the highlights of these dance sequences transcribed for band. In the book for west side story, arthur laurents used street slang taken from what source. Romeo and juliet west side story by william shakespeare. But marias brother was leader of the sharks and tony had once. It is a book profoundly enriched by the author s two loves, love for the theater and love for his partner of fiftytwo years, tom hatcher, who shared and inspired every aspect of his life and his work.
He is the author of ten books, including the novels the amboy dukes, cry tough, and the square trap, which were all adapted into movies. West side story revisited, west side story, arthur laurents. Arthur laurents has 27 books on goodreads with 6983 ratings. Deutsche grammophon, 2005 originally leonard bernstein conducts west side story, 2002 bernstein, leonard, stephen sondhiem, arthur laurents, et al. Random house firm, the feud between two new york teenage gangs abruptly ends the brief happiness shared by maria, a puerto rican girl, and tony, a member of the jets. West side story special edition dvd collectors set. Arthur laurents was an american playwright, librettist, stage director, and screenwriter.
There are two types of people in the theater, explains arthur laurents, who wrote the librettos for gypsy and west side story and has. It was inspired by william shakespeare s play romeo and juliet. Author arthur laurents, composer leonard bernstein, lyricist stephen sondheim and choreographer jerome robbins collaborated brilliantly, if also heatedly, on this musical inspired by shakespeares romeo and juliet. They planned to stage the conflict between rival catholic and jewish groups. Although west side story was named the best picture of 1961 and won 10 academy awards, it is not much mentioned by movie fans these days, and the old warhorse singin in the rain is probably more seen and certainly better loved. Army during world war ii, laurents turned to writing for broadway, producing a body of work that includes west side story 1957, gypsy 1959, and hallelujah, baby. The score by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim are widely regarded as among the best ever written. The further we get in time from when west side story was written, the more the musicals mythic dimensions come into focus. From the silver screen to the great white wayone of the greatest stories of all time. This tour of the 1957 classic stems from the 2009 broadway revival, which gave author arthur laurents a chance to reimagine the show. When they first conceived the show in 1949, robbins, bernstein and laurents set their story on the east side of manhattan, and gave it the working title east side story.
The story is set in the upper west side neighborhood in new york city in the mid 1950s, a multiracial, bluecollar neighborhood. From the first notes to the final breath, west side story is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of all time. Although he was required to pay them, bernstein removed which section from west side storys theater orchestra. Two perennial classicswilliam shakespeares romeo and juliet and the broadway musical west side storyin a single volume. West side story hardcover january 1, 1966 by arthur laurents author 2. Prejudices in the west side story by arthur laurents essay. And he, who had been seeking something beyond the savagery of the streets, discovered it with her. West side story was based on a 1957 broadway play written by american playwright arthur laurents, composer leonard bernstein, lyricist stephen sondheim and choreographer jerome robbins who, in turn, based it on william shakespeares romeo and juliet. West side story playbill august 1980 laurents, arthur book by leonard bernstein music by on. Arthur laurents july 14, 1917 may 5, 2011 was an american playwright, stage director and screenwriter after writing scripts for radio shows after college and then training films for the u. West side story leonard bernstein, arthur laurents, stephen sondheim snippet view 1958. Arthur laurents, arthur levine, american playwright, director, and screenwriter born july 14, 1917, brooklyn, n.
Now its back, and mesmerizing audiences once again. Books by arthur laurents author of west side story edition. Arthur laurents july 14, 1917 may 5, 2011 was an american playwright, stage director and. West side story revisited, west side story, arthur. Playwrightdirector arthur laurents, who wrote the books for the musicals west side story and gypsy, directed the broadway revival of west. Natalie wood, richard beymer, russ tamblyn, rita moreno, george chakiris, simon oakland, ned glass. The tragedy of love thwarted by fate has always intrigued writers. Nov 28, 2010 four dances from west side story features some of the highlights of these dance sequences transcribed for band.
Jerome robbins author, arthur laurents theatre play, jerome robbins screenplay, arthur laurents screenplay, ernest lehman screenplay script synopsis. A comparison of william shakespeares romeo and juliet. Tony and maria, fall for each other against the backdrop of innercity new york gang fighting. Arthur laurents american playwright, director, and.
Arthur laurents arthur laurentsis the author of musical plays such as west side story, gypsy, anyone can whistle, do i hear a waltz. Best known for the hit musicals west side story and gypsy, arthur laurents began his career writing socially minded plays such as home of the brave and time of the cuckoo. Stephen sondheim, arthur laurents, hal prince, robert griffith seated, leonard bernstein, and jerome robbins on the set of west side story. The show follows the story of two rival gangs, the white jets and the puerto rican sharks. Gypsy, west side story and other musicals, published in 2009, in which he discussed. Within 10 days of going on the rental market, 9 saint lukes place a west village townhouse once owned by west side story playwright and the way we were screenwriter arthur laurents. Playwright and screenwriter who wrote the books for. West side story 19571958 dates origin date created. There is no grand song that says new york city, such as new york, new york declaring that this is a helluva town.
Prejudices in the west side story by arthur laurents. In 2007, arthur laurents stated, ive come up with a way of doing west side story that will make it absolutely contemporary without changing a word or a note. Arthur laurents, the director, playwright and screenwriter who wrote such enduring stage musicals as west side story and gypsy, has died at the age of 93. One last time, arthur laurents speaks out hartford courant. Four dances from west side story by leonard bernstein.
West side story was originally a 1957 stage musical by jerome robbins, leonard bernstein, arthur laurents and stephen sondheim. Maria was young and innocent and had never known loveuntil tony. On its broadway opening, critic walter kerr declared that it had the most savage, restless, electrifying dance patterns weve been exposed to in a dozen seasons. The play was adapted for the film by american screenwriter ernest lehman. Arthur laurents s most popular book is romeo and juliet and west side story. In the sixteenth century, william shakespeare took this theme and fashioned one of the worlds great plays. Playwright and screenwriter who wrote the book for west side story. Arthur laurents, the tonywinning writerdirector who wrote the broadway classics west side story and gypsy, and the barbra streisandrobert redford movie, the way we were, has died. The show continues to seduce in a theatrical language that remains universal. West side story, untold opinion the harvard crimson. Jul 09, 2015 west side story july 9, 2015 music theatre with ground breaking choreography by the legendary jerome robbins, book by arthur laurents, an unforgettable score by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim, the production company presents west side story at arts centre melbourne for a limited season from 11 july 2015. The international touring company of the beloved classic musical west side story, which features music by leonard bernstein, lyrics by stephen sondheim, and book by arthur laurents, will. West side story 1957 was originally east side story. West side story broadway west side story more than fifty years ago one musical changed theater forever.
The story of the broadway musical and film west side story is detailed on the official website see below. Oct 24, 2010 laurents spends most of his time in quogue, n. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Say his name, and images of west side story, gypsy, anastasia, the turning point. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim. Terms of use west side story film 1961 metrogoldwynmayer studios inc. See all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. The book west side story written by arthur laurents is set in the mid 1950s, created as modern version of shakespeares romeo and juliet. Arthur laurents west side story 9 saint lukes place. West side story in philippines at the theatre at solaire 2017. Laurentss west side story, which opened on broadway in 1957, substituted jets and sharks for montagues and capulets to thrilling effect, due in part to the choreography by jerome. The scherzo is a lighthearted, carefree movement that comes from the dream ballet of the musical, in which tony imagines a world.
Arthur laurents talks about west side revival sfgate. The musicals script, by arthur laurents, updates shakespeares tale of. Whittled down to one hour and fortyfive minutes, west side story with book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein, lyrics by stephen sondheim, and choreography by jerome robbins. Laurents, who died at 93 on thursday, also supplied the book for the landmark musical west side story.
In our own time, shakespeares drama has been used as a basis for the. West side story and gypsy would figure in most historians top 10 stage musicals indeed, gypsy is often cited as having the best book of any. West side story was the kind of musical people thought was good for them, a pious expression of admirable but unrealistic liberal sentiments, and certainly its. The scherzo is a lighthearted, carefree movement that comes from the dream ballet of the musical, in which tony imagines a world of peace and harmony to which he can take maria. May 06, 2011 laurents wrote the book for west side story, which updated romeo and juliet to the streets of new york, with gangs called the jets and the sharks replacing the houses of montague and capulet. Five decades after west side story debuted at the national theatre in washington, d. Say his name, and images of west side story, gypsy, anastasia, the turning point, and the way we were. Jerome robbins, arthur laurents below ladder, carol lawrence and larry. Biography for arthur laurents turner classic movies. His credits included the stage musicals west side story and gypsy and the film the way we were.
In the slums of the upper west side of manhattan, new york, a gang of polishamerican teenagers called the jets compete with a rival gang of recently immigrated puerto ricans. West side story 30sep1994 by arthur laurents, stephen sondheim hardcover. Arthur laurents book remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. Laurents wrote the book for west side story, which updated romeo and juliet to the streets of new york, with gangs called the jets and the sharks replacing. Say his name, and images of west side story, gypsy. Arthur laurents has 27 books on goodreads with 6988 ratings. Arthur laurents, 93, playwright for gypsy, west side story. Considered by many to be american theaters greatest librettist, arthur laurents was also remembered as a prolific stage director and screenwriter, whose credits include the books for the musicals west side story 1957 and gypsy 1959, as well as the screenplay for the way we were 1973. With kiri te kanawa, jose carreras, and tatiana troyanos. Irving shulman 191995 was a novelist and screenwriter, known for his depictions of urban life.
Say his name, and images of west side story, gypsy, anastasia, the turning point, and the way we were appear. Here is the original story of a true original, the celebrated and internationally renowned director, playwright and screenwriter arthur laurents, whose creative genius continues to energize american stage and screen today. Stephen sondheim, arthur laurents, hal prince, robert. The most noticeable addition to the revival is the increased amount of passion from every character. Written by ernest lehman, based on the broadway musical with book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein, lyrics by stephen sondheim, conceived by robbins. Arthur laurentss most popular book is romeo and juliet and west side story.
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