West Side Story is a musical written by Arthur Laurents (book), Leonard
Bernstein (music), and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics). The story is based
loosely on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which was, in turn, based on a
narrative poem by Arthur Brooke entitled The Tragicall Historye of Romeus
and Juliet (1562).
Set on Manhattan's Upper West Side, the musical explores the rivalry
between two teenage gangs of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
The young protagonist, Anton ("Tony"), who belongs to the white gang,
falls in love with Maria, the sister of the leader of the rival Puerto
Rican gang. The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes,
and focus on social problems marked a turning point in American musical
theater. Bernstein's score for the musical has become extremely popular;
it includes "Something's Coming", "Maria", "America," "Somewhere,"
"Tonight", "Jet Song", "I Feel Pretty", "On
Discography not available
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West Side Story,