The Importance of West Side Story Essay - 980 Words

West Side Story is one of the great contributors to musical theatre, in particular Broadway where it originally opened on September 26 1957 at the Winter garden Theatre. The production ran for 732 performances before entering the world of film in 1961. However, I believe its significance lies in the heart of the theatre where the audience is subjected to different styles of music, dance and of course an adaptation of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. In fact, Leonard Bernstein first decided to call his play East Side Story but opted against it, due to social relevancy. Instead the story would take place on the West side of New York; Brooklyn, under a realistic urban setting, hence West Side Story. This decision may have improved the way†¦show more content†¦In my opinion, this story cold not be portrayed under typical musical direction. Although West Side Story is based predominantly upon love, there are also acts of bigotry, attempted rape and murder. Previous musicals such as Cole Porters Kiss Me Kate and Roger Hammersteins Oklahoma! used many up-tempo songs to uplift audiences and leave them feeling cheerful. W.S.S offers a more realistic approach demonstrating the problems all over the world. One noticeable element of the production is the unpredictability of the story. Both Acts end with the death of strong personalities (Riff and Bernado in The Rumble, and Tony in The Finale). This was almost certainly against audience anticipation during the late fifties and even today. It is not only the story, but also the music and dance which offer surprise. Whereas many musicals were creating songs in straight 4/4, 2/4 time, West Side Story introduced time signatures which new to any form of modern entertainment e.g. 6/4 in the Tonight Ensemble and 12/8 for the Dance in the Gym. Coincidentally the latter incorporated so many different styles of music with a jazz number for the dance sequence, a pomp and circumstance for the promenade and a Latin jive for the Mambo. The Mambo is a typical example of the use of ostinatos e.g. Bar 71-78 where the Contrabass plays across the beat accompanied by someShow MoreRelatedThe period between early 1940s to mid-1960s or so, alternatively, the p eriod between when the700 Words   |  3 Pagespaper, I choose to elaborate more on the musical – Arthur Laurents’s West Side Story. In the first part of this paper, I discuss the plot, songs and other aspects of the musical such as the awards etc. Later on, I explain how this musical revolutionized the theatre and the cultural effects it had on Americans. Finally, I conclude in the end the historical importance of this musical piece. West Side Story: The musical West Side Story is based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. This musical was possibleRead MoreDancers At West Side Dance Studio1524 Words   |  7 PagesWest Side Dance Studio is a dance studio in Pembroke Pines, Florida. I used to dance in that studio for four years. Out of the four years, the most important concept I learned is that dancers do not use their words to express emotion, they use their body. The teachers at West Side Dance Studio always express how important it is to tell a story with our bodies. That is why we dance, to express emotion and tell a story to our audience when performing and even in class. Dancers at West Side Dance StudioRead MoreWest Side Story : Race Discrimination1594 Words   |  7 PagesWest Side Story: Race Discrimination Introduction West Side Story, based on the book by Arthur Laurent, is a musical about a modern Romeo and Juliet involved in New York street gangs in the 1950’s. 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