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Overview
Synopsis
Inspired by the timeless story of Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story takes Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, and places them in the vibrant battleground of New York City’s West Side in the 1950s. In the midst of the deep-seated rivalry between the Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, and the white gang, the Jets, Maria and Tony discover that ancient grudges are no match for true love. Their warring factions, however, refuse to back down, and the “rumbles”, romance, and resentment lead the bloody path to the lovers’ ultimate, tragic conclusion. With soaring, sophisticated, and diverse melodies, energetic and athletic dance battles, and its remarkably salient social message, West Side Story remains one of musical theatre’s most revolutionary and most loved treasures.
Show Information
- Book
- Arthur Laurents
- Music
- Leonard Bernstein
- Lyrics
- Stephen Sondheim
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1957
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- 1950s, new york city's west side
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Large
- Dancing
- Heavy
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, High School, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Late Teen, Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Early Teen Characters
Context
The creation of West Side Story was an extended process, involving decades of work, long periods of drought, and the collaboration of four of American musical theatre’s greatest standalone talents. The original idea for the musical came from director/choreographer Jerome Robbins, who wanted to adapt Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet into a musical about the conflict between and Irish Catholic and a Jewish family in New York, tentatively called East Side Story. Robbins approached composer
to read the context for West Side Story and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
The play opens with a balletic prologue, half-danced, and half-mimed, showing the growing resentment between the Jets, a gang of white “American” boys, and the Sharks, a Puerto Rican gang. Lt Schrank and Officer Krupke, fed up with all the violence on their beat, chase the Sharks away, leaving the Jets to plot a “rumble” with the Sharks (“Prologue”). The Jets’ leader, Riff, plans to challenge the Shark’s leader, Bernardo, at the dance that evening. He then plans to convince his
to read the plot for West Side Story and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Ensemble |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Ensemble |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
Songs
Act I
- *Prologue (Instrumental) – Jets and Sharks
- *Jet Song – Riff, Action, Baby John, A-Rab, Snowboy and Jets
- Something's Coming – Tony
- *Dance At The Gym (Instrumental) – Jets and Sharks
- Maria – Tony
- *America – Anita, Rosalia, Shark Girls
- Balcony Scene (Tonight)– Tony and Maria
- *Cool – Riff and Jets
- One Hand, One Heart – Tony and Maria
Act II
- *Tonight Quintet and Chorus – Anita, Tony, Maria, Bernardo, Riff, Jets and Sharks
- *The Rumble (Dance) – Jets and Sharks
- I Feel Pretty – Maria, Consuelo, Rosalia, Teresita, Francisca and Shark Girls
- *Somewhere – Company
- *Gee, Officer Krupke – Action, Snowboy, A-Rab, Diesel, Baby John and the Jets
- A Boy Like That/I Have A Love – Anita and Maria
- Finale – Tony and Maria
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
The lowest female vocal type, generally F3-F5.
The belief that equality and opportunity is available to any American.
The middle male vocal type, generally A2-A4.
The lowest male vocal type, generally E2-E4.
The script of a musical.
The sequence of steps and movements in dance, also the orchestrated and rehearsed movements for actors, based on the script.
A series of events in a performance or piece of literature that are a dream experienced by one of the characters.
References a singer who has what has been considered a more classical approach to singing.
A recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.
The script of the musical, separate from the musical orchestrations.
The middle female vocal type, generally A3-A5.
The arrangement of instrument parts, including piano, percussion, horns, and strings.
A group of five people performing together, generally associated with musical groups.
A set of the skills, devices, or subjects that an actor or company is prepared to perform.
The notation of music for the musical. There are several types of scores (detailed in the guide).
The highest female vocal type, generally C4-C6.
The highest male vocal type, generally C3-C5.
A sign, usually written as a fraction, that indicates the notation of the beats per measure or pattern of rhythm in music.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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