West Side Story is a musical written by Arthur Laurents (book), Leonard Bernstein (music), and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), and was originally produced, choreographed, and directed by Jerome Robbins. West Side Story debuted on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theater on September 26, 1957 and played 732 performances before going on tour - a very successful run for the time.
The plot is loosely adapted from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, in that the best friend of a gang leader falls in love with the relative of a rival gang's leader.
The dark theme, sophisticated music, and focus on social problems marked a turning point in English language musical theater, which had previously (with rare exceptions) tended toward light and fluffy themes. West Side Story is still produced frequently by local theaters and is occasionally produced by classical opera companies.
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All-Reviews.com: West Side Story - Review of the movie by Brian Koller.
Meta Description: [ Review of the movie West Side Story, starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer and directed by Robert Wise ]
Allwatchers: West Side Story - Checklist-style 'review' of the film.
Meta Description: [ Movie review site filled with extremely detailed description of plots, settings, characters, and themes. ]
Apollo Movie Guide: West Side Story - Review by Brian Webster, links, cast information.
Greatest Films: West Side Story (1961) - Detailed review, synopsis and discussion of the film.
IMDb: West Side Story - Cast and credits, plus links.
Meta Description: [ West Side Story - Cast, Crew, Reviews, Plot Summary, Comments, Discussion, Taglines, Trailers, Posters, Photos, Showtimes, Link to Official Site, Fan Sites ]
TV Guide Online: West Side Story - Review, cast, and crew.
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