Rather than stock musicaltheater characters, the story foregrounded rival gang members wearing dirty blue jeans who lurked on street corners. Essay about analysis of west side story 1161 words. She falls in love with tony and finds herself at the center of the violent conflict between the two gangs. Maria is the leading female character in the 1957 stage play and 1961 film west side story. West side story musical by bernstein and sondheim and. Get an answer for in cool from west side story, where is there evidence of the characters struggling. West side story characters quiz stats by mvmiller7459.
Setting compare and contrast plot the book west side story takes place on the west side of new york city in the 1950s. Can you name the west side story characters see results from the west side story characters quiz on sporcle, the best trivia site on the internet. West side story synopsis west side story songs main page. West side story tells a story of how tony a polish america who used to lead the local gang, the jets and maria a puerto rican teen part of the rivaling gang find love despite their backgrounds and public opinions. To ask other readers questions about west side story, please sign up. Things look good for the young lovers in the beginning, but when tonymuch like romeoaccidentally kills his lovers brother while trying to break up a rumble, violence erupts. A west side story egy musical arthur laurents konyve alapjan. West side story simple english wikipedia, the free. West side story 410 movie clip america 1961 hd youtube. This play places the romeo and juliet story in a new york gangwarfare context. West side story was first presented at the winter garden, new york city, september 26, 1957, and at her majestys theatre, london, on december 12, 1958 with the following cast. The musical is a 20thcentury american adaptation of the shakespearean tale of romeo and juliet. I honestly liked this book because it was a quick read with a good plot. West side story character listing staples players blog.
West side story summary and study guide supersummary. Rival street gangs engage in relatively harmless activities until one fight spells tragedy for two young lovers. Meanwhile, laurents had written a new draft of the book changing the characters backgrounds. Shulman also wrote the original treatment for rebel without a cause, the film that shot james dean to stardom. In this movie music plays an important role to recreate different latin american identities through characters as maria natalie wood or anita rita moreno.
It is primarily a condensation of the growing rivalry between two teenage games, the jets and the. Peter n the song america is sung by the puerto rican sharks. It is based on shakespeares play, romeo and juliet. On the other hand, in the rise and fall of the broadway musical, mark grant concentrates on the growth of the musical in light of changes in technology and music, and in writing the book and lyrics. Baby john, portrayed as feminine, sensitive, and unwilling to assault anita, was coded as gay. West side story characters breakdowns including full descriptions with standard casting requirements and expert analysis. It was inspired by william shakespeares play romeo and juliet. Irving shulman 191995 was a novelist and screenwriter, known for his depictions of urban life. Jul 30, 20 west side story won an almostrecord ten oscars, including best picture, supporting awards to chakiris and rita moreno as bernardos girlfriend, anita, and best director to robbins and wise.
The musical numbers in the film and the different musical styles associated to these two characters with the. Murphy 7 december 2006 west side story chapter 3 in this chapter, anita is making the dress for maria. West side story chapter 3 big trouble in this chapter. West side story by jonathan retartha and ryan retartha rarely in pop culture is a remake of a classic work able to become a classic of its own.
He has a girlfriend, anita, who maria is friends with and. But we do admit a certain sympathy for bernardo, who we see in the beginning as getting hassled by the jets for no reason. This series of contemporary plays includes structured gcse assignments for use by individuals or groups. Join stageagent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities.
West side story was originally about jews and catholics history. West side story remains true to its shakespearean model. Immediately download the west side story summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for. Riff the leader george chakiris tony his friend don mckay action eddie roll arab tony mordente baby john ed verso snowboy. Her older brother bernardo is the leader of the puerto rican gang, the sharks. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and.
Both plays show the cause and effect of the unnecessary feud between two groups of people, which in return are given death. West side story plot summary, character breakdowns, context and analysis, and performance video clips. If youre in the mood for a timeless love story, listen to west side story. Immediately download the west side story summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching west side story. Davison has ingeniously recreated prelincoln center west side slums from rooftop to street level using little more than a single set that also manages to accommodate marias familys apartment in. Maria is based on shakespeares juliet, who falls in love with romeo after their first encounter, just as maria does with tony, amid two feuding families, who are echoed by the rival gangs in west side story. In different productions it is assigned to different characters in our production it will be auditioned and assigned as unconnected to any other role. Books similar to west side story goodreads share book. Tony the best friend of riff and former jet leader who has turned to an honest life. West side story won an almostrecord ten oscars, including best picture, supporting awards to chakiris and rita moreno as bernardos girlfriend, anita, and best director to robbins and wise. One of the only exceptions is west side story, which brings its special twist of shakespeares romeo and juliet to washington hall this week. 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, theatre music by american composer leonard bernstein that premiered august 19, 1957, in washington, d.
It is primarily a condensation of the growing rivalry between two teenage games, the. Find books like west side story from the worlds largest community of readers. The story focuses on two gangs vying for control of the streets. West side story script broadway musical act i scene one 5. They are getting ready for the party thats in a few hours. In the midst of the deepseated 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. Ice was a character created for the movie, but has been adopted in later stage productions. In looking at the story, we will also examine the songs and characters and learn a bit about. The action takes place on the west side of new york city. West side story began on the broadway stage and was immediately recognized as one of the most creative musical productions of the 20th century. Tony finds himself violently torn between his friendships and love. In this lesson, we will explore west side story, a musical written by composer leonard bernstein. West side story looks the way youve always imagined it should, but that will no doubt suit most of its audience just fine.
Who are the main characters and who played them in the movie. A zenejet leonard bernstein szerezte, a szoveget pedig stephen sondheim irta. Jets and sharks alike get to own what goes down in west side story. I feel there were a lot of untold stories within the framework of west side story. West side story 1961 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. In my book club we took the comparison between this and the outsides. West side story characters learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. Crazy to think that what happens takes place in that time frame. The girls who sing in this song are singing about how much they hate puerto rico and love america. West side story characters test flashcards quizlet. West side story addresses the tension between established white youths like the jets, a gang that laurents dubs an anthology of what is called american, and puerto rican teenagers who represent a new wave of immigrants laurents, et al, west side story, p.
West side story by irving shulman, 1967, pocket books edition, in english. The scenes in the book mostly take place at a drugstore, a playground and on the streets. On the contrary, the boys are singing about wanting to go back to puerto rico. Hes walking along, minding his own business, and the jets skunk him. West side story character descriptions jets and sharks. West side story simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Swain spend an entire chapter on the analysis of west side story. West side story cast members share what theyre up to now it was the holiday season of 1961, and everyone was racing to the see the newest picture show called west side story, a story of love across boundaries. When west side story opened on broadway in 1957, it was a new kind of musical. It was inspired by william shakespeares play romeo and juliet the story is set in the upper west side neighborhood in new york city in the mid 1950s, a multiracial, bluecollar neighborhood. West side other story chapter 1 melanie1982 west side. These include questions which involve close reading, writing and discussion. Like the outsiders, west side story is a story about two rival gangs, and has a body count of three. West side story fanfiction archive with over 200 stories.
West side story came out in 1961, and remains celebrated and remembered to this day. Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like immigration, xenophobia, and american national identity and love versus hate. The musical explores the rivalry between the jets and the sharks, two teenage. Action a jet who is always alert and loves to fight. Anita is marias friend and, so far, has nothing to do with the plot. How do i get started on researching more information about west side story. West side story, american musical film, released in 1961, that was inspired by shakespeares romeo and juliet. Five fast facts winner of 10 academy awards soundtrack was no 1 on the billboard charts for 54 weeks 94% on rotten tomatoes based on romeo and juliet, which is based on a poem by arthur brooke called the tragic historye of romeus and juliet, which is based on a poem by the roman poet ovid called pyramus and thisbe. George chakiris and simon oakland in west side story 1961 west side story 1961. A classical story with a modern setting, it still stands as one of the major contributions of the american theater. Ernest lehman screenplay, arthur laurents book 1 more credit. Goodreads members who liked west side story also liked. May 23, 2011 in different productions it is assigned to different characters in our production it will be auditioned and assigned as unconnected to any other role. Inspired by the timeless story of romeo and juliet, west side story takes shakespeares starcrossed lovers, and places them in the vibrant battleground of new york citys west side in the 1950s.
After owning their miserable little neighborhood for years, the jets, the fingersnapping street gang led by riff russ tamblyn, find themselves in a turf war with the upstart puerto rican sharks, led by bernardo george chakiris. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. West side story cast members share what theyre up to now. Plot summary for west side story 1961, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Five fast facts winner of 10 academy awards soundtrack was no 1 on the billboard charts for 54 weeks 94% on rotten tomatoes based on romeo and juliet, which is based on a poem by arthur brooke called the tragic historye of romeus and juliet, which is based on a poem by the roman poet ovid called pyramus and thisbe actors worked over 16. Glowing, driving, intelligent, slightly wacky leader of the jets. A musical set on the west side of new york city around 1957. We are looking for cast members who, on stage, read agewise from the late teens to the mid twenties. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim. In west side story story, there are two many characters they are tony and maria.
Very interesting to compare contrast on that side of the. Tony a romantic young man and former leader of the jets, he has found a new lifestyle now. The stories are very similar, but west side story has an irresistible urban appeal, an appeal that has been capturing audiences and listeners for many decades. The music was composed by leonard bernstein, and the lyrics were written by stephen sondheim. At the time, the phrase broadway musical was synonymous. It starred carol lawrence as maria west side story opened on broadway at the winter garden theatre on 26 september 1957, and on the west end at her majestys theatre on 12.
West side story west side story is a musical retelling of shakespeares romeo and juliet, which is reset on the streets of new york background book, 2009. West side story 1961 film study guide contains a biography of robert wise, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Handsome, sandyhaired polish, older teenager, who has outgrown the jets. The takeaway, then, for latinas, is to heed our families advice and stay within our culture. West side story chapter 3 big trouble in this chapter maria.
West side story by irving shulman goodreads share book. It more closely follows the type of storyline of romeo and juliet, however, though at the end juliets counterpart, maria, survives, and romeos tony does not commit suicide, but is killed by. Listening to the gender identity in audio visual media. Its success as a motion picture was equally spectacular. Maria is a teenage girl who has moved to the upper west side of new york city from puerto rico.
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