I am a musical enthusiast. I adore the big production numbers that go on for ten minutes and involve complicated dance routines and the belting of orchestration music vocally and alone. I am mesmerized by how a show will be in the middle of a dialogue or monologue and then high jump into the dozen background dancers and singers for a rollicking scenario that goes crazy with emotions…then breathes a millisecond beat before returning to the original actor on stage. Extraordinary. The music pushes and guides the story forward, allowing the audience to be swept away by the location, costumes, lighting, movement, and sound. There is nothing in the world that compares.
I have directed over thirty high school musicals. I can’t think of a better use of my time and energy. I remember the exact moment I seriously considered wanting to put together a musical on a stage. I was eleven. I sat in a darkened movie theater and was transported back to New York. I experienced what it must feel like to be an immigrant in America. I watched a group of teenagers being put down and considered less than because of their differences. I saw the hope and longing to belong. I fell in love with the idea of crossing the barriers of skin color. The white or brown tones should not determine who a person loves. It was no different than the age-old story of ROMEO AND JULIET. “What is in a name?” What does it matter where someone was born? Love is love. There should not be borders filled with ignorant hatred for what is misunderstood.
I can still see myself listening and watching the screen and those around me in the movie theater. People were laughing, crying, tapping their toes, or snapping their fingers in unison. It was powerful. This was a revelation to me. A seed was planted that day. I wanted to be the one who could move people to think, smile, shed a tear, and remember.
There’s a reason ten Oscars (including Best Picture) were awarded in 1961 for the magnificent WEST SIDE STORY. It was fashioned after the original Broadway play, which ran for over two years and over 700 performances. WEST SIDE STORY was directed by Jerome Robbins (THE KING AND I and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) and Robert Wise (THE SOUND OF MUSIC). It was written by Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents, and Ernest Lehman. The music was composed by the incomparable Leonard Bernstein. The brilliant choreographer was Jerome Robbins. This is how dreams become reality through the genius of this caliber of a production team. It was unheard of and groundbreaking. It still holds the record for most Oscars won, including only eight other historical musicals in this illustrious category.
WEST SIDE STORY projected the mentality of hoodlum gangs such as the Jets (American-born) vs. the Sharks (Puerto Rican). Turf or being in control of your city block or neighborhood was everything. There was no getting around the saying, “Once an immigrant, always an immigrant.” These young, foolish boys thought fighting was the answer. There had to be a rumble, and it mirrored Shakespeare’s tragic tale. We humans don’t learn lessons from our past very well. Art imitates life down through every century… still today.
Natalie Wood played the stunning Maria, who fell in love with Tony (Richard Beymer). They were doomed from the moment their eyes locked on each other at a dance held in the neutral gymnasium. The cinematography was amazing, blocking out everyone else who was dancing around them. They were highlighted in white light as they had each other’s gaze. It was love at first sight, and it was innocently wondrous.
Both Natalie and Richard’s singing voices were dubbed. Those were the days when we would accept these choices. Natalie’s make-up was thick and darker in color. Hundreds of make-up tubes were used to adjust the discrepancies among the whites and Puerto Ricans. Natalie Wood was an A-list star. This was Hollywood in the early ’60s and for years after. Discrimination in casting was rampant. But even so, audiences believed Maria and Tony were who they were. We listened passionately as they sang the iconic songs TONIGHT, ONE HAND ONE HEART, and THERE’S A PLACE FOR US. We wanted to believe they could make it. Stunning performances.
Rita Moreno as Anita was breathtaking. Her dance number to I LIKE TO BE IN AMERICA immortalized her acting, singing, dancing, and comedic skills. Her frustrating, heart-wrenching song A BOY LIKE THAT took audiences to the depths of despair. George Chakiris as Bernardo and Russ Tamblyn as Riff were spectacular. Their fight scenes left nothing on the floor to be desired.
All the dancers constantly got shin splints from dancing on concrete and rubble. Their costumes had to be specially made to endure the extreme choreography. Pants were continually split, and over 200 dancer shoes were needed to complete the grueling routines. This was so evident in the huge fight and the wildly creative aftermath number, COOL.
The music and orchestration in WEST SIDE STORY was phenomenal. Bernstein struck chords that can only be labeled as sheer perfection. The sharp, staccato notes and finger snapping hit inside our souls. The magic of dancing to his beats holds audiences in awe. Whenever I hear MAMBO, I want to get up and move with delight and abandonment. I must also mention how commanding the silent pauses were. Who knew whistling could invoke intense anticipation of what was to come? Bernstein’s score will live forever.
WEST SIDE STORY is a legendary musical classic. It is more than just a group of singers, dancers, and an orchestra playing in the background. It has content. The sad story pushes forward, never stopping to change the reality of how brutal life can be for the poor and the immigrant. The film isn’t afraid to show the senseless tragedy of hatred. Yet, in between those layers are what gives meaning to our lives. These are moments that every human yearns for…finding love and being loved, the fleeting seconds of laughter, joy, happiness, and friendship. Being alive is fragile because we never know when “something’s coming” just around the corner. For me, around the corner changed the trajectory of my life forever.
WEST SIDE STORY is streaming on TCM.
Check out Esta’s video review here!
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