More than fifty years ago, a show about New York City changed musical theatre forever. Now, it's coming home to make history once again. This spring, WEST SIDE STORY returns to Broadway in a groundbreaking new production directed by its legendary librettist, Tony Award® winner Arthur Laurents.
From the first notes to the final breath, WEST SIDE STORY is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of all time. Mr. Laurents' book remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim -- a collection of standards that includes "Tonight," "America," "Maria," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere" -- is widely regarded as one of the best ever written. And the extraordinary, Tony-winning winning choreography by Jerome Robbins completely changed the language of Broadway dance. This production will offer a bold new design that builds on the show's raw power and emotion to create a fresh experience unlike any that came before it.
Don't miss this thrilling presentation of a matchless work of art.
The production is under the direction of Arthur Laurents, the man responsible for the musical's original book. He has done some tweaking of the star-crossed tale of Tony and Maria, but it still seems a little sketchy and slow, even with some surprising innovations. And its emotional impact is oddly muted. Not so those Robbins' dances, which grab you right from the show's Prologue and then explode periodically throughout the evening. One such detonation is the Dance at Gym when the rival gangs go head to head in a swirling, temperature-raising contest; another is 'America,' a high-kicking salute by the spirited Anita and the other Puerto Rican girls to their adopted country.
In this staging, there are notable improvements, starting with the danced Prologue, in which the Jets and Sharks seem more numerous and threatening than ever before. Similarly, the near- rape of Maria’s friend Anita is more realistically terrifying. Maria and the Latino girls who sing the comic song “I Feel Pretty” are shown doing things, such as nail polishing. Each gang member now has more of an individual personality.
1957 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1958 | West End |
London Production West End |
1959 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1960 | Broadway |
Return Engagement [Broadway] Broadway |
1964 | Broadway |
City Center Revival Broadway |
1968 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1980 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1991 | Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
Paper Mill Production Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
1992 | Regional (UK) |
Regional Revival Regional (UK) |
1998 | West End |
London Revival West End |
2006 | Houston, TX (Regional) |
Theatre Under the Stars Production Houston, TX (Regional) |
2009 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2010 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
2015 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
Signature Theatre Production Washington, DC (Regional) |
2018 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
National Symphony Orchestra Concert Revival Washington, DC (Regional) |
2018 | Regional (US) |
100th Birthday Celebration Revival Production Regional (US) |
2020 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Karen Olivo |
2009 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Karen Olivo |
2009 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musica | Pal Joey |
2009 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Matt Cavenaugh |
2009 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Josefina Scaglione |
2009 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Arthur Laurents |
2009 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Karen Olivo |
2009 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | 0 |
2009 | Theatre World Awards | Performance | Josefina Scaglione |
2009 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Howell Binkley |
2009 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Karen Olivo |
2009 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Josefina Scaglione |
Videos