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What is the summary of West Side Story?

What is the summary of West Side Story?

A musical in which a modern day Romeo and Juliet are involved in New York street gangs. On the harsh streets of the upper west side, two gangs battle for control of the turf. The situation becomes complicated when a gang members falls in love with a rival’s sister.
West Side Story/Film synopsis

What is the historical significance of West Side Story?

Arguably, its greatest influence was in the theatricality of its presentation—the seamlessness and cinematic flow of its staging—and the integration of script, song, dance, and set. In its original Broadway run, West Side Story ran for 732 performances—a success, but not a smash hit.

Who kills Tony in West Side Story?

Chino
Tony – Shot by Chino as revenge for Bernardo’s death. Chino was later arrested by Officer Krupke.

Is there violence in West Side Story?

Parents need to know that West Side Story is an updated Romeo and Juliet story that explores race relations and immigration within a musical format. Street fighting and knifings are depicted, though some of the violence is lessened by the choreography.

Is West Side Story Based on a true story?

Story Sources. It is widely known that West Side Story (WSS) is based directly on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (R&J). Far less well known is the fact that Shakespeare based his play (1594) on other material, particularly a narrative poem by Arthur Brooke entitled The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562).

Why is it called West Side Story?

The simple answer to this question is that the west side in West Side Story is the west side of Manhattan. “At the time. that was kind of a dangerous neighborhood full of gangs,” said musical expert Steven Suskin. Bernstein suggested they could set the musical in L.A. and use Latin-tinged music.

Who falls in love with Maria in West Side Story?

Tony
The young protagonist, Tony, a former member of the Jets and best friend of the gang’s leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks.

What is the plot of West Side Story?

West Side Story is the award-winning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy, “Romeo and Juliet”. The feuding families become two warring New York City gangs- the white Jets led by Riff and the Puerto Rican Sharks, led by Bernardo. Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding.

What are the characters names in West Side Story?

The characters are: Romeo and Tony, Juliet and Maria, Mercutio and Riff, and Tybalt and Bernardo. These characters are alike, yet different. They have similar scenes, similar loves, and similar deaths. Throughout the movie of West Side Story, even more characters similar to the characters of Romeo and Juliet .

What are the names of the gangs in West Side Story?

West Side Story Background. In 1947, Jerome Robbins approached Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents about collaborating on a contemporary musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Synopsis. Characters Casts Musical numbers. Productions. Critical reaction. Score. Analysis of the book. Recordings.

What is a West Side Story?

West Side Story is a musical with book by Arthur Laurents , music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim . It was inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.