There have been several moments in theatre that seems to whitewash the ethnic characters. West Side Story is one of those musicals. West Side Story is a loose musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The twist is that it’s set in 1950s New York‚ with the plot set around youth street gangs entangled in a racially charged conflict over their “territory” in the lower West Side of Manhattan. There is the Puerto Rican “Sharks” led by Bernardo‚ who has recently brought his family‚ including
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America (West Side Story) Introduction This document is the lyrics of the song America extracts from the movie West Side Story. This movie is a musical directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise in 1961. It sets in NY in the 50’s. It deals with a confrontation between two rival gangs : the Jets (american) and the Sharks (Portorican). It also deals with a love story between Tony and Maria. Their love story is based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as the two lovers belong to different groups
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West Side Story is the modern take on the well-known William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette‚where Tony and Maria replaced Romeo and Juliette and 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 member falls in love with a rival’s sister.Jerome Robbins(Director and choreographer)‚ Arthur Laurents(Author) and Leonard Bernstein(Composer) came together with the idea to write a
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The musical direction and sound design in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s production of West Side Story contributed to its success and excellence. The musical director of this production is Steve MacKinnon‚ and the sound designer is Craig Beyrooti. The production contained a live orchestra on stage for the music. The music reflected the tone of the scene and the play. As I walked into the theater‚ I was greeted by the sound of old Jazz that in some moments turned into suspenseful music. This music
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“I feel pretty. Oh‚ so pretty‚ I feel pretty and witty and gay. And I pity any girl who isn’t me tonight”. One of the most popular songs from the world wide successful musical West Side Story. The book was written by Arthur Laurents. Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and Music by Leonard Bernstein. The star Maria who moved from Puerto Rico to live in New York wasn’t feeling pretty all the time. It was a temporary joy when she decided to love the American sharks gang member Tony. Her love lead to many major
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Love and Lust are two different things with regards to relationships. Love is when two people like something about each other‚ but having a desire for someone is called Lust. In the book "West Side Story" by Stephen Sondheim‚ two people from different gangs think they love each other‚ but from my point of view‚ they are just attracted to each other. They don’t show true love because they keep on thinking about their looks and they showed desire towards each other. First of all‚ true love is when
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ROMEO AND JULIET COMPARISON IN THEMES • The overriding theme‚ of course‚ between the two stories – Romeo and Juliet and The West Side Story is love – deep‚ intense and passionate love that defies friendship‚ family and everything in between. This point is reinforced when Maria later disregards the death of her brother‚ Bernardo‚ at the hands of Tony and agrees to marry him‚ consummation sealing the deal. • In the original play‚ Romeo is a pre-buscent teen‚ portrayed as a romantic‚ yet
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Romeo & Juliet vs. West Side Story What would Romeo and Juliet be like if Juliet hadn’t died? What if Paris killed Romeo‚ instead of vice versa? What if instead of occurring several centuries ago‚ it took place on the streets of New York City during the 1950s‚ with a bunch of fresh-faced youths posing as street toughs and dancing and singing their hearts out? Well‚ just take a look at West Side Story‚ and you will have your answers. It is impossible for anyone familiar with both texts to not
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West Side Story written by Arthur Laurents is actually a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The West Side Story is set in Upper West Side Manhattan. It is about rivalry between two teenage gangs of different backgrounds. Anton‚ a member of the white gang‚ fell in love with Maria‚ the sister of the leader of the rival Puerto Rican gang. Romeo and Juliet is undoubtedly the most popular romantic love story to ever hit the literary world. It talks about intense passion between the
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differences of West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet‚ the modern director captures Shakespeare’s original themes and ideas in West Side Story. Because West Side Story is a movie musical‚ it will be a lot of narrative conveyed through the song. While in the Romeo and Juliet we will be more find the characters says to himself or herself using poetic words of Shakespeare. That is the general differences that clearly visible on both movies. But if we examine in more detail‚ the movie West Side Story and Romeo
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