Leonard Bernstein and West Side Story. “West Side Story Which Shakespearean play is the basis for the musical West Side Story

In two acts, fifteen scenes.
Play by A. Laurents, lyrics by S. Sondheim.

Characters:

"Rockets", American gang - Riff, leader; Tony, his friend; Arab, Little John, Blondie, Gunpowder, Ice, Tomboy, Grizzly; “rocket” girls - Graziella, Vilma, Rosalia; "sharks", Puerto Ricans - Bernardo, leader; Chino, his friend; Pepe; “sharks” girls - Maria, Bernardo’s sister; Anita, Bernardo's girlfriend; Teresita, Consuela; Lieutenant Schrenk, Sergeant Krapke - policemen; Madame Lucia; Doc; American girls, Puerto Rican girls, members of both gangs.

The story takes place in northwest Manhattan during the last days of summer.

In 1949, after the enormous success of the musical Kiss Me, Kate, Bernstein also decided to turn to Shakespeare's plot. He had long been attracted to Shakespeare's immortal tragedy Romeo and Juliet. However, unlike Porter, the composer did not strive to create “theater within a theater.” Nor did he want to simply set Shakespeare's text to music. After an unrealized version in the 50s and work on other works, Bernstein returned to his plan again in 1954-1955. He writes a work about modern Romeo and Juliet - Puerto Rican Maria and Polish-American Tony - victims of national and racial enmity, skillfully incited in the jungles of a “free” country.

The result was a strong and harsh play, boldly exposing the cruelty of modern America, calling for goodness and humanity.

West Side Story created a sensation on Broadway with its tragic plot and unusual concept. This is a musical and theatrical work in which the action is closely connected with music and all musical numbers - songs, ensembles, dances or instrumental episodes - are not of a divertissement nature, but follow from the essence of the events, appear strictly motivated, subordinate to the general musical and stage drama. . The abundance of choreographic scenes brings this work closer to ballet.

First action

First picture. "Street". Here there is a fight between “missiles” and “sharks” * (ballet scene). Schrenk and Krapke disperse the fighting, but at the same time add fuel to the fire, setting the American guys against the “coloreds.” The members of the "rocket" gang decide to assert their superiority at all costs. Their “anthem” sounds: “At dances we are more gorgeous than all the guys” with a simple melody and syncopated accompaniment.

Second picture. "Doc's Shop". Riff persuades the employee at Tony's store to return to the gang they once created together. But Tony refuses: he doesn't want to be a bandit anymore. With great difficulty, he agrees to come to the dance in the evening, but is afraid that he will have to pay dearly for this too.

Third picture. "Madame Lucia's Shop". Maria tries on a new dress. In it, she will go to dance today for the first time in a month of living in the States. Bernardo and Chino, who is considered the girl's fiancé, are delighted with her beauty.

Fourth picture. "Gym". All the boys in the area gathered here for the dance. The blues, mambo, cha-cha-cha sound. The dance director announces the “dance of friendship.” It should be danced by random couples: a guy with the girl against whom the music stopped him. Maria becomes Tony's partner. At first sight, love ignites in them. The music that accompanies their explanation sounds tender and fragile. Tony kisses Maria. Bernardo and Chino take her away. Riff has a hard time holding onto Tony. Tony's song "Maria" glorifies his beloved.

Fifth picture. "Balcony". Tony sings to Maria about his love. Their duet sounds like an enthusiastic hymn to a bright feeling. The young man begs the girl to come down to him even for a minute, but Maria is afraid. Her father is already calling out to her. Having agreed on a date, Tony runs away.

Sixth picture. "America". Puerto Ricans say bitterly that they are second-class citizens in America. Anita passionately proves that they still live better here than at home. A large, varied vocal and choreographic scene unfolds.

Second act

Seventh picture. "Doc's Shop". The "Rockets" have convened a "war council": a fight with the Puerto Ricans is brewing. The sharks enter. Riff and Bernardo, as leaders, begin negotiations. Tony proposes a fair fight, without weapons, between two of the best fighters. Bernardo accuses him of cowardice, but Tony does not succumb to any provocation (he is always accompanied by the melody of love, as if sounding in his soul). The appearance of Shrenk once again intensifies passions: he mocks the Puerto Ricans and drives them out.

Eighth picture. "Sewing workshop". Maria is happy, and her friends notice this. Madame Lucia lets the girls go home, but Maria stays: she has a date with Tony. And here he is. Tony tells his beloved that he has fulfilled her request: there will only be a fair fight between the two strongest. The girl has nothing to fear! But Maria, in fear, asks him to stop, to prevent a fight... And Tony promises her this. The lovers play out a touching scene of meeting their parents and getting engaged. The scene opens against the backdrop of the dance that accompanied their first meeting.

Ninth picture. "Now". "Rockets" and "sharks" are going to fight. A large, dramatically intense musical scene unfolds. A fight between Bernardo and Icy starts. Tony runs in and interrupts her. He wants to keep his word to Mary. Bernardo showers him with insults. Riff attacks him and falls dead. Tony kills Bernardo.

Third act

Tenth picture. "Mary's Bedroom". The carefree, pastoral musical scene of Maria and her friends is interrupted by Chino, who appears with terrible news. Maria doesn't believe him... But Tony enters. He's trying to justify himself. Maria must forgive him before he turns himself in to the police! Maria doesn't let him in: she loves him! The song “Somewhere on earth there is a place for us” sounds like a timid dream. She transitions into a dream ballet scene, which ends with Tony's phrase: “Give me your hand, and we will go to this life together.”

Eleventh picture. "Street". Arab and Little John cannot recover from a terrible event. If only yesterday could be returned...

Twelfth picture. "Garage". Almost all of them are “missiles”. They are confused: after all, no one wanted murders! But we need to agree on how to conduct the police. The song “Officer Krapke,” deliberately militant, with decisive marching intonations, satirically depicts the hated policeman. Tomboy appears with the news that Chino is planning to take revenge on Tony. We need to help out a friend. Everyone leaves to look for Tony.

Thirteenth picture. "Mary's Bedroom". Tony is with his beloved. Hearing a knock on the shit, he hides. Anita enters. Realizing who was here, she bitterly reproaches Maria. Another knock. This is Schrenk. He wants to interrogate the girl. Maria sends Anita to Doc to warn Tony.

Fourteenth picture. "Doc's Shop". The Rockets are waiting to see what happens next. Tony is hidden in the basement. Anita enters. She wants to see Tony, but the “rockets” don’t believe in her good intentions: she’s Bernardo’s girlfriend! The guys turn on the pianola. Under deliberately harsh sounds rushing from her, they shower the girl with ridicule and insults. And the furious Anita says: tell Tony that Chino found out the truth and killed Maria. Tony, who has gone upstairs, hears these words.

Fifteenth picture. "Street". Tony runs out of the shop in despair. He calls Chino loudly, he also wants to die. Maria responds to his voice. The lovers see each other, but it’s too late: Chino shoots Tony. “Missiles” and “sharks” come running from all sides. Maria takes the revolver from Chino and shoots herself. For the last time, as if fading away along with modern Romeo and Juliet, the melody of their dream of happiness (“Give me your hand”) sounds.

L. Mikheeva, A. Orelovich

How good it is for us in America!
We love living in America!
(Russian translation of the text of the musical "West Side Story")

2010 marked the 20th anniversary of the death of the outstanding American musician Leonard Bernstein(born August 25, 1918, Lawrence, died October 14, 1990, New York).

The composer's parents come from Rivne, now Ukraine. The musician’s father was already selling books in the United States; they say that his store has survived in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Oddly enough, he opposed his son’s music studies, but Leonard’s interest only grew over time. At Harvard University, he was already closely involved in special subjects. And his teachers were brilliant: pianist Isabella Afanasyevna Vengerova (born in Minsk) and conductor Sergei Koussevitzky (born in Vyshny Volochyok).

At the same university, Bernstein became friends with the famous American philosopher Donald Davidson, and since he himself was an excellent musician, together they enjoyed playing four hands (there is a special repertoire - works intended for performance in four hands, as well as most arrangements of large symphonic forms made for this kind of performance).

Later, Leonard Bernstein's life was devoted to conducting, composition, teaching, education and scientific work. His biography is well known; those who want to know the details or lovers of “fried facts” can quickly find the necessary material on the Internet.

Here we can cite several interesting and unusual facts that are important for understanding Bernstein’s contribution to world culture, even without taking into account the world-famous works he wrote. Together with the New York Philharmonic, he has participated in numerous recordings of Concerts for Young People, educational programs that are the oldest and longest-running in the world. In fact, these concerts continue to this day. And Bernstein’s fascinating lectures have also been published here.

Leonard Bernstein wrote the Mass in 1971. This mass was written as a theatrical and musical performance and was timed to coincide with the grand opening of the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington. The composer added texts in English to the Latin liturgical texts, and the influence of Jewish culture and elements of pop music and jazz are also visible here. In a word, the work turned out to be polystylized, unexpected and certainly not canonical. The Mass aroused sharp criticism from Catholic circles (and even from the FBI, but for other reasons - as an anti-war work), but not so long ago it was performed in the Vatican.

A fact that speaks of Bernstein's unconventional thinking is the recognition of his lectures at Harvard University as outstanding by the most famous modern philosopher, Noam Chomsky. (Avram Noam Chomsky, or Evrem Noam Chomsky, is the most widely read and most quoted philosopher in the world. There is probably no need to clarify that Chomsky’s parents also come from the Russian Empire).

Now let's talk and listen to one of the most famous and beautiful, in the most literal sense of the word, works by Leonard Bernstein - the musical "West Side Story".

"West Side Story", Romeo and Juliet

Two gangster groups in New York. This is not a problem, but the main problem is that they are at enmity. But this is not the point - these are not just warring factions, but also ethnically different. The Shark gang is from Puerto Rico. The leader of this gang has a sister, Maria (one of the most performed songs in the world is dedicated to her; this name is pronounced 29 times).

Tony falls in love with Maria - he is from the locals, a white American, a New York hard worker and the leader of the Rocket gang - also from the descendants of emigrants, but Europeans. Some emigrants (older) do not accept others (new - Latin American roots) well. I don’t want to divide spheres of influence on the western streets of New York. And then a sudden feeling intervenes in the already intense action - love... Such a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's play. This kind of story can only end in tragedy. That's how it ends.

Sophisticated dramaturgy, beautiful, sparkling choreography and amazingly beautiful music made “West Side Story” one of the most famous and performed musicals in the world. They even installed it in the USSR.

After the fantastic success of the musical, a film of the same name was released on Broadway, which received many awards, including an Oscar. This film ranks second on the American Film Institute's list of ratings.

Without Leonard Bernstein's music there would be no West Side Story. The theme was in the air, the plot was discussed and rewritten in different ways - this kind of musical play could appear in a different version. But she appeared in the best possible way - and the world was enriched by the music-celebration in the play-tragedy.

L. Bernstein musical "West Side Story"

Who among you is not familiar with the immortal masterpiece of William Shakespeare? The plot of the story has not lost popularity at all times, and in every city of every country you can meet your own Romeo and Juliet. This time, it formed the basis of the popular musical “West Side Story”.

Summary

The action takes place in New York's West Side, in which there were many emigrants from different countries, and of course various conflicts in such a situation were inevitable. Just imagine the streets of an American city in the 60s, in which various street gangs are trying to divide their spheres of influence. It is interesting to see how the musical exactly follows the original source: there are two warring clans, only these are youth groups of white immigrants and Puerto Ricans. And two young lovers - Tony and Maria, who are not destined to be together, despite their passionate feelings for each other. There’s even a dance party and a romantic scene on the balcony, but now it’s just a fire escape. Times change, so do props. As a result of a street skirmish, Tony dies, and Maria bitterly mourns her lost love. The plot is the same, only the ending is a little more spectacular.

Interesting Facts:

• Interestingly, according to the original idea, the modern “Montagues” and “Capulets” were supposed to be Jews and Catholics, however, Jerome Robbins (director) and Leonard Bernstein (composer) decided that these feuds had lost their relevance and switched attention to street gangs.
• The premiere of the musical was a great success and was well received by critics and the public. Now this performance is among the top three best musicals of all time. This is the merit of not only the legendary work of W. Shakespeare, but also the brilliant music of L. Bernstein.
• After success on Broadway, the play was filmed and was highly appreciated by various film awards, including 10 Oscars.
• The director of the first Broadway production, Jerome Robbins, did not allow the two groups of actors playing “Rockets” and “Sharks” to meet backstage, dine together and socialize outside the theater.
• Initially, according to Bernstein's idea, the musical was to be called “East Side Story” and tell about the enmity of Catholics with Jews. But over the 6 years during which the composer was looking for like-minded people, the situation in the country changed, and he chose a more pressing problem.
• An updated version of the musical appeared in 2009, and it was she who was able to win a Tony Award in the nomination for Best Supporting Actress. This production features new songs - partially translated into Spanish.
• The Russian production of “West Side Story” was presented at one of the Moscow theater venues in 2009, and at the same time received the “Musical Heart of the Theater” award.
• The famous Lincoln Center is currently being built on the location where the film based on West Side Story was filmed, namely between 61st and 110th Avenues. The slums shown in the film were demolished immediately after the end of the filming process.
• Popular singer Elvis Presley really wanted to take part in the filming of the movie musical “A West Side Story.” However, his producer felt that it would take too long and did not allow filming.
• Many songs from the musical have become independent popular compositions that music lovers around the world enjoy listening to.

Popular numbers:

Maria (listen)

I Feel Pretty (listen)

America (listen)

Mambo (listen)

History of creation

Many works of art have been created based on William Shakespeare’s immortal work “Romeo and Juliet,” and the plot described in the tragedy has inspired creative figures for new productions. Composer Leonard Bernstein also fell under the influence of Shakespeare's magic, and for several years nurtured the idea of ​​creating his own work based on the classic. In the end, he finally realized his dream, enlisting the support of other creative people. The script for the story was created by Arthur Laurents, the lyrics to the songs were written by Stephen Sondheim. The choreographer was Jerome Robbins. The authors adapted Shakespeare's drama to the realities of Manhattan in the 50s of the 20th century. At that time, there were many migrants from Latin America in New York, and inevitable clashes occurred between youth groups. The creators of the musical decided to tell about two of them - the “Sharks”, consisting of children of European emigrants, and the “Rockets” - young Puerto Ricans. Bernstein created unique musical works based on classical music, complemented by Latin American rhythms and notes of jazz. It is this score that gives the musical a special charm, immersing the audience in the atmosphere of America in the 50s.

The basis of the plot is the love of two young people belonging to warring companies, Tony and Maria. Some moments almost repeat the plot of Shakespeare: for example, the fact that Maria is the sister of the leader of the “Sharks”, who is killed by Tony in a fight. The feelings of young lovers are shown quite colorfully and expressively: Tony performs a night serenade for his beloved, and later she will even be able to turn a blind eye to the murder of her brother, just to be with her chosen one. At the cost of several lives, including the life of the main character, members of both companies understand the horror and senselessness of their enmity. The production highlights the difficult social problems of the time, and also shows elements of the daily life of the warring factions: fights, police raids, youth parties. The play exposed the cruelty of the artificially created confrontation, which did not make any sense, but as a result, young and quite promising people died.

Productions

“West Side Story” is a musical and theatrical production consisting of two acts with a total duration of 120 minutes (75 minutes for the first act, and 45 minutes for the second), and has been performed on stage more than 700 times. The story of modern Romeo and Juliet won the hearts of the public, and tickets for the musical are still sold out several months before the performance.

But recognition did not come to Bernstein and his colleagues immediately. After the premiere on September 26, 1957. on the stage of the Winter Garden Theater, the production received only positive reviews from journalists, while the audience received the performance rather neutrally. They did not receive the prestigious Tony Award that year, but their excellent choreography was especially noted.

The rise in popularity of the musical occurred after the first film based on this plot by Robert Wise. Since then, West Side Story has traveled around the world, both in its original version and as material for other productions. The musical is often staged at completely different theater venues - from small amateur stages to huge theaters with world fame. It should be noted that “West Side Story” was accepted even in the Soviet Union: in 1965 the play was translated into Russian, and in 1969 the premiere of a Russian-language musical under the direction of G. Tovstonogov took place in Leningrad. In 2007, the Novosibirsk Youth Theater "Globe" entered into a contract, according to which productions of the musical are prepared with the help of an American creative team, with the obligatory condition of preserving Robbins' original choreography.

Filmography

The plot of the musical turned out to be so understandable and interesting to Americans of that time that in 1961 director Robert Wise created a film adaptation of it. The film features original dance numbers choreographed by Jerome Robbins himself during filming, as well as music by Bernstein and songs by Sondheim. The filming of the musical film took place exactly where the story of Tony and Maria took place - in the West Side area of ​​Manhattan. The film received many prestigious awards, and is also considered the second most popular film musical created in America. In Russia, this version was shown in 1963 as part of the Moscow International Film Festival. There the film was presented out of competition. To ensure that no one made a copy, after the end of the showing of the next part, the film was immediately delivered to the embassy.

The plot of Shakespeare's classic play is eternal; it will always find responses in the hearts of people, remaining relevant at any time and in any country. Leonard Bernstein and his colleagues managed to create on its basis a completely new work, combining several types of art at once, which touched the hearts of the public no less than a classical drama. "West Side Story" successfully intertwines classical compositions with jazz and Latin American rhythms, giving it a special flavor and turning it into a real masterpiece. It is stunning with intense action, excellent acting, music and spectacular scenery.

Video: watch the musical "West Side Story"

Having decided to adapt Shakespeare's famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet for musical theater, choreographer and director Jerome Robbins, composer Leonard Bernstein and playwright Arthur Laurents wanted to make a modern Romeo and Juliet a Jewish boy and an Italian Catholic woman, separated by social and religious prejudices . The musical was to be called East Side Story. Due to other plans, the project was postponed and then completely buried. Returning six years later to his plan, Bernstein decided to entrust the writing of the lyrics to the then almost unknown librettist Stephen Sondheim.

By that time, the Catholic-Jewish feud had lost its relevance; the newspapers were full of stories about gangs of young Latinos. Laurents and Bernstein convinced Robbins to move the action to the eastern part of Manhattan and build the plot on the rivalry between the descendants of white immigrants - Poles, Italians, Germans - and immigrants from Puerto Rico.

By 1956, the authors had truly innovative material in their hands, full of realism and deep drama. Shortly before the start of rehearsals, it turned out that investors were not ready for experiments - no one wanted to give a penny for the production. Producers Harold Prince and Robert Griffith came to the rescue. They helped overcome financial difficulties, coped with Robbins' whims and did everything to ensure that not a single day of the two months allocated for rehearsals was wasted.

West Side Story premiered on September 26, 1957, at the Winter Garden Theatre. In total, the performance was shown 732 times. Starring Carol Lawrence, Larry Kert and Chita Rivera. Reviews from the press were generally positive, but when it came time for the Tony Awards, the show, which had two characters die at the end of the first act and one at the end of the second, lost out in nearly every major category to Meredith Willson's buoyant and sentimental musical. Music Seller" (The Music Man), except for one - "Best Choreography", which went to Robbins. Bernstein's score, which intertwines classical music with jazz and Latin rhythms, has remained underappreciated. Only in 1961, after the release of the film adaptation by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, the musical gained cult status. The film stars Richard Beymer, Natalie Wood, George Chakiris and Rita Moreno. The film received 10 Oscars, two of which went to Wise and Robbins, as well as a Grammy for best soundtrack.

In 2009, the revival of the musical, staged on Broadway by 91-year-old Laurents, was nominated for several Tony Awards, winning one for Best Supporting Actress. It was awarded to actress Karen Olivo for her role as Anita. In addition to classical dances from Jerome Robbins, this production is notable for the fact that the libretto was partially translated into Spanish. This work was performed by composer and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The plot of the musical repeats the main conflicts of Shakespeare's source material.

In New York's West Side, populated by immigrants from different countries, two youth groups - the descendants of white immigrants, the Jets, and the Puerto Ricans, the Sharks - are fighting for control of the neighborhoods. Police break up another fight (Prologue). Law enforcement officers Lieutenant Schrank and Sergeant Krupke demand that the youth stop fighting and pursue the Sharks.

The Rockets intend to finally secure control over the streets of the West Side. To do this, they decide to provoke a fight with the Sharks. Rocket leader Riff plans to challenge Puerto Rican leader Bernardo at a dance party. Riff wants his friend and former gang member Tony to join him, but not all of his comrades are confident in Tony's (Jet Song) loyalty.

Riff visits Tony at Doc's pharmacy where he works. To support his friend, Tony agrees to come to the dance, but he does not connect his future with the gang - the young man lives with a premonition that his life will soon change (Something’s Coming).

Bernardo's sister Maria works in a wedding dress store with Anita, her brother's lover. Maria's family has already found a groom for the girl - Chino. Maria just recently arrived from Puerto Rico, and, like Tony, dreams of a bright future. Anita is sewing a dress for her friend that she could wear to the dance.

At the party, the young people continue to sort things out, this time with the help of dance (Mambo). Tony and Maria, located in opposite corners of the hall, notice each other and cannot look away. They dance, and the tense atmosphere of the evening fades into the background, giving way to the love that has arisen between Tony and Maria. An enraged Bernardo pulls Maria away from Tony and sends her home. Riff and Bernardo arrange to meet on neutral territory - at Doc's pharmacy - to hold a council of war.

Overcome with emotions, Tony searches for Maria's house and serenades the girl (Maria). The lovers meet on the fire escape and reveal their feelings to each other (Tonight). Meanwhile, Anita and her friends discuss their American life, comparing it to what they left behind in Puerto Rico (America).

The Rockets are looking forward to seeing the Sharks at Doc's candy store. They let off steam in a dance full of aggression (Cool). The Sharks arrive and a discussion begins about the weapons that will be used in the fight. Tony proposes a “fair fight” in which the opponents will sort things out hand-to-hand. The gang leaders agree. Bernardo is going to fight with Tony, but he gets another opponent - Diesel.

Lieutenant Schrank tries unsuccessfully to determine where the next skirmish will take place. Tony tells Doc about Maria. Doc is worried about the young people, but Tony is convinced that everything will be fine...

Tony comes to the bridal salon where Maria works. Someday they will get married - the lovers dream (One Hand, One Heart). Maria asks Tony to stop the fight and he agrees.

Tony, Maria, Anita, Bernardo, Reef and the gang members are looking forward to the evening, which will be decisive for everyone (Tonight Quintet).

Tony arrives at the scene of the fight and tries to stop it. Bernardo makes fun of him and engages him in a fight. Riff rushes to help his friend. Bernardo grabs a knife - but Reef also has a weapon with him (The Rumble).

Tony begs his friend to back off, but Riff doesn't listen. At the most tense moment, when he has almost reached Bernardo, Tony intervenes in the fight again and Bernardo stabs Riff. In a fit of rage, Tony kills the leader of the Puerto Ricans. Gang members attack each other. You can hear the howl of sirens - it's the police. Everyone rushes away except Tony, who can't come to his senses after what he just did. He is taken away by a teenage girl named Anybody, who dreams of becoming "Rocket". Only the bodies of Riff and Bernardo remind us of the fight.

In her room, Maria dreams of meeting Tony. She shares her feelings with her friends Francisca (I Feel Pretty). Chino brings bad news - Tony killed Bernardo. Maria prays that this turns out to be a mistake. Tony comes to his beloved. Maria is overwhelmed with anger - she rushes at Tony with her fists, but he calms the girl down. They decide to run away together. After all, somewhere there is a place where they can hide from the horrors of life (Somewhere).

The “Rockets” cannot recover after the death of their leader. They believe that it is the adults who are to blame for what they have become (Gee, Officer Krupke). Anybody talks about Chino's plan to find and shoot Tony. The Rockets go looking for Tony to protect him.

Anita, mourning the death of her lover, comes to Mary. There she almost runs into Tony, who arranges for Maria to meet at Doc's to leave the country together. Anita is horrified that Maria is dating her brother's killer (A Boy Like That). Maria passionately replies that she cannot resist love (I Have a Love), and Anita realizes that her friend’s love for Tony is not inferior in strength to her own feeling for Bernardo. She warns Maria that Chino has a gun and has vowed to find Tony.

Lieutenant Schrank comes to question Maria, and she begs Anita to go to Doc and ask Tony to wait. However, Anita runs into "Rocket" at Doc's store. They insult the Puerto Rican woman and then attack her. Luckily, Doc appears and prevents the violence. A tearful Anita tells the Rockets that Bernardo was right about them and adds that Chino found out that Maria was dating Tony and killed her.

Doc relays the sad news to Tony. Now that he has nothing left to live, Tony goes in search of Chino so that he can kill him too. However, he finds Maria alive and unharmed. The lovers' meeting does not last long - Chino appears and shoots Tony. The young man dies in Mary's arms (Somewhere-Reprise). Enraged by the death of their friend, the Rockets advance on the Sharks. Maria, who has Chino's gun in her hands, blames the gang members for the fact that their hatred destroyed Tony. She points the gun at the warring parties, but is unable to pull the trigger... “Sharks” and “Rockets” finally realize that the conflict has come to an end. Together they carry Tony's body away. Schrenk and Krupke take Chino away. Sitting on the ground, Mary mourns her love.

"West Side Story" is one of the few Broadway musicals translated into Russian back in Soviet times. In 1965, in the production of the Moscow Operetta Theater, the main role was played by Tatyana Shmyga. In 1969 the musical was staged
G. Tovstonogov on the stage of the Leningrad Theater named after the Lenin Komsomol. Since 2007, the play has been staged in Russia legally. After difficult negotiations that lasted more than a year, the Novosibirsk Academic Youth Theater "Globus" was able to acquire a license, according to which the Russian side was obliged not only to pay the usual interest on fees in such cases, but also to invite an American director, musical director and choreographer, and also to retain original choreography by Jerome Robbins.

The Novosibirsk performance was created with the direct participation of a creative team from America - musical director Keith Clark, director Greg Ganakas and choreographer Mark Esposito. In 2009, the performance was awarded the “Musical Heart of the Theater” award in the categories “Best Performer in a Supporting Role” (Yulia Churakova, Anita) and “Best Conductor” (Alexey Lyudmilin), and was shown to the Moscow public on stage from June 29 to July 3 MDM. The role of Maria was performed by the star of musicals of the Stage Entertainment theater company Natalia Bystrova.

Feature film (Oscar and Golden Globe awards).

Other name: " West Side Story"(variant spelling of the translation of the name).

Duration 153 minutes.

Directed by Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins (Oscar Award and Golden Globe nomination).

Composers Leonard Bernstein, Irwin Costal (uncredited); Oscar Award for Best Music and Grammy Award for Best Album to Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin, Irwin Costal.

Cinematographer Daniel L. Fapp (Oscar Award).

Also receiving Oscars were: Boris Levin, Victor E. Gangelin (production design), Irene Sharaff (costume designer), Fred Hines (Todd-AO SSD) and Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD) for best sound.

Genre: crime film, drama, musical, melodrama, thriller

Summary
West Side, Manhattan, New York. Summer of 1957. Riff (Russ Tamblyn), leader of the Rocket gang ( Jets), tired of constant clashes with the “Shark” gang ( Sharks), consisting of Puerto Rican immigrants, led by Bernardo (George Chakiris, Oscar and Golden Globe awards; Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer). In the evening, at a disco, it was decided to agree with the worst enemies on the place and time of the decisive fight. Riff persuades Tony (Richard Beymer, Golden Globe nominated, also nominated in the Most Promising Newcomer category) to come with them, who was once at the origins of the gang, but has recently been trying to live an ordinary life, working in Doc's store (Ned Glass). Also going to the dance is Maria (Natalie Wood), Bernardo's sister, who recently arrived in the United States. A guy and a girl fall in love with each other at first sight...

Also starring: Rita Moreno (Anita, Oscar and Golden Globe Awards), Simon Oakland (Schrank), William Bramley (Krupke), Tucker Smith (Ice), Tony Mordente (Action), David Winter (A-Slave) ), Eliot Feld (Baby John), Bert Michaels (Snowboy), David Bean (Tiger), Robert Banas (Joyboy), Gus Trikonis (Indio), Nick Navarro (Toro, credited as Nick Covacevich).

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