From the first note to the last breath, West Side Story is one of the most important and representative musicals of universal theater. The score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim is unanimously recognized as one of the best in the history of musicals. Arthur Laurens ' text remains as poignant and current as it was on day one, and Jerome Robbins ' original choreography has a place of honor in contemporary dance legend. Hand in hand with him, the greatest love story takes to the streets of New York to become one of the milestones of musical theater of all time.
In West Side Story , Arthur Laurens transports Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to New York City, where two young lovers find themselves caught up in a clash between two street gangs: the "American" Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. His struggle to survive in an environment of hate, violence and prejudice shapes one of the most exciting, beautiful and relevant stories in musical theater.
The greatest musical of all time
In all categories, formats and forms of artistic expression, West Side Story represents the artistic and commercial excellence that enshrines it as "the greatest musical of all time". Performed non-stop around the world since its premiere in 1957, West Side Story has garnered every award in musical theater throughout its many revivals and revivals.
The film version, winner in 10 categories of the Oscars, holds the record as the film with the most awards from the Academy in the history of musical cinema and the fourth in all categories, having been chosen by the United States Library of Congress. for its conservation by the National Film Archive, for its cultural, historical and aesthetic relevance.
Its soundtrack is the recording that has spent the most weeks at number 1 on the list of best-selling albums throughout history (Billboard, 54 weeks, followed by Michael Jackson, with Thriller, 37 weeks), with legendary songs such as “María” , “América” or “Tonight” , among others.
Leonard Bernstein Centenary
Born in 1918 in Lawrence, Massachusetts and died in New York in 1990, Leonard Bernstein stands as one of the great icons of 20th century music . He was America's first 'superstar' bandleader. In addition to his work, which took him to the world's leading orchestras and allowed him to collaborate with the most famous soloists, he also composed for concerts, ballets, theater and cinema. He specialized in jazz and contemporary music, with instrumental compositions as successful as his vocal pieces. His best known works are Fancy Free (1944), On the Town (1944), Peter Pan (1950), Trouble in Tahiti (1952), Wonderful Town(1952), Candide (1956), West Side Story (1957) , Chichester Psalms (1965), 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (1976), and A Quiet Place (1983).
To celebrate the event, on September 22, 2017, the Leonard Bernstein At 100 space was inaugurated at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington DC) , to promote and coordinate the worldwide celebration of the centennial that will last until on August 25 of this same year 2019. By the end of these two years of celebration, more than 2,000 events will have been held on six continents to commemorate his work as a composer, director, educator and activist/philanthropist and to present his work to new generations. In the new millennium, his legacy resonates more than ever and in this context of worldwide tribute the premiere of this great production of West Side Story is framedwhich stops this summer at the Arriaga Theater. As the stage director of this show, Federico Barrios, says, “ West Side Story is not a tale of princes and princesses or impossible dreams, it is a global and eternal story that shows us the need to prioritize the human over gender, borders and the races. An ever-current story that speaks of immigration, fears, acceptance, hopes, redemption and, above all, speaks of love”. Indeed, West Side Story is eternal, always current and current.
