Arthur Laurents
Libretto for the musical Westside Story
USA, 1957
Museum Collection
Must Know
The original playbook, with the original cast list of the actors, 1957. Purchased on Ebay.
In 1947, choreograph Jerome Robbins approached playwriter Arthur Laurents and conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein with the idea of creating a musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, which would focus on the love story of a Catholic boy and a Jewish girl. The story would take place in Lower East Side in New York, and tensions between the two ethnic groups opposing the relationship, would culminate during the celebration of Pesach and Easter. The idea was, however, put aside until 1955, when Laurents and Bernstein decided to change the characters and the story of the musical to a rivalry between American-Polish gangs and Puerto Rican immigrants, and they also changed the scenery to Upper West Side in New York. In contrast to the original story of Romeo and Juliet, the play ends with the murder of Tony (main character) and the anger of Maria (the other main character) because of the violence and the rivalry. Laurents, Bernstein, Robbins and playwright Steven Sondheim were all Jews of Eastern European descent and the feeling of alienation as immigrants was something familiar to them. In 1957, the musical had premiere on the Broadway, and it ran for three years, however without success. In 1961, the musical was adapted to a successful movie starred by Natalie Wood, and it won ten Oscars. Following the success of the movie, many new adaptations were created in many countries, among others in Israel. In 2020, a new movie adaptation by Steven Spielberg was set to be released. The actors in this version are less known and they were casted in accordance with their origin, i.e., Latin or Polish.
More Info
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was a Jewish-American composer, conductor, pianist, of Russian descent. he was the musical director of the New York Philharmonic and was known as the music composer of the West Side Story. he wrote three symphonies, two operas, five musicals and several other works. Judaism appeared in many of his works by mixing Jewish motifs and writing Jewish texts.
Jerome Robbins (1918-1998) was a Jewish-American ballet dancer and choreograph. His career started as a dancer in musicals. he worked for the Israeli band Inbal and created two choreographies for the band Batsheva. he created many choreographies for different American musicals: The King and I (1956), Peter Pan (1954), West Side Story (1957), Fiddler on the Roof (1964). he received Oscar for the choreography in the movie version of West Side Story and shared the Oscar for the Best Director.
Arthur Laurents (1917-2011) was a Jewish-American playwright, director, and screen writer. he wrote many plays, among others West Side Story, Gypsy, and Hallelujah, Baby! In 2009, he directed the remake of the West Side Story at the Broadway. His family was Orthodox on his father’s side and atheist on his mother’s side. After the age of 13, he renounced all Jewish symbols and religious traditions, and changed his name from Levine to Laurents to easier be able to get a job.
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (born 1930) is a Jewish-American composer and songwriter. he has written many lyrics and composed many melodies to different musicals. he grew up in Upper West Side in New York. In his childhood, he met musical composer Oscar Hammerstein (from Rogers and Hammerstein), who later had a big impact on his career.
