West side story simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Arthur laurents book were, unsurprisingly, unable to truly represent. Get a free e book by joining our mailing list today. Very interesting to compare contrast on that side of the.
It is a tale of two rival gangs, which despises the other in a vicious circle of hate. Upper west side, new york, 1950s, during the last days of summer. Maria is giddy, and her friends tease her, calling her out of her mind. Video by cj penido narration by ben drennan i made this video for my final project for my theatre class. There is palpable tension in the air as two gangs vie for dominance of the area. Two perennial classicswilliam shakespeares romeo and juliet and the broadway musical west side story in a single volume. It also cleaned up at the oscars, winning ten, including best picture, best director and a passel. Tennent production with david holliday as tony and jill martin as. The cinematic version is etched into my mind, so i felt compelled to compare the two. The tragedy of love thwarted by fate has always intrigued writers. Random house firm, the feud between two new york teenage gangs abruptly ends the brief happiness shared by maria, a puerto rican girl, and tony, a member of the jets. Books similar to romeo and juliet and west side story. From the first notes to the final breath, west side story is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of all time. May 31, 2005 shakespeares romeo and juliet and west side story both have a lot in common as well as major differences that set them apart.
Find books like romeo and juliet and west side story from the worlds largest community of readers. The titular character is a sensible english nanny with magical powers, and the book uses mythological allusion and biting social critique to explore the fraught relationship between children and adults. Im a film major, so i thought i might as well use that to my advantage. The west side story appropriation we never really talk about. Arthur laurentss most popular book is romeo and juliet and west side story. West side story test west side story chapters 610 quiz.
Both are stories of unrequited love that end tragically, but there are many elements that make them very different. West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and. Its not every show that comes with an endorsement from the local chief constable. A modern romeo and juliet in the end in the end another character, tony heres that chino has killed maria, which is false and he begins to wander the streets yelling for chino to come kill him. This 39page guide for west side story by irving shulman includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 2 chapters, as well as several more in.
The social realism of his book for west side story continued to. All young people should read, see what america is and lessons that need to be learned. Westside stories used books we have decided to permanently close westside stories after 8 years of serving the buffalos west side. Arthur laurents has 27 books on goodreads with 6955 ratings. West side story by irving shulman, 1967, pocket books edition, in english west side story 1967 edition open library. Prejudice in west side story 506 words 123 help me. After owning their miserable little neighborhood for years, the jets, the fingersnapping street gang led by riff russ tamblyn, find themselves in a turf war with the upstart puerto rican sharks, led by bernardo george chakiris.
It was inspired by william shakespeares play romeo and juliet. I got the difference between us, on the fence, and the fillin boyfriend at a book fair and loved them, and cried in all of them, i was craving for pivot point and split second. The original stage musical of west side story now revived and touring to seattle differs from the wellknown film in key ways. Set in new york city, it introduces two groups, the jets. Mar 04, 2017 this feature is not available right now. Read the complete published texts from classic books. Read a character analysis of juliet, plot summary, and important quotes. Act ii summary at the beginning of act ii, consuela, rosalia, and francisca wait in marias bedroom as maria dresses up. The film is set in the rough neighborhood of lincoln square on the west side of manhattan during the summer of 1957. Crazy to think that what happens takes place in that time frame. West side story summary and study guide supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. A summary of west side story 378 words 123 help me. West side story summary and study guide supersummary.
It was the book that made me realize who kasie west was. Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding. Books by arthur laurents author of west side story edition. Pride and prejudice frankenstein the odyssey great expectations dr. I attended a performance of west side story at the pantages on sunday. Luckily for us, they found an entirely new way to tell the story of romeo and juliet. Essays for west side story 1961 film west side story 1961 film essays are academic essays for citation. Summary read a plot overview of the entire play or a scene by scene summary and analysis. West side story by irving shulman 1990, paperback for. Dec 27, 2010 i attended a performance of west side story at the pantages on sunday. Whenever i see a movie or stage production of a play, i am always interested to read the actual book to have a different perspective on the characters and overall plot. In alexi kaye campbells play they portray gay men, one of whom is closeted. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published.
Peter n the song america is sung by the puerto rican sharks. Irving shulman 191995 was a novelist and screenwriter, known for his depictions of urban life. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. But taking pride of place in the programme for west side story.
Heres a short compare and contrast by seattle times. West side story edithdakingkow west side story is a brilliant updating of shakespeare s romeo and juliet, the two warring families of verona now oyo streets gangs of kids from two different immigrant cultures coexisting in one new york city neighborhood west side story demonstrates yet again the enduring qualiry of shakespeares work, how he. The official website the official website, in all its glory. West side story began on the broadway stage and was immediately recognized as one of the most creative musical productions of the 20th century. West side story is a musical adapted from shakespeares play and was first performed in 1957. What happens at the middle of the story of pride and. Set in new york city, it introduces two groups, the. Five fast facts winner of 10 academy awards soundtrack was no 1 on the billboard charts for 54 weeks 94% on rotten tomatoes based on romeo and juliet, which is based on a poem by arthur brooke called the tragic historye of romeus and juliet, which is based on a poem by the roman poet ovid called pyramus and thisbe. This 39page guide for west side story by irving shulman includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 2 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Stay tuned for a post pandemic going out of business sale announcement. West side story graphic organizer for 7th 12th grade. Although west side story is a direct rendition of shakespeares original play, many of the themes and symbols are altered to fit the modern perspective. A classical story with a modern setting, it still stands as one of the major contributions of the american theater.
He is the author of ten books, including the novels the amboy dukes, cry tough, and the square trap, which were all adapted into movies. The jets are boys who were born in america, but have polish roots. This west side story graphic organizer is suitable for 7th 12th grade. At the lucille lortel theater, musings on gay identity the. West side story is a tragic love story set in new york city in the mid1950s on the west side of the city. The authors purpose was to show the racial discrimination of the puerto ricans in new york during the 1950s.
Shakespeares romeo and juliet and west side story both have a lot in common as well as major differences that set them apart. The book west side story written by arthur laurents is set in the mid 1950s, created as modern version of shakespeares romeo and juliet. First performed around 1596, romeo and juliet has been adapted as a ballet, an opera, the musical west side story, and a dozen films. West side story based on a conception of jerome robbins book by music by lyrics by arthur leonard stephen laurents bernstein sondheim choreography by jerome robbins rehearsal script as of october 21, 2008. In my book club we took the comparison between this and the outsides. West side story and the american imagination by misha berson. West side story, a tragic love story of tony and maria, touches all in many ways. Show your pride with tshirts featuring your musicals official logo. When he finds out the maria is actually alive coming to meet him in the park they run. West side story insights educational guide 2 created by joey landwehr jcompany artistic director dear fellow educators, at jcompany youth theatre, we believe that live theatre and the school curriculum go. West side story chapter 4 instead bernardo is kind of.
Each songs lyrics are presented here, along with a. It was not originally titled east side story, it was and referred to in bernsteins notes as romeo. As you watch the film version of west side story, use this viewing guide to help keep your class on track and analyze important plot events. If you could change one thing about this story, what would it be. West side story is the awardwinning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy, romeo and juliet. The latinx community is very proud, as we should be, of these two.
Hugh dancy, left, and ben whishaw at the lucille lortel theater. Mary poppins, the first novel in a series of childrens books written by p. In the 1964 and 1980 revivals, somewhere was sung by francisca rather than consuelo. Browse essays about west side story and find inspiration. The music was composed by leonard bernstein, and the lyrics were written by stephen sondheim. Learn by example and become a better writer with kibins suite of essay help services. In the sixteenth century, william shakespeare took this theme and fashioned one of the worlds great plays. West side story 1961 film study guide contains a biography of robert wise, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
West side story is a musical with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim. Read romeo and juliet here, with sideby read romeo and juliet here, with sideby. Plot summary for west side story 1961, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Arthur laurents book remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. West side story is a romantic tragedy about two characters that are supposedly completely different and arent accepted when they fall in love. Adjust the figures for inflation, and it beats a number of movies with words like star wars, harry potter, the hunger games and the avengers in the title. I wanted to learn how the puerto ricans coped with the racism and. It was inspired by william shakespeares play romeo and juliet the story is set in the upper west side neighborhood in new york city in the mid 1950s, a multiracial, bluecollar neighborhood. Broadway shows, mti is proud to represent youth shows, revues and musicals.
These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of west side story 1961 film by robert wise. Sparknotes are the most helpful study guides around to literature, math, science, and more. A comparison of the power struggles in romeo and juliet and west side story. On the contrary, the boys are singing about wanting to go back to puerto rico. The musical explores the rivalry between the jets and the sharks, two teenage. It is based on shakespeares play, romeo and juliet. When they first conceived the show in 1949, robbins, bernstein and laurents set their story on the east side of manhattan, and gave it the working title east side story. Five fast facts winner of 10 academy awards soundtrack was no 1 on the billboard charts for 54 weeks 94% on rotten tomatoes based on romeo and juliet, which is based on a poem by arthur brooke called the tragic historye of romeus and juliet, which is based on a poem by the roman poet ovid called pyramus and thisbe actors worked over 16. Author and authors purpose the author of west side story is aurthur laurents. His hollywood credits were as impressive as those for broadway.
The feuding families become two warring new york city gangs the white jets led by riff and the puerto rican sharks, led by bernardo. Thanks to my daughter, we had excellent seats in the mezzanine along the rail. It is hard to believe that this was the first time i had seen it on stage. Find sample tests, essay help, and translations of shakespeare. The fullydanced prolog shows the tension built up between the jets and the sharks two rival gangs in new yorks upper west side. Maria confides in the girls that there isnt going to be a rumble and that tonight is her wedding night.
The score by leonard bernstein and lyrics by stephen sondheim are widely regarded as among the best ever written. Some critics have attacked the blind side for marginalizing big tonys role in michaels life, and even accused the book of whitewashing michaels rise to successi. West side story was directed and choreographed by the innovative jerome robbins, who stated in an added feature presentation in the 2003 dvd release that he had been interested in creating a contemporary version of william shakespeares romeo and juliet since the late 1940s and that arthur laurents, the shows writer, and composer leonard. Instead of fair verona, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean, its the mean streets of 1950s new york city, where young gangs rumble over the right to walk down the street. The girls who sing in this song are singing about how much they hate puerto rico and love america. Immediately download the west side story summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching west side story. West side story fanfiction archive with over 200 stories. If you could change one thing about this story, what would.
From the first notes to the final breath, west side story is one of the most memorable musicals and. West side story by irving shulman goodreads share book. West side story became a global sensation when it hit broadway in 1957, with a book by arthur laurents, music by leonard bernstein, and lyrics by. The leader of the first ones decided on the next dance to challenge bernardo, the leader of the second. Its success as a motion picture was equally spectacular.
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