vinyl LP album cover
Sixty years ago today, September 26, 1957, the Broadway musical, West Side Story, burst onto the theater world and changed the form and character of musicals forever.
The original cast album with its iconic image of Maria and Tony running down a street in New York is one of the most famous photos used on a record album; it, the album, has been an integral part of my life in many ways. In 1958-59 West Side Story was the soundtrack for my life.
The original cast album with its iconic image of Maria and Tony running down a street in New York is one of the most famous photos used on a record album; it, the album, has been an integral part of my life in many ways. In 1958-59 West Side Story was the soundtrack for my life.
The songs were uplifting, inspiring and new. The dance at the gym with its jazzy mambo completely knocked me out! And, of course, Maria is just . . . well, it's just! I still begin to tear up when I hear it and I think of Ann. Somewhere
was "our" song. We were so
in love and I remember taking her to see the first touring production when it
came to San Francisco. By the time it got here Larry Kert, as Tony, was the only member of the original cast in the 1959 US Tour.
We went to Bimbo's afterward and had dinner; it was an upscale supper club with entertainment but I don't remember who was performing. I do remember I had Chicken á la King because it was the cheapest thing on the menu; I was 19, living on my own, working my way through college and didn't have a whole lot of money.
West Side Story playbill
September 14, 1959
photo by Styrous®
(click HERE to see 1959 souvenir program)
We went to Bimbo's afterward and had dinner; it was an upscale supper club with entertainment but I don't remember who was performing. I do remember I had Chicken á la King because it was the cheapest thing on the menu; I was 19, living on my own, working my way through college and didn't have a whole lot of money.
Bimbo's 365 Club
December 5, 2008
San Francisco, CA
photo by Michael "Bink" Knowles
There is a story behind the photograph used on the cover of the album.
It looks very spontaneous but it was
carefully staged by photographer Leo Friedman. The
“West Side Story” shot, which became the cover of the cast album, was
the result of attempts by Friedman after having tried several settings
around New York City and ending
up along a row of tenements on West 56th Street.
vinyl LP album cover
“I
made a mark on the street, and I said to Carol: ‘I want Larry chasing
you up the street. When you hit that mark, don’t look at me down here,
look up, with your head up,” Friedman recalled, “And that’s what I
took.”
And so, after what the weary actress, Carol Lawrence, remembered as 300 tries, the shot Friedman wanted was finally captured and, as they say, the rest is history. Actually, there is more history; he got a pretty raw deal in the end. (link to Friedman info below).
And so, after what the weary actress, Carol Lawrence, remembered as 300 tries, the shot Friedman wanted was finally captured and, as they say, the rest is history. Actually, there is more history; he got a pretty raw deal in the end. (link to Friedman info below).
vinyl LP album cover detail
The score for West Side Story was written by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was orchestrated by Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal
following detailed instructions from Bernstein, who then wrote
revisions on their manuscript (the original, heavily annotated by Ramin,
Kostal and Bernstein himself is in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Columbia University). Ramin, Kostal, and Bernstein are billed as orchestrators for the show. The orchestra consisted of 31 players: a large Broadway pit orchestra enhanced to include 5 percussionists, a guitarist and a piano/celesta player.
The dark theme of the story (based on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare), sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, and focus on
social problems marked a turning point in American musical theatre.
Then there is the Bernstein score for the musical which includes Something's Coming, Maria, America, Somewhere, Tonight, Jet Song, I Feel Pretty, A Boy Like That, One Hand, One Heart, Gee, Officer Krupke, and Cool (links below to all on YouTube).
The original 1957 Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins and produced by Robert E. Griffith and Harold Prince, marked Sondheim's Broadway debut. It ran for 732 performances before going on tour. The production was nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Musical in 1957. However, the award went to The Music Man by Meredith Willson. Robbins won the Tony Awards for his choreography and Oliver Smith won for his scenic designs.
The creators' innovations in dance, music and theatrical style resulted in strong reactions from the critics. Walter Kerr wrote in the New York Herald Tribune on September 27, 1957:
"The radioactive fallout from West Side Story must still be descending on Broadway this morning. Director, choreographer, and idea-man Jerome Robbins has put together, and then blasted apart, the most savage, restless, electrifying dance patterns we've been exposed to in a dozen seasons ...."John Chapman's review in the New York Daily News on September 27, 1957, headed: "West Side Story a Splendid and Super-Modern Musical Drama":
"The American theatre took a venturesome forward step when the firm of Griffith & Prince presented West Side Story at the Winter Garden last evening. This is a bold new kind of musical theatre – a juke-box Manhattan opera."Time magazine found the dance and gang warfare more compelling than the love story and noted that the show's "putting choreography foremost, may prove a milestone in musical-drama history ...
"While critics speculated about the comic-tragic darkness of the musical, audiences were captivated. The story appealed to society's undercurrent of rebellion from authority that surfaced in 1950s films like Rebel Without a Cause. West Side Story took this one step further by combining the classic and the hip."
In 1961, West Side Story was made into a film; directed by Robert Wise, it starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris.
That same year, Stan Kenton recorded Kenton's West Side Story (a jazz version) that received a 1962 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance – Large Group (Instrumental) (More on this in a future article).
That same year, Stan Kenton recorded Kenton's West Side Story (a jazz version) that received a 1962 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance – Large Group (Instrumental) (More on this in a future article).
Act 1
- "Prologue" – Orchestra, danced by Jets & Sharks
- "Jet Song" – Riff & Jets
- "Something's Coming" – Tony
- "The Dance at the Gym" – Jets & Sharks
- "Maria" – Tony
- "Tonight" – Tony & Maria
- "America" – Anita, Rosalia, & Shark Girls
- "Cool" – Riff & Jets
- "One Hand, One Heart" – Tony & Maria
- "Tonight (Quintet & Chorus)" – Company
- "The Rumble" – Orchestra, danced by Riff, Bernardo, Jets, & Sharks
Act 2
- "I Feel Pretty" – Maria, Rosalia, Estella, & Consuelo
- "Somewhere" – Consuelo, danced by Company
- "Gee, Officer Krupke" – Action, Snowboy & Jets
- "A Boy Like That" – Anita & Maria
- "I Have a Love" – Anita & Maria
- "Taunting" – Anita & Jets
- "Finale" – Company
Credits:
- Art Direction [Costumes Designed By] – Irene Sharaff
- Choreography – Jerome Robbins
- Choreography [Co-choreographer] – Peter Gennaro
- Directed By – Jerome Robbins
- Lead Vocals [Anita, The Girl Of Bernardo, Leader Of The Sharks] – Chita Rivera
- Lead Vocals [Maria, Sister Of Bernardo, Leader Of The Sharks] – Carol Lawrence
- Lead Vocals [Riff, Leader Of The Jets] – Mickey Calin
- Lead Vocals [Tony, Old Friend Of Riff And Co-founder Of The Jets] – Larry Kert
- Leader [Musical Direction] – Max Goberman
- Lighting – Jean Rosenthal
- Liner Notes – George Dale
- Lyrics By – Stephen Sondheim
- Music By – Leonard Bernstein
- Orchestrated By – Irwin Kostal, Leonard Bernstein, Sid Ramin
- Photography By – Friedman-Abeles
- Presenter – Harold S. Prince*, Robert E. Griffith
- Presenter [By Arrangement With] – Roger L. Stevens
- Producer [Produced For Records By] – Goddard Lieberson
- Production Manager [Production Associate] – Sylvia Drulie
- Script By [Book By] – Arthur Laurents
- Set Designer [Scenic Production By] – Oliver Smith (3)
- Vocals [The Jets] – Carole D'Andrea, David Winters, Eddie Roll, Frank Green (2), Grover Dale, Hank Brunjes, Julie Oser, Lee Becker, Lowell Harris, Marilyn D'Honau, Martin Charnin, Nanette Rosen, Tommy Abbott, Tony Mordente, Wilma Curley
- Vocals [The Sharks, Bernardo, The Leader] – Ken Leroy
- Vocals [The Sharks] – Al De Sio, Carmen Gutierrez, Elizabeth Taylor (3), Erne Castaldo, Gene Gavin, George Marcy, Jack Murray, Jamie Sanchez (2), Jay Norman (2), Liane Plane, Lynn Ross (2), Marilyn Cooper, Noel Schwartz, Reri Grist, Ronnie Lee (8)
Notes:
Six-Eye Stereophonic release without "360°-Sound" (see Images)
US-Two Eye Repress: Leonard Bernstein - West Side Story - Original Broadway Cast
US-Half Dozen Repress: Leonard Bernstein - West Side Story - Original Broadway Cast
West Side Story opened in New York at the Winter Garden Theatre September 26th, 1957, following engagements in Washington and Philadelphia.
US-Two Eye Repress: Leonard Bernstein - West Side Story - Original Broadway Cast
US-Half Dozen Repress: Leonard Bernstein - West Side Story - Original Broadway Cast
West Side Story opened in New York at the Winter Garden Theatre September 26th, 1957, following engagements in Washington and Philadelphia.
Label: Columbia Masterworks – OS 2001
Format: Vinyl, LP, Stereo
Country: US
Released: Oct 1957
Viewfinder links:
West Side Story ~ 1959 souvenir program
Leo Friedman ~ Broadway's Photographer
Net links:
West Side Story ~
Synopsis
Characters
Principal cast
Musical numbers
Recordings
Awards and nominations
West Side Story (film) website
YouTube links:
Jet Song
Something's Coming
The Dance at the Gym
Maria
Tonight
America
Cool
One Hand, One Heart
Tonight (Quintet & Chorus)
I Feel Pretty
Somewhere
Gee, Officer Krupke
I Have a Love
Finale
West Side Story (the film)
West Side Story Reunion
Making of a classic
The Making of West Side Story (1 hr. 20 min.)
"There's a Place For Us . . . "
~ Somewhere
~ Somewhere
Styrous® ~ Monday, September 26, 2017
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