There isn’t much I can say about West Side Story that hasn’t already been said, so I’m going to keep this short.
West Side Story is billed as a musical retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in the 1950’s New York City. The Montagues and Capulets are replaced by two street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. The Jets appear to be of many ethnicities, but the Sharks are all Puerto Rican.
The story is told through song and dance. The ethnic rivalries seem unmotivated, and the “gang” dialogue sounds like it was written by people who’ve never met gang members, and is spoken by actors who have never heard gang members speak. I just can’t believe that street gangs would have referred to each other as “buddy-boy” and “daddy-o.” It always sounds fake. They sound most authentic in the “Officer Krupke” number, where they explain how the criminal justice and social services systems have completely failed to address their problems.
You can definitely see Romeo and Juliet in this film, but for me, it’s different enough that I think it’s actually a different work. Still, I enjoyed it a bit more than the ballet version. I understand Broadway musicals better than ballet. Your experience might be different.
This production currently ranks as my fifth favorite Romeo and Juliet.
Here’s the overall ranking so far:
Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Joan Kemp-Welch. Perf. Christopher Neame, Ann Hasson, and Robin Nedwell. Thames Television, 1976. DVD, A&E Television Networks, 2005.
Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, and John McEnery. 1968. netflix.com, 19 SEP 2013.
Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, and Harold Perrineau. 1996. DVD, Twentieth Century Fox, 2007.
Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Alvin Rakoff. Perf. Patrick Ryecart, Rebecca Saire, and Anthony Andrews. 1978. DVD, Ambrose, 2000.
West Side Story. Dir. Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. Perf. Richard Beymer, Natalie Wood, and George Chakiris. 1961. DVD, MGM Home Entertainment, 2003.
Romeo and Juliet. Chor. Kenneth MacMillan. Perf. Angel Corella, Alessandra Ferri, and Michele Villanova. Teatro Alla Scala, Milan, JAN 2000. DVD, Euroarts, 2002.
Shakespeare Series: Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Larry Sullivan. Perf. Alex Hyde-White, Blanche Baker, and Dan Hamilton. Shakespeare Video Society, 1982. Amazon.com, 15 AUG 2013.
