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The Big Four

The success of West Side Story, since its premiere in 1957 is perhaps in the first instance down to the BIG Four – Bernstein, Laurents, Robbins, Sondheim, each artistic genius in their own right, who came together to develop what is recognized by many critics and myself as one of the greatest and most groundbreaking musicals of all time.

Leonard Bernstein was a classically-trained musician. Often considered one of the greatest musicians in American history.Arthur Laurents was an accomplished writer and director. Jerome Robbins was a classically-trained ballet dancer who became a legendary choreographer and director. Stephen Sondheim came into the picture with an extens ive literary and musical background. He would go on to pen such favorites as Sweeney Todd and into the Woods (both of which have recently made their way from the stage to the big screen, as will West Side Story, coming soon and directed by Steven Spielberg). Into the Woods I directed with our PC –YAMP students in 2012 and was produced by our undergrads last year.

Secondly, the play’s success is due to its immensely strong story, a work based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which was itself based on a 1562 translation of an epic Italian poem called The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet and is itself part of a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. A love story set against the background of division, bias, power and racism.

This story can be seen still playing itself out across the real world stages. From the tragic events in New Zealand only last week, my own country’s problems with gangs, knife crimes and Brexit; in Syria and across the Middle East; Trump’s wall in America; Venezuela….

One of your own kind
Stick to your own kind!

Across time and continents, originating from it seems a never growing lists of ‘….isms’ how can love overcome?

 “From West Side Story I learned about tragedy, and love and (physical relationships) – there were broken hearts all over the place, like broken glass – and the idea that things can go very, very wrong, in an instant, but that the most important thing in the world was that we all learned to get along.” Over 60 years later, and 100 since the legend that is ‘Lenny’ was born, I can’t help but feel it is our collective human tragedy that we still have not learned how to do that.

Poet Cynthia Zarin , New Yorker

The Lovers

Tony is a dreamer, ready to leave his street gang behind and face the future head-on; Maria is idealistic and looking to explore womanhood and the world beyond her family’s dress shop. When the two meet, their worlds stop, and cultural divides and societal expectations give way to ‘star-crossed lovers’.

In Act 2, as their worlds are falling apart around them their combined hopes and dreams play out in one of the most beautifully hopeful and uplifting songs, Somewhere… We perhaps start to believe,

When love comes so strong, There is no right or wrong

Your love is your life.