The Cambridge Companion to West Side Story

A multi-disciplinary, contemporary analysis of one of the most important musicals of the twentieth century, its history, and contexts.

Paul R. Laird (Edited by), Elizabeth A. Wells (Edited by)

9781108747752, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 9 January 2025

324 pages
24.3 x 16.8 x 1.7 cm, 0.56 kg

'I would absolutely recommend it as a resource for student research projects. … All the writing is accessible enough for undergraduate researchers if they are in the appropriate field. The Companion includes a rich collection of essays by major scholars while clearly referencing the extensive scholarship surrounding this show. In sum, this edited volume is a welcome addition to the scholarship on West Side Story.' Megan Woller, Notes, the Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association

Over sixty years after its opening night, West Side Story is perhaps the most famous and beloved of twentieth-century musicals and stands as a colossus of musical and dramatic achievement. It not only helped define a generation of musical theatre lovers but is among the handful of shows that have contributed to our understanding of American musical identity at mid-century. Bringing together contemporary scholars in music, theatre, dance, literature, and performance, this Companion explores this explosive 1950s remake of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and its portrayal of the raw passion, rivalries, jealousy and rage that doom the young lovers to their tragic fate. Organised thematically, chapters range from Broadway's history and precursors to West Side Story; the early careers of its creators; the show's score with emphasis on writing, production, and orchestrations; issues of class, colourism, and racism; New York's gang culture, and how the show's legacy can be found in popular culture throughout the world.

List of figures
List of contributors
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Part I. Before 'West Side Story': 1. Performing social relevance in the American Musical before 'West Side Story' William A. Everett
2. Bernstein on Broadway Helen Smith
3. In anticipation of 'West Side Story': the confluence of styles, genres, and influences in the early choreography of Jerome Robbins Phoebe Rumsey
4. Arthur Laurents before 'West Side Story' John M. Clum
5. Sondheim the kid Steve Swayne
6. For a small fee in America: producing 'West Side Story' Laura MacDonald
Part II. The Work Itself and Its Context: 7. The score: creation, orchestration, unification, and analysis Paul R. Laird
8. Un-Gendering 'Somewhere': women's agency and redemption in 'West Side Story' Katherine Baber
9. Shakespeare in the city: adapting 'Romeo and Juliet' Jane Barnette
10. 'West Side Story' and the Hispanic problem Ernesto Acevedo-Muñoz
11. 'West Side Story' and the intersections of class, colourism, and racism Erica K. Argyropoulos
12. The real gang history of New York Elizabeth A. Wells
Part III. The Legacy: 13. 'West Side Story' and the voice Sylvia Stoner-Hawkins
14. 'West Side Story'/suite: Jerome Robbins's Choreo-Directing on Broadway, Hollywood, and ballet stages Dustyn Martincich
15. Exoticism, race, and the Broadway musical in the 'City of Waltzes': Marcel Prawy's 1968 'West Side Story' production at the Vienna Volksoper Martin Nedbal
16. 'West Side Story' abroad as an American icon Emily Abrams Ansari, Anne Searcy, Paul R. Laird, Gonzalo Fernández Monte, Elizabeth Wells, and Aino Kukkonen
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: 20th century & contemporary classical music [AVGC6]