In December of 2021, acclaimed film director Steven Spielberg will be releasing his first musical, a remake of ‘West Side Story.’ In anticipation of the film’s opening this lecture discuses the creation, history and legacy of the original Broadway play, now over 60 years old.
Kenneth, who has spoken multiple times at the library, covers the inception and development of the original score and script. For many of us, when we think of “West Side Story” we think of Leonard Bernstein. However, Kenneth explains that the play was a collaborative effort of 5 brilliant men: playwright Arthur Laurents; choreographer Jerome Robbins; producer Hal Prince; lyricist Stephen Sondheim and, of course, composer Leonard Bernstein. These men all left their own contributions to the final product. Kenneth discusses what was happening in their lives both creatively and personally when the show was developed. It is the music that lives on more than any other element of the show. The score combines elements of classical opera, Latin folk music and early rock. W Specific works are examined within these different genres that may have influenced Bernstein when composing the score. Kenneth looks at compositional techniques Bernstein employed to make the music so powerful, effective, beautiful and timeless.