West Side Story: A new take on Romeo and Juliet, 60 years later
Shakespeare and Beyond
West Side Story: A new take on Romeo and Juliet, 60 years later
Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is a layering of theatrical devices, a Hollywood riff on both a famous musical and a Shakespearean story for 21st-century audiences.
West Side Story: 60 years as a cultural barometer
Shakespeare and Beyond
West Side Story: 60 years as a cultural barometer
Sixty years old this week, the 1961 movie West Side Story, based on the acclaimed Broadway musical inspired by Romeo and Juliet, also became a de facto representation of US Latinx in musicals for many years.
What makes Shakespeare musicals 'American'
Shakespeare and Beyond
What makes Shakespeare musicals 'American'
While Shakespeare musicals borrowed plots, characters, and situations from England’s best-known poet, they remained essentially “American.”