| “Pretty wonderful” West Side Story books | |
| Posted by: TheBroadwayMaven (DavidBenkof@gmail.com) 07:34 am EDT 07/20/23 | |
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| From today's Broadway Maven Weekly Blast: Ever since Maria cradled the dying Tony in her arms, much ink has been spilled over the tremendous creative work behind West Side Story. I recently read three such books, all worth checking out. The most accessible of the three is Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination by Misha Berson. The book looks at the West Side Story phenomenon from lots of angles in its 15 chapters, from the music and lyrics to the dances to the differences between the show and Romeo and Juliet. Expect lots of interesting morsels in this somewhat scattershot but still entertaining book, such as excerpts from some of the show’s initial reviews whose critiques (“strangely empty of real emotional content”) seem laughable today. We learn that the show had the initial, dreadful title Gangway! complete with exclamation mark. Berson gives detailed character notes that differentiate between Jets members Action and A-rab, for example. And we find out that Michael Jackson loved West Side Story so much that his videos for both “Beat It” and “Bad” can be considered homages to the film. A second book is by Elizabeth A. Wells: West Side Story: Cultural Perspectives on an American Musical. Her book is also well-written, if somewhat more formal in style. Its interest is in sociocultural history and putting the show in the broader context of American culture. Like the other books, it traces the history of the musical from idea to show to film. But it also takes a very close look at Leonard Bernstein’s music (complete with excerpts from the score) and examines the roles of women and Hispanics in the show. However, the best part about Wells’s book are two chapters related to gangs, because that’s where readers will find interviews with actual gang members who saw the film. The comments are a treat: one says their girlfriends “wouldn’t understand” the movie; and another gang member sounded right out of the film: “Notice at the dance tonight, when we dance with the Spanish girls, their guys give us dirty looks.” Finally, though West Side Story as Cinema by Ernesto R. Acevedo-Muñoz is the most academic of the three, it also happens to be the most delightful. It traces the history of both the show and the (original) film, and has two interesting chapters on the film’s reception and Puerto Rican representation in the movie. The best chapter in the cinema book, though, is the longest. Chapter 3 is a shot-by-shot, meticulous rundown of the film, with a heavy emphasis on cinematography, lighting, etc. It brings out symbolism and characterization in the movie in a refreshing way, and I’m now eager to watch the film again having read that chapter. I might even have Acevedo-Muñoz’s book on my lap when I do. |
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