West Side Story greatest musical of all time

The sight of moving barricades, falling chandeliers and a flying helicopter in a stage musical is truly impressive. It is a fact that alongside developments in modern technology, the use of such has become prevalent in theater in recent years. Because of this, there have been occasions when what are actually mediocre have attained success, thanks to spellbinding gimmickry.

I am of the belief though that because musical theater is actually rooted on a good story and interesting characters with a well-written script and music to match. All additions to those basic elements will only be enhancements. This was how it was with the musical’s antecedent, the opera, which in turn spawned the operetta. It remains the same with its most commercially successful offspring, the musical.

There have been many memorable musicals that came to us from Broadway and the West End over the years. There are among them some titles that we return to again and again. The reason why is always the same. The first time was so enjoyable we just had to relive the experience once more. And then again and again and again. One of these musicals is West Side Story. Premiered in 1957, it had no need for technological assist to be a milestone in theater history.

Written by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, it has all the good story, characters and music pre-requisites. Story is Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare but transported to a gang war between American and Puerto Rican gangs in 1950s New York. Of course, the great Will also provided a slew of memorable characters from the lovers, now Tony and Maria to their friends and rivals. With those basics in place, Bernstein, Sondheim, scriptwriter Arthur Laurent and choreographer Jerome Robbins went to work on what would be a masterpiece.

Laurent was a playwright and scriptwriter in Broadway and Hollywood, who would later write Anastasia, The Way We Were and The Turning Point. Sondheim was a young lyricist who would make his Broadway debut in West Side Story. He would later do Gypsy, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Into The Woods and other shows. He is a recipient of Tony Award, Academy Award, Grammy, Laurence Olivier Award, Obie, Drama Desk and even a Pulitzer.

Robbins was a dancer, choreographer and director who had worked on ballets like Fancy Free and Afternoon of a Faun, and shows like On The Town, Peter Pan, Wonderful Town, Pajama Game and later Fiddler On the Roof. He also counts several Tonys and Oscars among his awards. He came up with the idea for an updated Romeo & Juliet, set in New York’s West Side.

And then there was the great Bernstein, an American composer, pianist, conductor who would, after numerous accomplishments, be acclaimed as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. He has composed music for piano, orchestra, opera, film, theater, written for chamber and choral groups, conducted and performed in them. His best-known work would be West Side Story.

I was no greenhorn with theater when my mother took me to watch West Side Story. I loved Peter Pan and was familiar with Showboat, Carousel, Oklahoma and other shows. But I came out of the theater stunned. To this day, I wonder over what sort of inspiration came to the creators of the musical that created the show. It was unlike anything seen before. It was hip, young, angry, gorgeous and electrifying.

There have been many great musicals since 1957 but West Side Story remains the greatest with its perfect fusion of story, music and extraordinary staging. It has everything. It has a tragic romance. It takes on social ills like street gangs, poverty and racism and the desire for a better life that drive immigrants to America. It has exuberant dancing that went from dance halls to the fire escapes to the playgrounds, streets and underbelly of New York. And there is music, sweet and graceful, hot and pulsating, mixing Latin, jazz and opera.

Of course, West Side Story has its share of beautiful, memorable songs. Somewhere, Tonight, Maria, America, One Heart One Hand, I Feel Pretty, Cool and others. The musical has the most widely-covered soundtrack of all time. Versions range from Barbra Streisand’s Somewhere to I Feel Pretty by Little Richard and A Boy Like That by Selena. Jose Carreras and Kiri Te Kanawa have an album conducted by no less than Bernstein himself. The late jazz great Cal Tjader recorded an album of West Side Story in jazz.

West Side Story is coming to The Theatre at Solaire on Aug. 10. While there have been several local productions of the musical, this is the first touring group from Broadway to perform here. It will be quite an experience to visit the musical again. Tickets to West Side Story, which is presented by Globe Live, are now on sale through TicketWorld.