West Side Story, the contemporary retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, has become a classic of the American musical theatre. The book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and original direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins set this racially charged retelling in 1950's blighted west side of Manhattan. Romeo becomes Tony, son of Polish immigrants and Juliet becomes Maria, a recent arrival from Puerto Rico; the Capulets become the Puerto Rican gang The Sharks and the Montagues become the "American" gang. So a central question of West Side Story is "Who is an American?" And the incredible blend of American musical styles with the operatic tradition underscores the answer to this question: we are all the same despite our cultural differences and we need to forgive each other for elevating those differences above our common humanity.
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