A critical and comprehensive exploration of the influential Broadway musical analyzes West Side Story against a backdrop of its cultural period while considering its reflection of both classical Shakespeare conflicts and modern youth issues. Original.

This series of contemporary plays includes structured GCSE assignments for use by individuals or groups. These include questions which involve close reading, writing and discussion. This play places the "Romeo and Juliet" story in a New York gang-warfare context.

A beautiful Pocket Poets hardcover selection of the most memorable and beloved lyrics of Stephen Sondheim Legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim made his Broadway debut with West Side Story in 1957 at the age of twenty-seven. His remarkable and wide-ranging career has spanned more than six decades since then, and he has accumulated accolades that include eight Tony Awards, an Academy Award, eight Grammy Awards, six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, the Kennedy Center Honors, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Sondheim redefined musical theater with his groundbreaking work, combining words and music in ways that are by turns challenging, moving, witty, profound, and never less than exhilarating. This volume includes a selection of lyrics from across his career, drawn from shows including West Side Story, Gypsy, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and more. The result is a delightful pocket-sized treasury of the very best of Sondheim.

"Something's Coming..". and it's good news for a change! In an era when many are focused on end-of-the-world doom and gloom, along comes an exciting book to uplift humanity, reminding us that we are not alone and that help is already on the way. In Something's Coming author Genii Townsend, a trans-audio visionary, shares information kept secret for 25 years. Her "inner-vision journeys" began in 1982 when her husband, Rev. William Townsend, a Religious Science minister, brought forth drawings of Cities of Light while in meditation. After his passing, Genii Townsend continued where he left off and the city visits are now recorded in this book. No development on earth is more fascinating than the advent of the Cities of Light, and the discussion can be traced to the middle of the last century. What, exactly, is a City of Light? Much like Atlantis, it is a portal where the star brothers and sisters can come for exchange of cultural ideas, technology, art and healing. The book describes it as "the unfoldment of a very large universal plan. It is going beyond the universe to...an interdimensional portal of love where beings from everywhere can experience a community of love." The Cities of Light can be glimpsed with our physical eyes but are more apparent to our Third and Fourth Eyes. They are "crystal cities of the future, places of peace and harmony where love prevails." As real places in the higher dimensions, people can "anchor new realities and new dimensional realities within the 3rd dimension" as an expanded experience. They are also for advanced healing through light, sound and color-"examples of what can be done by using our technologies for the good of all." The book describes the purpose and plans for a City of Light in Sedona, Arizona-a prototype for 13 more cities to appear around the planet "any day now." Included are diagrams and descriptions of advanced technologies, prophecies, discussion of the need for spiritual awakening and enlightenment on earth, and details of the city's amazing features. Genii paints a picture for readers of what it's like to enter such a place after 100+ visits she has made within the City of Light. "Imagine entering a place of such beauty that it makes you an instant believer that anything is possible, like entering a 5-story-high gate that is encoded with your personal beliefs that makes you feel like you just came home. "Imagine experiencing healing techniques in light modules where no drugs, knives or needles can sever the body's electrical lines. Imagine a Memory Manor building where you can release past memory hurts with no emotion attached and a Fountain of Light that makes you feel physically and mentally great, and sitting on benches that massage the body. Imagine an Empowerment Emporium where you can balance your emotions and a "Birth-aterium" where babies are born laughing with the mother who had no anesthesia, no pain and the only crying is for the pure joy of the experience. And finally, imagine a stadium-size building called The Embassy of Peace Headquarters where "Light Beings gather to help bring forth peace on this earth." The Cities of Light function to heal us and raise our vibrations and consciousness. They are delightful places to be, they are places where peace reigns already. They exist in the Fifth Dimension and higher and are destined to play a large role in the transfer of learning and technology for us in the new Golden Age. Townsend writes: "Will it enhance peoples' lives? I think the common words will be 'OH MY GOD!' I ask you to hold the vision in your heart. Make no mistake, this planet will glow in love like never before." The stage is ready, the scenes inside these pages invite you to witness what is coming about, and this is your invitation, page by page, before the magic happens. Get your copy and get ready for the greatest show on earth. This book will show you how you can enter the city portals and change your reality forever.

They came together to be rival gang members in a movie. They hadnt a clue they were creating cinematic history. WEST SIDE STORY , winner of ten Oscars including best picture. Is there anyone who doesnt know this iconic film that transcends generations? Yet very little is known about the rivaling Jets and Sharks, who were the backbone of the film and without whom there is no WEST SIDE STORY . Little if anything is known of how these gifted dancer/actor/ singers were chosen, their audition experience, how each member was hand picked by Jerome Robbins because their unique qualities fit his vision.

A captivating, richly illustrated full account of the making of the ground-breaking movie classic West Side Story (1961). A major hit on Broadway, on film West Side Story became immortal-a movie different from anything that had come before, but this cinematic victory came at a price. In this engrossing volume, film historian Richard Barrios recounts how the drama and rivalries seen onscreen played out to equal intensity behind-the-scenes, while still achieving extraordinary artistic feats. The making and impact of West Side Story has so far been recounted only in vestiges. In the pages of this book, the backstage tale comes to life along with insight on what has made the film a favorite across six decades: its brilliant use of dance as staged by erstwhile co-director Jerome Robbins; a meaningful story, as set to Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's soundtrack; the performances of a youthful ensemble cast featuring Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, and more; a film with Shakespearean roots (Romeo and Juliet) that is simultaneously timeless and current. West Side Story was a triumph that appeared to be very much of its time; over the years it has shown itself to be eternal.

For millions of moviegoers unable to see the original stage version of West Side Story, director Robert Wise’s adaptation was a cinematic gift that brought a Broadway hit to a mass audience. Ernesto Acevedo-Muñoz argues that Wise’s film was not only hugely popular, but that it was also an artistic triumph that marked an important departure in the history of American movie making. With a score by Leonard Bernstein and choreography by Jerome Robbins, this update of the Romeo and Juliet story remains one of the most revered and highly popular American movie musicals, with only Singin’ in the Rain ranking higher in the AFI’s list of the best of the genre. Acevedo-Muñoz draws on previously unreleased production documents—from interoffice memos to annotations on the director’s script—to go beyond publicity accounts and provide an inside look at this critically acclaimed film classic, offering details of its filming that have never before been published. From location scouting to scripting to casting to filming, Acevedo-Muñoz focuses on little-known details of the actual production. He provides close analyses of dramatic sequences and musical numbers, emphasizing the film’s technical innovations and its visual and aural coding as a means for defining character and theme. He carefully explains the differences between Broadway and film versions, exposing censorship and creative issues that the filmmakers were forced to confront. And taking readers behind the cameras, he highlights the creative differences and financial difficulties that led to the departure of Robbins—who had conceived and directed the stage version—long before filming was complete. Acevedo-Muñoz makes a strong case for the film’s daring vision in combining music, dance, dialogue, and visual elements—especially color—in highly creative ways, while also addressing the social, racial, and class tensions of American society. Drawing on his own Puerto Rican heritage, he provides a Hispanic perspective on the cultural aspects of the story and explores the ways in which the film’s portrayal of Puerto Rican identity is neither as transparent nor as negative as some critics have charged. Bursting with facts, insights, and inside stories, this book boasts a wealth of material that has never been explored before in print. Both history and homage, it is a must for scholar and buff alike.