When I was in high school many years ago I participated in the school musical production of “West Side Story”. I was part of the chorus, a nameless member of the Sharks, the Puerto Rican gang. I guess that counts as my only gang affiliation. It was fun even though we didn’t get to sing very many songs. There was some choreography but I think the Shark girls and Jet boys have bigger roles than the Shark boys and Jet girls. I preferred participating in the school musical “Anything Goes” the year because there were more songs sung by the entire company. In “West Side Story” we only sang part of the “Tonight” quintet.
After my involvement in the high school production, I didn’t hear much else about “West Side Story”. My wife had gotten a CD of instrumental music from the musical a few years ago. Still, I’d nearly forgotten about it until sometime during the first half of 2009. We were watching the Tony Awards and learned that there was a revival on Broadway of “West Side Story”. They had revised some of the lyrics to be sung in Spanish and made the gangs look more thuggish and authentic. I believe the actress who played Anita in this production won a Tony. I also think I heard that the actress who played Maria was discovered by the casting directors when they saw her on YouTube. This all sounded interesting. When I was in the high school production I wondered how come the Sharks didn’t have more Spanish lines. The only one I remembered was Bernardo saying, “Vamanos, chicos! Es tarde.”
We got the CD of the New Broadway Cast Recording. The production came to Broadway in early 2009. I think it opened in March of that year. During the first track, “Prologue”, the Jets and Sharks have some skirmishes. The Sharks banter among themselves and yell Spanish insults at the Jets. The next song sounds identical to the original. “When You’re a Jet” serves to introduce us to the Jets: Riff, the leader; Action; A-Rab; Baby John; Big Deal; Diesel; Snowboy; 4H; and Anybodys, the tomboy. The next track, “Something Coming” sung by Tony, is also unchanged from the original. I remember the choreography for the next track, “Dance in the Gym”, a mostly instrumental number. It begins sounding like swing but soon changes to a Latin beat with everyone calling out “Mambo” at different points. In this new version both the Sharks and the Jets call out “Mambo”. I only remember the Sharks calling it out in my school’s production.
The next track, “Maria”, also sung by Tony, is also the original. But when the spoken lines are also included I could clearly discern Maria’s Latin accent. During the next song, “Tonight” sung by Maria and Tony, Maria speaks Spanish at the end: “Te adoro, Anton.” I don’t remember if that’s part of the original production or not. The next song, “America”, is sung by the Shark girls, principally Anita and Rosalia. Their Latina accents are very apparent but they don’t sing in Spanish. It’s still a fun song. The Jets sing the next song, “Cool” and I think some of the Jet girls join in for a few parts. Tony and Maria then sing “One Hand, One Heart” that’s all in English. The use of Spanish doesn’t become very apparent until the next song, the “Tonight” quintet. The singing alternates between the Jets, Maria, Tony, Anita, Riff, and the Sharks. This time the Sharks sing only in Spanish. They use a wide vocabulary with several words I didn’t know such as “impondremos”. When I was in the high school production, I think we just sang the same words as the Jets or, at least, words in English. But in this production, the Sharks get their own story in their own language. For example, the words in the earlier version were:
Jets: “Well, they began it.”
Sharks: “Well, they began it”
In the new version they are:
Jets: “Well, they began it.”
Sharks: “Son los cupables.” (It’s their fault.)
I also learned some more names of the Sharks from the CD liner notes. In addition to Bernardo, the leader, Chino, and Indio there are Bobo, Inca, and Pepe.
The next track is the “Rumble” that’s an instrumental and similar to the prologue. There’s not as much banter in either language. The only discernable word is Tony shouting “Maria!” The next song is all in Spanish and sung by Maria and the Shark girls. Previously it was the cheesy-sounding “I Feel Pretty”. Now it’s “Me Siento Hermosa.” Like the “Tonight” quintet, it has a complex and wide vocabulary with a couple of words I didn’t know: atolondrada and faz. It just sounds more natural in Spanish, like it’s more about celebration than vanity. It even has what sounds like a Latin rhythm.
The language is back to English for the next song, although not entirely. “Somewhere” is Maria and Tony’s fantasy about getting away from all the troubles around them. I think there was a dream sequence at this point in the high school production. In the new Broadway production, they added the character Kiddo, a Jet who’s young enough to be a child. He sings one verse of “Somewhere” in a choirboy voice. This adds to the fantasy of a safe and innocent place. At the end they sing one line in Spanish that I think greatly improves the song. Previously, the lines seemed a bit repetitive:
Maria: “Hold my hand and we’re halfway there.”
Tony: “Hold my hand and I’ll take you there.”
Now the lines are more original:
Tony: “Hold my hand and we’re halfway there.”
Maria: “Llevame para no volver.” (Roughly, carry me in order to not return)
The next song is unchanged from the original and it doesn’t require improvement. It’s the song that “lampoons the legal system” as my former English teacher wrote. “Officer Krupke” remains very funny and very witty. Action is the Jet on trial, 4H is Officer Krupke, Diesel is the judge, Snowboy is the head shrinker, and either A-Rab or Baby John is the social worker. I believe in our high school production they had the social worker sing in falsetto voice for some reason. Wisely, they don’t do this in the new production.
The next song is in Spanish. Anita and Maria’s former song “A Boy Like That” becomes “Un Hombre Asi”. Note the direct translation, “A Man Like That”, matures the subject from a boy to a man. But a man makes more sense. Again, the song includes a sophisticated Spanish vocabulary with lines “y este amor te sale caro”. The line “your own kind” from the original becomes “los tuyos” so it’s more like “your crowd” or “your group”. The last song is the finale, a recap of “Tonight” in instrumental. At the end this time Maria sings “Hold my hand and we’re halfway there,” and Tony answers “llevame para no volver.”
Overall, I think the New Broadway Cast Recording is a big improvement. The tragic story, excellent songs, and mixture of humor with the predominantly serious drama are all still there. But the use of Spanish lyrics and lines give the Sharks their own culture and identity, making them more than just foils for the Jets. It’s also more realistic. People that aren’t very far removed from their original cultures tend to bring them along, including the language. It makes the musical overall that much richer. I wish this version was around back when I was in high school. It would have given me a chance to practice my Spanish, maybe learn some new words. Then again, the directors might have thought it too difficult because my school had few Spanish-speaking students at the time, if any. Still, this new version would be great for high schools in Southern California, most of which have many Spanish-speaking students. Perhaps the musical itself will appeal to the growing Latino population in the U.S. West Side Story is about the clash of culture and the new version gives both cultures their proper respect.
After my involvement in the high school production, I didn’t hear much else about “West Side Story”. My wife had gotten a CD of instrumental music from the musical a few years ago. Still, I’d nearly forgotten about it until sometime during the first half of 2009. We were watching the Tony Awards and learned that there was a revival on Broadway of “West Side Story”. They had revised some of the lyrics to be sung in Spanish and made the gangs look more thuggish and authentic. I believe the actress who played Anita in this production won a Tony. I also think I heard that the actress who played Maria was discovered by the casting directors when they saw her on YouTube. This all sounded interesting. When I was in the high school production I wondered how come the Sharks didn’t have more Spanish lines. The only one I remembered was Bernardo saying, “Vamanos, chicos! Es tarde.”
We got the CD of the New Broadway Cast Recording. The production came to Broadway in early 2009. I think it opened in March of that year. During the first track, “Prologue”, the Jets and Sharks have some skirmishes. The Sharks banter among themselves and yell Spanish insults at the Jets. The next song sounds identical to the original. “When You’re a Jet” serves to introduce us to the Jets: Riff, the leader; Action; A-Rab; Baby John; Big Deal; Diesel; Snowboy; 4H; and Anybodys, the tomboy. The next track, “Something Coming” sung by Tony, is also unchanged from the original. I remember the choreography for the next track, “Dance in the Gym”, a mostly instrumental number. It begins sounding like swing but soon changes to a Latin beat with everyone calling out “Mambo” at different points. In this new version both the Sharks and the Jets call out “Mambo”. I only remember the Sharks calling it out in my school’s production.
The next track, “Maria”, also sung by Tony, is also the original. But when the spoken lines are also included I could clearly discern Maria’s Latin accent. During the next song, “Tonight” sung by Maria and Tony, Maria speaks Spanish at the end: “Te adoro, Anton.” I don’t remember if that’s part of the original production or not. The next song, “America”, is sung by the Shark girls, principally Anita and Rosalia. Their Latina accents are very apparent but they don’t sing in Spanish. It’s still a fun song. The Jets sing the next song, “Cool” and I think some of the Jet girls join in for a few parts. Tony and Maria then sing “One Hand, One Heart” that’s all in English. The use of Spanish doesn’t become very apparent until the next song, the “Tonight” quintet. The singing alternates between the Jets, Maria, Tony, Anita, Riff, and the Sharks. This time the Sharks sing only in Spanish. They use a wide vocabulary with several words I didn’t know such as “impondremos”. When I was in the high school production, I think we just sang the same words as the Jets or, at least, words in English. But in this production, the Sharks get their own story in their own language. For example, the words in the earlier version were:
Jets: “Well, they began it.”
Sharks: “Well, they began it”
In the new version they are:
Jets: “Well, they began it.”
Sharks: “Son los cupables.” (It’s their fault.)
I also learned some more names of the Sharks from the CD liner notes. In addition to Bernardo, the leader, Chino, and Indio there are Bobo, Inca, and Pepe.
The next track is the “Rumble” that’s an instrumental and similar to the prologue. There’s not as much banter in either language. The only discernable word is Tony shouting “Maria!” The next song is all in Spanish and sung by Maria and the Shark girls. Previously it was the cheesy-sounding “I Feel Pretty”. Now it’s “Me Siento Hermosa.” Like the “Tonight” quintet, it has a complex and wide vocabulary with a couple of words I didn’t know: atolondrada and faz. It just sounds more natural in Spanish, like it’s more about celebration than vanity. It even has what sounds like a Latin rhythm.
The language is back to English for the next song, although not entirely. “Somewhere” is Maria and Tony’s fantasy about getting away from all the troubles around them. I think there was a dream sequence at this point in the high school production. In the new Broadway production, they added the character Kiddo, a Jet who’s young enough to be a child. He sings one verse of “Somewhere” in a choirboy voice. This adds to the fantasy of a safe and innocent place. At the end they sing one line in Spanish that I think greatly improves the song. Previously, the lines seemed a bit repetitive:
Maria: “Hold my hand and we’re halfway there.”
Tony: “Hold my hand and I’ll take you there.”
Now the lines are more original:
Tony: “Hold my hand and we’re halfway there.”
Maria: “Llevame para no volver.” (Roughly, carry me in order to not return)
The next song is unchanged from the original and it doesn’t require improvement. It’s the song that “lampoons the legal system” as my former English teacher wrote. “Officer Krupke” remains very funny and very witty. Action is the Jet on trial, 4H is Officer Krupke, Diesel is the judge, Snowboy is the head shrinker, and either A-Rab or Baby John is the social worker. I believe in our high school production they had the social worker sing in falsetto voice for some reason. Wisely, they don’t do this in the new production.
The next song is in Spanish. Anita and Maria’s former song “A Boy Like That” becomes “Un Hombre Asi”. Note the direct translation, “A Man Like That”, matures the subject from a boy to a man. But a man makes more sense. Again, the song includes a sophisticated Spanish vocabulary with lines “y este amor te sale caro”. The line “your own kind” from the original becomes “los tuyos” so it’s more like “your crowd” or “your group”. The last song is the finale, a recap of “Tonight” in instrumental. At the end this time Maria sings “Hold my hand and we’re halfway there,” and Tony answers “llevame para no volver.”
Overall, I think the New Broadway Cast Recording is a big improvement. The tragic story, excellent songs, and mixture of humor with the predominantly serious drama are all still there. But the use of Spanish lyrics and lines give the Sharks their own culture and identity, making them more than just foils for the Jets. It’s also more realistic. People that aren’t very far removed from their original cultures tend to bring them along, including the language. It makes the musical overall that much richer. I wish this version was around back when I was in high school. It would have given me a chance to practice my Spanish, maybe learn some new words. Then again, the directors might have thought it too difficult because my school had few Spanish-speaking students at the time, if any. Still, this new version would be great for high schools in Southern California, most of which have many Spanish-speaking students. Perhaps the musical itself will appeal to the growing Latino population in the U.S. West Side Story is about the clash of culture and the new version gives both cultures their proper respect.
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