The timeless tale of the ill-fated love between Tony and María set across the crumbling backdrop of San Juan Hills of Manhattan, 1957. A rickety old fire escape, perhaps not the balcony they were expecting, but it's the one they get. Surrounded by the bigotry, hate, and pride of gang warfare between the Jets and the Sharks, somewhere there might be a place for them, but you know how the story goes. 

This course will be a three-part lecture/conference style class intended to review how the narrative structure of the 1957 Romeo and Juliet adaptation classic West Side Story has evolved across mediums from musical, to novel, to film, and across time from directors Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise in 1961 to Stephen Spielberg in 2021. We will explore how the characters have been reinterpreted across adaptations, the evolution of the narrative function of songs like America and Cool, and weigh the benefits of various Act structures and intermissions. 

From critical changes demanded by Oscar-winning Anita star Rita Morano in America to her executive producer role in the 2021 remake, to the difference between producing a contemporary piece verses a period piece, we will delve into how the forms of the musical genre such as song, dance, and set design play into the themes of race, class, oppression, and the death of the American Dream. 

We will explore the historical contexts around the development of each adaptation, their receptions both critically and culturally, and their lasting legacy as the United State’s star-crossed lovers. Enough talking. Let’s try something else: MAMBO!

This class is a 3-part series

Instructor: Josh Ogawa (student)