Serendipity Talk: West Side Story: Then and Now

West Side Story, a retelling of Romeo and Juliet in a world of urban gang violence, revolutionized the Broadway musical in terms of its plot, music, and integration of dance. The 1957 play was made into an award-winning film musical in 1961 and will soon be seen in new film directed by Steven Spielberg. This talk will view the musical's creation, discuss its innovations, and describe its performance history using a mix of audio and video clips, including those featuring the work's creators—Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Robbins, and Arthur Laurents.

Dan Sherman has taught several courses on musical theater and film musicals at OLLI, along with many other venues in the area. He holds his PhD in economics from Cornell and retired as Managing Director at the American Institutes for Research.

 

No registration is required. The Zoom link will be e-mailed to all those subscribed to the OLLI newsletter the morning of the talk. If you do not receive the newsletter and would like to attend, please e-mail [email protected] that morning.