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West Side Story (Original Broadway Cast)
''West Side Story (Original Broadway Cast)'' is the 1957 recording of a Broadway production of the musical ''West Side Story''. Recorded 3 days after the show opened at the Winter Garden Theatre, the recording was released in October 1957 in both mono and stereo formats. In 1962, the album reached #5 on Billboard's Pop Album chart. It certified gold by the RIAA on January 12, 1962. The album was reissued in 1973 and made its first appearance on CD in 1986. A 1997 remastered edition is coupled with an orchestral suite named “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story” recomposed and conducted by its original composer Leonard Bernstein and performed by the New York Philharmonic recorded at the Manhattan Center on March 6, 1961. The Stephen Sondheim Reference Guide. Accessed September 24, 2007. It was recorded at the |
Broadway Theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Theatre'' as the proper noun in their names (12 others used neither), with many performers and trade groups for live dramatic presentations also using the spelling ''theatre''. or Broadway, are the theatrical performances presented in the 41 professional theatres, each with 500 or more seats, located in the Theater District and the Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world. While the thoroughfare is eponymous with the district and its collection of 41 theaters, and it is also closely identified with Times Square, only three of the theaters are located on Broadway itself (namely the Broadwa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maria (West Side Story Song)
"Maria" is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical ''West Side Story'', sung by the lead character Tony. The music was written by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The song was published in 1956. "Maria" is sung by the male lead Tony when he learns the name of the girl he's fallen in love with is "Maria". The name "Maria" is spoken or sung in the song 29 times. Originally written in B major by Bernstein – but later lowered a half step to Bb major for the Original Broadway production – which then modulates to D major respectively. In the 1961 and 2021 films however, the song was in the key of A major modulating to D-flat major. The song is widely known for its use of the melodic interval of a tritone in the main theme. The song is an example of the use of Lydian mode, which is the same as the major scale but with a raised 4th, giving the tritone characteristic of this piece. Cover versions * Peter Alexander * Alfie Boe * Andrea Boc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grover Dale
Grover Dale is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, theater director, and publisher. Early life Dale was born Grover Robert Aitken in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Emma Bertha (Ammon) and Ronal Rittenhouse Aitken, a restaurateur. He studied dance with Lillian Jasper in McKeesport from 1945 to 1950. Partnering up with another dancer (Mary Lou Steele) in an aggressive rendition of "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue, Grover secured multiple performance opportunities in local nightclubs before getting his first professional job with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera in 1953. Career Dale's Broadway stage debut was in the 1956 musical ''Li'l Abner'' as a dancer. He appeared in the original cast of ''West Side Story'' as Snowboy, a member of the Jets gang. Other stage credits include the role of Andrew in ''Greenwillow'', in which he also understudied Anthony Perkins as Gideon Briggs; Noël Coward's '' Sail Away,'' where he had the juvenile lead role of architect Barnaby Slade; and in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Charnin
Martin Charnin (November 24, 1934 – July 6, 2019) was an American lyricist, writer, and theatre director. Charnin's best-known work is as conceiver, director, and lyricist of the musical ''Annie.'' Life and career Charnin was born in New York City, the son of Birdie (Blakeman) and William Charnin, an opera singer. His family was Jewish. Charnin graduated from The High School of Music & Art and then from The Cooper Union, where he earned a BFA."Martin Charnin Biography". FilmReference.com, accessed July 11, 2012 Charnin began his theatrical career as a performer, appearing as "Big Deal", one of the Jets in the original production of ''''. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, and double bass * woodwinds, such as the flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon * Brass instruments, such as the horn, trumpet, trombone, cornet, and tuba * percussion instruments, such as the timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tambourine, and mallet percussion instruments Other instruments such as the piano, harpsichord, and celesta may sometimes appear in a fifth keyboard section or may stand alone as soloist instruments, as may the concert harp and, for performances of some modern compositions, electronic instruments and guitars. A full-size Western orchestra may sometimes be called a or philharmonic orchestra (from Greek ''phil-'', "loving", and "harmony"). The actual number of musicians employ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reri Grist
Reri Grist (born February 29, 1932) is an American coloratura soprano, one of the pioneer African-American singers to enjoy a major international career in opera. Biography Reri Grist was born in New York City, grew up in the East River Housing Projects, attended the High School of Music & Art, majored in voice and graduated with a BA in Music from Queens College, City University of New York. In her early teens she performed on Broadway in small roles with Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, including Robert Ardrey's 1946 play '' Jeb'', and in musicals with Eartha Kitt, while taking voice lessons with her teacher, Claire Gelda. Her first opera engagement was as Madame Herz in a concert performance of Mozart's ''Der Schauspieldirektor''. Her first staged "operatic" engagement was in 1956 as Cindy Lou (Micaela) in ''Carmen Jones'', Oscar Hammerstein's adaptation of Bizet's '' Carmen''. She was Consuelo in the original production of Leonard Bernstein's musical ''West Side Story'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Boy Like That
"A Boy Like That/I Have A Love" is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical ''West Side Story'', with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. In the musical, the song is sung by the characters Anita and Maria. For the original Broadway cast recording, the song was performed by Chita Rivera (Anita) and Carol Lawrence (Maria). In the 1961 film version the roles were played by Rita Moreno and Natalie Wood, but the songs were dubbed by Betty Wand and Marni Nixon (as both Anita and Maria). However, the repeat of the two stanzas, sung by Anita, along with Maria's counterpoint of her defense, was omitted because of the complexity of the song, as well as to avoid the repetition, which would have slowed down the pace of the film. In the 2021 film, the roles were played by Ariana DeBose and Rachel Zegler. In 2010, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Raúl Esparza performed the song at Broadway Backwards, an annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS showcase of show tunes sung by dif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gee, Officer Krupke
"Gee, Officer Krupke" is a comedy number from the 1957 musical ''West Side Story''. The song was composed by Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) and Leonard Bernstein (music), and was featured in the Broadway musical and subsequent 1961 and 2021 films. Music The song is sung by members of the street gang the Jets, who poke fun at the gruff Police Sergeant Krupke by singing about the societal forces that led them to join a gang. Following a theme used throughout the musical, the song begins with a tritone on the word ''Dear'', held longer to signify its importance. Lyrically, the song features four seven-line verses, each filled with puns and wordplay. Each verse culminates with an interjection (e.g., "Golly Moses", "Leapin' lizards"), followed by the final line. The tune was originally composed for an unused song for the Venice scene in '' Candide'', where the lyrics, by John Latouche, ended with the line, "Where does it get you in the end?" Censorship The last line of the song (perfo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Somewhere (song)
"Somewhere", sometimes referred to as "Somewhere (There's a Place for Us)" or simply "There's a Place for Us", is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical ''West Side Story'' that was made into films in 1961 and 2021. The music is composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. In West Side Story Stage musical In the stage musical, the song appears in the second act of the show during the Somewhere Ballet. It is performed by an off-stage soprano singer and is later reprised by the entire company. In the original Broadway production, "Somewhere" was sung by Reri Grist who played the role of Consuelo. At the end of the show, when Tony is shot, Maria sings the first few lines of the song as he dies in her arms. In late 1957, this recording was released on the album ''West Side Story (Original Broadway Cast)''. 1961 film In the 1961 film, the song occurs at a pivotal point, after the rumble in which Tony (Richard Beymer) has stabbed Maria's brother, Bernardo (Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Feel Pretty
"I Feel Pretty" is a song from the 1957 musical ''West Side Story''. Production ''The New York Times'' explained that "Mr. Sondheim…has said he was never particularly fond of his lyrics in 'West Side Story,' especially 'I Feel Pretty, later expressing that "The idea of the song is so simple". The original stage version of the lyrics was changed in the making of the 1961 movie version of ''West Side Story'' due to a change in the scene's occurrence. Making 'I feel pretty and witty and bright/And I pity/Any girl who isn't me tonight' into 'I feel pretty, and witty and gay/And I pity/Any girl who isn't me today'. In the movie this night scene was changed to the daytime, so the rhyming words "bright" and "tonight" were changed to "gay" and "today". The lyrics were changed back to their original form for the 2021 film version. The song was cut from the 2019 Broadway revival in order to streamline the plot and condense it to a 90-minute intermissionless show. Steven Spielberg a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tonight Quintet
The "Tonight Quintet" is a number from the musical ''West Side Story'' (1957), with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Carol J. Oja has written that, "with the 'Tonight' quintet, Bernstein once again created a masterpiece of ensemble, one that rivals the best of such moments in European opera." Her remark echoes the earlier view of Will Crutchfield. In his review of the 1984 studio performance of ''West Side Story'', which was conducted by Bernstein himself, Crutchfield wrote that the release of the recording "is above all an occasion for celebrating one of the great operas of our century. ... This idea is hotly resisted, but the best argument for it is here on the records in the music itself. I can see no reason why the 'Tonight' ensemble should not be compared to the quartet from ''Rigoletto''." Based on the duet between Maria and Tony earlier in the musical, "Tonight", the five parts of the quintet are sung by the Jets, the Sharks, Tony, Maria, and Anita, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
One Hand, One Heart
"One Hand, One Heart" is a song from the musical ''West Side Story'' by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. It is a duet sung between Maria and Tony while they have a make-believe wedding, as seen in the stage version and 1961 film, while in the 2021 film, they sing it as they pledge their love to one another inside a church at The Cloisters as part of their date. Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence introduced it in the 1957 Broadway production. __TOC__ Analysis The tune was originally composed for an unused song in '' Candide'', called "One". The original tune comprised just a single dotted note per bar, which Sondheim was loath to write lyrics for, as he would have to write all single syllable words, so he wrote lyrics making fun of the tune to persuade Bernstein to give him the extra notes. Sondheim later wrote of the final product: Philip Brophy analysis the song's context within the musical: Notable recordings *Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence – for the album ''West Side ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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