One Day University: 'West Side Story' Past, Present, and Future

One Day University: 'West Side Story' Past, Present, and Future

We’ll examine the legacy of this remarkable work, how it came together, evolved and has remained relevant.

Few musicals in the Broadway canon have had the impact of West Side Story. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, this 20th-century tale of forbidden love was the product of a massive collaboration between some of the biggest names in the history of the genre, including Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins and more.

Historians often describe West Side Story as a watershed work that changed the trajectory of Broadway through the introduction of especially intricate and challenging music and dance. It also cast a spotlight on complex social and racial issues which were, for that time, taboo and rare in the theater. Though set in the 1950s, the timelessness of the story is reflected in the fact that it has experienced no fewer than eight revivals since its 1957 premier (including an ephemeral and ill-fated early 2020 run).

Indeed, West Side Story is as topical as ever, with audiences having widely anticipated the Spielberg-directed cinematic adaptation released in 2021. Professor Gil Harel will examine how it came together, how it has evolved and remained relevant, and finally, how the story has been and might be adapted in future incarnations.