After a successful month-long revival at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. and a series of previews in New York, the Tony Award-winning musical West Side Story (with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim), officially returned to Broadway and opened at the Palace Theatre on March 19, 2009. The current production of West Side Story incorporates selective translations of the book and the songs, with the translations of the lyrics done by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also wrote In the Heights.

Attending the premiere of the 2009 revival was Carol Lawrence, who created the role of Maria in the original 1957 Broadway production directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. It is the original cast, which also included Larry Kert as Tony and Chita Rivera (the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award in 2000) as Anita, that is featured on this recording of the music and songs of West Side Story.

Based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, set in the mid-1950s on New York's turbulent Upper West Side, explores the clashing of two ethnic and cultural backgrounds ( America ) played out through the rivalry of two teenage gangs, the Jets ( Jet Song ) and the Sharks. Tony, one of the leaders of the Jets, and Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, fall in love after meeting at a dance ( The Dance At The Gym ). After professing their love to one another ( Tonight ), Tony and Maria plan to run away and leave the violence associated with the gangs behind. However, their dream of a life together ( One Hand One Heart ) is never realized as Riff, the other leader of the Jets, Bernardo, and Tony, are all killed ( The Rumble ) by the gangs' blind hatred of one another.

West Side Story is timeless, which is why the musical has met continued success and critical acclaim for over fifty years. When asked at the premiere of the 2009 revival why she thought West Side Story touches people the way it does, Carol Lawrence answered, "Because it has a universal message. It is a love story that is torn apart because of the evil of intolerance, hatred, bigotry."

Recommended Tracks:
I Feel Pretty
Tonight