Semi-Staged Concert Production
Leonard Bernstein's original Broadway orchestration performed live.
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West Side Story comes to life in this semi-staged concert production as the Ottawa Pops Orchestra performs Leonard Bernstein's original Broadway orchestration live. More than sixty-five years after its Broadway premiere, West Side Story remains as powerful, poignant, and relevant as ever. Arthur Laurents' book, Leonard Bernstein's score, and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics have made it one of the defining works of musical theatre.
Inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the story unfolds on the streets of New York City, where two young lovers find themselves caught between the rival Jets and Sharks. Its exploration of love, prejudice, violence, and belonging continues to resonate with audiences across generations.
Presented by a full symphony orchestra and vocal cast, this semi-staged concert production is performed without sets or costumes, allowing audiences to experience Bernstein's original Broadway orchestration and Sondheim's lyrics in a concert setting while preserving the dramatic arc of the musical.
Behind the Music
A Story Nearly 500 Years Old
Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story reimagines one of literature's greatest tragedies for 1950s New York City. By replacing Shakespeare's feuding noble families with the rival Jets and Sharks, the creators transformed a Renaissance drama into a story that explores immigration, identity, prejudice, and belonging through the lens of modern America.
From East Side Story to West Side Story
Before it became West Side Story, the musical was conceived as East Side Story. Developed in 1949 by Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, and Arthur Laurents, the original concept explored religious conflict between Jewish and Catholic families. As New York's racial and cultural tensions came to the forefront in the 1950s, the creators reimagined the story around rival street gangs, giving birth to one of Broadway's most influential musicals.
This Isn't Your Typical Broadway Orchestra
West Side Story was written for an unusually large Broadway orchestra. Bernstein worked closely with orchestrators Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal to create a score in which the orchestra doesn't simply accompany the singers: it drives the drama. Bernstein later returned to the score to create the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, now performed by orchestras around the world.
Performance Credits
"WEST SIDE STORY" SYMPHONY CONCERT VERSION
Based on a concept by Jerome Robbins
Book by Arthur Laurents
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Original direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins
Originally produced on Broadway by Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince
By arrangement with Roger L. Stevens
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