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Thursday, August 30, 2007

"West Side Story" is Back!

On stage at Wolf Trap in Northern Viriginia, Leonard Bernstein's musical about young love amid gang warfare still has appeal after half a century. The modern rendition of Romeo and Juliet is something my siblings and I would listen to repeatedly on the record player while we were growing up. We knew "Officer Krupke" by heart and thought it was hilarious; the tragic social implications sank in later. Nevertheless, my sister and I would always sob when Tony died; it felt like the end of the world when Maria walked off by herself into the darkness. The various love songs are among the most searing ever written, worthy of Puccini himself, except that West Side Story is All-American, unique to our time and our nation. The theme of transcendent love, however, is universal.
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 30, 2007 at 11:07:00 AM EDT

    Have you seen the movie too? I first saw in junior high and enjoyed it. Last month it was on PBS-WETA as part of its movie series.

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  2. elena maria vidalAugust 30, 2007 at 11:10:00 AM EDT

    Oh, yes, I have seen the movie. Many times.

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  3. AnonymousAugust 30, 2007 at 11:15:00 PM EDT

    I first heard the music when a friend of mine came back from NYC and said I just HAD to hear the record from this wonderful new musical on Broadway that she had just seen. I am still as moved by the music as I was upon first hearing it so many years ago. It is ageless!

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  4. The Bass playerAugust 31, 2007 at 1:33:00 PM EDT

    we used to listen to the soundtrack in the car alot, my then 4 y.o. would always make us play "America" over and over again...dancing in her car seat.

    ReplyDelete

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