Main content
This programme is not currently available on ±«Óãtv iPlayer

West Side Stories - The Making of a Classic

Documentary about the musical West Side Story. Bruno Tonioli and Suzy Klein go in search of the true stories behind the inception of this classic show.

West Side Story is one of the best-loved musicals of all time. A modern-day Romeo and Juliet, its timeless story and exhilarating dance and music continue to excite audiences around the globe. Songs such as Maria, Somewhere, Tonight and America have all become some of the biggest hits in showbusiness. And yet, West Side Story had an uneasy birth and was even turned away by producers when it was first put together in the 1950s by Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents.

As the world prepared to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of West Side Story in 2017, dancer Bruno Tonioli and broadcaster Suzy Klein went in search of the true stories behind the inception of this classic show. For the first time on television, they heard first-hand from those involved in the show when it opened on Broadway in September 1957, including Sondheim himself, producer Hal Prince and original cast members from both show and movie, including Chita Rivera, Carol Lawrence and Rita Moreno. With the ±«Óãtv Symphony Orchestra and specially cast singers, we relive some of the wonderful music and, in the company of Suzy and Bruno, discover how West Side Story placed the 1950s phenomena of racial tension and teenage gangs centre stage to create a hit that changed musical theatre forever.

59 minutes

Last on

Mon 27 Dec 2021 15:35
±«Óãtv Two except Wales & Wales HD

Clip

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:03

    Leonard Bernstein

    Prologue

  • 00:03

    Leonard Bernstein

    America

    Performer: Betty Wand. Performer: George Chakiris.
  • 00:04

    Leonard Bernstein

    America

    Performer: Betty Wand. Performer: George Chakiris.
  • 00:07

    Nilla Pizzi

    Grazie Dei Fiori

  • 00:12

    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture (1880 Version)

  • 00:15

    Leonard Bernstein

    Jet Song

  • 00:16

    Nat King Cole

    Nature Boy

  • 00:16

    Members of the Cast

    Dance At The Gym

  • 00:24

    Leonard Bernstein

    Tonight

  • 00:29

    Tito Puente

    Cuban Mambo

  • 00:29

    Leonard Bernstein

    Dance At The Gym

  • 00:35

    Miles Davis Quintet

    'Round Midnight (Album Version)

  • 00:38

    Chita Rivera, Marilyn Cooper

    America

  • 00:39

    Leonard Bernstein

    A Boy Like That / I Have A Love

  • 00:40

    Leonard Bernstein

    A Boy Like That / I Have a Love

  • 00:52

    Leonard Bernstein

    Finale

  • 00:55

    Leonard Bernstein

    Somewhere

  • 00:58

    Leonard Bernstein

    Maria

    Performer: Jimmy Bryant.

Credits

Presenter Bruno Tonioli
Presenter Suzy Klein
Producer Ursula Macfarlane
Director Ursula Macfarlane
Executive Producer Ben Weston
Production Company Reef Television Ltd

Broadcasts

Featured in...

  • The Joy of Dance

    Performances and documentaries exploring dance, and the artform's finest practitioners.

  • Music Stories

    Get the inside track on some of music's most influential songs, albums and personalities.

  • Musicals on the ±«Óãtv

    Sensational song and dance stories, and the people who make them.