Actors Russ Tamblyn and George Chakiris, two original cast members of the 1961 musical film West Side Story, stopped by Lincoln Center to do an interview for The Today Show. They talked about getting shinsplints after vigorous rehearsals, the thrill of getting nominated for an Oscar and the important legacy of the film that ultimately won 10 Academy Awards that year.
When Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents originally began to collaborate on an updated version of Romeo and Juliet, their story of romance between an Italian boy and a Jewish girl set in Lower East Manhattan was to be called East Side Story. The project languished and six years later was revived with a more contemporary twist: the boy was Polish-American and the girl was Puerto Rican. The action was relocated to the Upper West Side, near the Lincoln Center, on 86th and Amsterdam, and the musical renamed West Side Story. West Side Story premiered on Broadway in 1957, and was quickly hailed as a landmark.
The film version, directed by Robbins was not far behind. While most of the film was shot on soundstages, the prologue was filmed on the streets of New York. It seems fitting that people who would go on to have such strong professional associations with Lincoln Center (Leonard Bernstein as Music Director of New York Philharmonic and Jerome Robbins, a long time collaborator with New York City Ballet), should help enshrine this important part of Upper West Side history.
In a convergence of old and new, tonight the New York Philharmonic performs the iconic music score live as the film plays on the big screen!
In this New York Times article, Howard Thompson describes the filming of West Side Story in New York.
Tonight and tomorrow in Avery Fisher Hall at 7.30pm, to celebrate to 50th Anniversary of this iconic film, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing Leonard Bernstein’s electrifying and memorable songs live, while the newly re-mastered film is shown in glorious high-definition on the big screen with original vocals and dialog intact. Not to be missed!
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) serves three primary roles: presenter of superb artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. As a presenter of some 5,000 programs and events annually, LCPA’s offerings include American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, the Mostly Mozart Festival, White Light Festival, and Live From Lincoln Center. In addition, LCPA is leading a series of major capital projects, now nearly complete, on behalf of the resident organizations across the campus. Lincoln Center is a 16-acre campus housing 11 prestigious cultural organizations including LCPA. The other 10 are the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Juilliard School, Lincoln Center Theater, the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and the School of American Ballet. Like us on facebook. Watch us on YouTube
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