West Side Story [Remaster] - Original Cast (CD 1998)

Bernstein was a walking, talking paradox. He craved to be famous, but despised being popular. When he conducted, he wished he was composing. When he was composing, he wished he was conducting. He bathed in the popularity of his masterpiece West Side Story whilst wishing that his horridly dated Mass could have the same success.

This CD is an remastering of the Original Broadway Cast recording of West Side Story with music by, obviously, Bernstein and lyrics by a very young Stephen Sondheim. Remarkably this was his first major project (Sondheim that is), and it's true the lyrics aren't his best (they're a bit self conscious and there's some odd deployments of rhyme) but incredible nonetheless. The project was inspired by Jerome Robbins who then eventually directed and choreographed the show.

West Side Story is a 1950s retake on Romeo and Juliet set in, funnily enough, the West Side of New York where two street gangs- the American Jets and the Puerto Rican sharks are locked in rough street warfare. These gangs obviously replace the families Montague and Capulet with something more relevant to their teenage stars- their own peers. A jet, Tony (Larry Kert) falls in love with a Shark girl- Maria (Carol Lawrence). The leader of the Jets, Riff (Mickey Calin) challenges the Sharks, led by Bernardo (Ken Le Roy) to a duel. Bernardo is also the brother of Maria. In the fight that ends Act I, Bernardo kills Riff and in retaliation, Tony kills Bernardo then flees into the night. Bernardo's fiancee, Anita (Chita Rivera) is distraught but is convinced by Maria to tell the Jets that she forgives Tony and still loves him. Maria tries to, but the Jets taunt her and, hurt, she tells them that Maria's intended fiance, Chino, has shot Maria. Tony is devastated and runs out to the streets to find Chino and beg him to kill him. He sees Maria one last time before he is shot dead by Chino. The two gangs are united by tragedy, and the gang war is over.

West Side Story contains some of the world's most famous showtunes. Maria, for example, holds the record for the most times a lover's name is mentioned in a song yet never does Tony say "I love you". The shamelessly romantic Tonight, sung on the fire escape (the balcony scene) contains the wonderfully corny lyric "tonight the world is just an address" (a lyric Sondheim 'fesses up being ashamed of). The hits keep coming- I Feel Pretty , and the infectiousness of America which will have you singing it for days. There is also the youthful optimism and heart-on-sleeve sentimentality of Somewhere.

This CD is an authoritative recording of both these songs- no easy task- and the lesser known but just as good numbers in the score. The orchestra catches Bernstein's nervy rhythms perfectly- especially in the opening dance prologue and fabulous Jet Song and in the fugato Cool. The Tonight Quintet that closes Act I before the Rumble is in the style of an operatic finaletto and is superbly handled. Rivera's throaty Anita is oddly touching (she really sounds wracked with grief) in A Boy Like That and a superb contrast to Lawrence's strong but naive tone as Maria.

One Hand, One Heart is the most placid number in the score and compared to the energy and dynamicism of the other tracks it can be somewhat dull. It comes from a different Bernstein- a less jazzy and more lyrical Bernstein of Candide- the show for which this tune was originally intended.

The words of West Side Story are so associated in the modern mind with 1950s jive street talk yet interestingly they were not taken from street talk but the other way round. Worried that contemporary slang would date, Bernstein and Sondheim created their own language which was quickly absorbed into popular lingo.

Curiously, West Side Story suffers slightly on CD because so much of the integral action was staged through Robbin's lively and incredible choreography. All the numbers in the musical were derived from the loves and hates of the gangs- except the comic relief in an otherwise gloomy Act II with Gee Office Krupke. Many of the most important moments in the story are danced, not sung- when Tony and Maria meet at the Dance or the Rumble where everyone starts dying all over the shop.

Filling out the CD are the West Side Story Symphonic Dances which do seem a bit redundant, but are nice enough nonetheless and are played in an excited fashion by the New York Philharmonic under Bernstein's own baton. He was one of the few composers who could successfully conduct his own music.

The sound quality is superb- this is excellent remastering by Columbia. The CD also comes with a neat booklet, including a trip down memory lane by the original actor who played Jet Baby John.

Go man go, go go go but not like a yo yo schoolboy

In a world of jukebox musicals a la We Will Rock You (horrific) and Mamma Mia (used to be considered horrific, but actually well crafted when compared to the Elton/Queen travesty) it is somewhat refreshing to find such a creative output with original music and a strong, powerful storyline- albeit a show that is about to celebrate its half century.