West Side Story
West Side Story – A story for our times? #Bernstein100
Unfortunately knife crime and ‘tribalism’ still exist, 400 years after Romeo and Juliet was written. When Bernstein wrote West Side Story he shifted the context to 1950s America. We’ve had another look at it… Given our country today, the children said that we had to include the knife crime and tribalism, but they did come up with a different emphasis. Our girls were determined to have a more proactive influence on events. ‘Doc’ was incredibly feisty. So we’ve ended up with a lot more positive energy, along with the genius of Bernstein’s music. Sondheim’s lyrics are adapted in places by our children. Dave Higson re-wrote parts of the score for brass band. John Howarth adapted for children’s accompaniment. Adam Foster and Jo Andrews ‘bounced off’ Jerome Robbins’ choreography. When children (and staff) are exposed to works of brilliance, look what they can do!
