In West Side Story: Cultural Perspectives on an American Musical, Wells presents a major scholarly study of the famous American musical West Side Story, viewing the work from cultural, historical, and musical perspectives. From the "mambo craze" of the 1950s to the work's ongoing permeation of popular culture, Wells looks at the myriad ways in which this canonic musical reflects and refracts American culture.
Drawing on primary documentary sources, oral historyāincluding interviews with members of the original creative team such as Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurentsāand early sketch material, Wells explores the creation and dissemination of West Side Story to diverse audiences. After a short history of West Side Story's creation, each chapter investigates the musical from a different cultural perspective, examining its relationship to the classical canon and Leonard Bernstein's investment in that tradition, juvenile delinquency in the 1950s, feminism and the women of West Side Story, Latin-American and Hispanic influences, and its international reception and distribution. Richly illustrated with images and musical examples and complete with factual appendixes like a chronological timeline, discography, and cast and crew list, this fascinating account is exciting for specialists and non-specialists alike.
- English
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eBook - ePub
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Subtopic
MusicTable of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgments
- Permissions
- 1 āThereās a Place for Usā: Reflections on an American Musical
- 2 From Gangway! to Broadway: Genesis of the Musical
- 3 āMusic about Musicā: Bernstein and West Side Story
- 4 āMambo!ā: West Side Story and the Hispanic
- 5 āI and Velma Aināt Dumbā: The Women of West Side Story
- 6 āA Boy Like Thatā: The Gangs of West Side Story
- 7 From the West Side to the East Side: Reception and Revision
- 8 āFinaleā
- Appendix A: Lyrics to Select Songs
- Appendix B: Chronology
- Appendix C: Cast and Crew of Various Productions, Including Award Nominations and Wins
- Appendix D: Discography of Complete Show Recordings
- Bibliography
- Index
- About the Author
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Yes, you can access West Side Story by Elizabeth A. Wells in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Music. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.