West Side Stories: The Making of a Classic

2016 1h 0m EN

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 3

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

As the world prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of West Side Story in 2017, dancer Bruno Tonioli and broadcaster Suzy Klein go in search of the true stories behind the inception of this classic show. For the first time on television, they hear 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 BBC Symphony Orchestra and specially cast singers, we re-live some of the wonderful music and, in the company of Suzy and Bruno, we 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.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Bruno Tonioli
Self
Suzy Klein
Self
Stephen Sondheim
Self
Chita Rivera
Self
Rita Moreno
Self
Carol Lawrence
Self
Hal Prince
Self
Jerome Robbins
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ursula Macfarlane
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 60-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 10 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Bruno Tonioli and Suzy Klein and Stephen Sondheim carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt6144522 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ursula Macfarlane directs. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 60-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 10 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Bruno Tonioli and Suzy Klein and Stephen Sondheim carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt6144522 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.