West Side Story was an acclaimed and popular Broadway musical in 1959 and then Hollywood film in 1961. Based on the story of Romeo and Juliette, it is the story of an ill-fated and impossible love between Tony and Maria whose families and communities are at war with each other.
This story is about a recording of the Broadway score in 1984, 25 years later. Bernstein records the songs with a new generation of performing artists, renown singers who learned to act in the opera rather than Broadway actors who learned to sing in the theater. It's a remarkable documentary that captures the dynamic between the maestro and these superstars.
Let the recap of the story help you the context of Maria's and Tony's love story. Notice how the roles of Maria and Anita come through in this scene. You can see and feel the conflict between Kiri Te Kanawa and Tatiana Troyanos. And because the tension is so great, the resolution between them is even more moving.
There's another whole level to the telling of this story because Bernstein is conducting his own piece as an old man, music that he composed many years earlier as a much younger man. What's remarkable is that he's still totally engaged and engrossed with the music. It's still fresh and compelling to him, 25 years later.
