West Side Story Video Reveals First Look At America Musical Number
A new behind the scenes video for Steven Spielberg's West Side Story reveals the first look at the show-stopping "America" number. The iconic stage musical has been turned into a movie once before by directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (who choreographed the original Broadway production), but it will get a modern reexamination this winter thanks to Spielberg. After conquering drama, sci-fi, and adventure, the prolific director is trying his hand at his very first musical with West Side Story.
The Romeo and Juliet-inspired musical centers on the romance that springs up at the center of a gang war. Tony (Ansel Elgort), best friend to the leader of the Jets, crosses a line when he falls for Maria (Rachel Zegler), the sister of the Sharks' head. West Side Story tells a tale nearly as old as time, though Spielberg has offered a few twists on the beloved source material, such as the decision to make local drugstore owner Doc a woman, played by the 1961 West Side Story's Rita Moreno. The new movie also stars Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, and Corey Stoll.
On Wednesday, 20th Century Studios unveiled a special sneak peek at West Side Story. In addition to revealing some fun behind the scenes moments, like Spielberg's toast to the first shot of the movie, the video shows a bit of one of the musical's biggest numbers, "America." Fans of West Side Story will get a thrill out of hearing it. Check out the video down below.
Click here to watch the video on YouTube.
"America" is Anita's (DeBose) big number highlighting the immigrant experience and the dreams that come with moving to the United States. Not only is it one of the more fun numbers in West Side Story, it also includes an excellent dance break. Most adaptations of West Side Story have stuck with Robbins' original choreography, but Spielberg's movie will feature new routines from Justin Peck. It'll be quite interesting to see how they compare to the original, though West Side Story's trailers have so far kept most in the dark.
In fact, "America" is the only song besides the duets "Tonight" and "Somewhere" that have received any real attention so far in West Side Story's marketing, and even then, only small snippets have emerged. Despite being a well-known musical, the various numbers remain a mystery. That just makes their eventual reveal in the final cut even more intriguing. West Side Story is just over a month away from release, and once it arrives, fans can decide if Spielberg has a knack for staging big musical numbers.
Source: 20th Century Studios