REAL West Side stories

Bruno Tonioli tells the musical’s tortured tale in a new documentary marking its 60th anniversary

Bruno Tonioli can still recall his thrill at seeing West Side Story on the big screen for the first time as a child in Italy. ‘From the first dance sequence I thought, “I want to be part of this world.”

It’s still some of the best choreography ever.’

Yet the musical was, in Bruno’s words, ‘never meant to happen’. This gritty take on Romeo And Juliet set among the gangs of New York was the antithesis of the typical Broadway shows of its era, so dark and modern that not everyone wanted it to happen. ‘A lot of people were against it,’ he says.

Bruno and broadcaster Suzy Klein are fronting a one-off documentary in the build-up to the 60th anniversary of the stage show opening on Broadway. Speaking to those involved with the show and the ensuing film, they piece together the dramas before the first curtain call in 1957.

The show’s director and choreographer Jerome Robbins first had the idea of using gang-ridden areas of Manhattan as the setting for his take on Shakespeare’s play in 1947. He teamed up with composer Leonard Bernstein and screenwriter Arthur Laurents, and in their version of the story the Juliet figure was Jewish and Romeo was an Irish Catholic.

By 1949, however, mired in disagreements, the idea had been mothballed. It would take another six years for the trio to regroup – by which time Laurents was pitching Puerto Rican street gang the Sharks against white gang the Jets. When former Jet Tony falls in love with Maria, whose brother is the leader of the Sharks, the gangs clash with fatal consequences.

Another musical legend would soon join the team: lyricist Stephen Sondheim. His partnership with Bernstein wasn’t always easy, he recalls. ‘Lenny was fond of changing my lyrics. I’d write something, he’d change it and say, “Wouldn’t this be better?” Then we’d argue. I was 25 and he treated me like a kid.’

Money was a problem too. ‘At the time Broadway shows were all jazz hands,’ says Bruno. ‘This story had people in jeans against brick walls and someone dies at the end. No one wanted to back it.’ Fortunately Sondheim persuaded a friend, talented young producer Hal Prince, to invest at the 11th hour.

Rehearsals were no picnic either, and cast members tell Bruno of broken limbs and endless injuries. ‘Nothing but perfection would satisfy Robbins. He pushed them to the limit,’ says Bruno.

The show finally opened on Broadway in September 1957, with Carol Lawrence playing Maria and Larry Kert as Tony. Carol describes the first night as ‘nerve-racking’. But 17 curtain calls later she knew it was a hit. It would run for 732 performances and be nominated for a Tony award for Best Musical, while the 1961 film with Natalie Wood as

Maria and Richard Beymer as Tony won ten Oscars.

‘The show is universal,’ says Bruno, ‘it’s about not being able to integrate. The music is a work of art too. The song Somewhere is as good as any operatic aria. It makes you cry instantly.’ West Side Stories, Boxing Day, 5.20pm, BBC2.