West Side Story: Un relato que trasciende al paso del tiempo

West Side Story is a Broadway musical that premiered in 1957, it is acclaimed for its similarity with Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet '' and for addressing a sensitive issue for the time in which this story was created: strong racism between immigrants and North Americans. The musical takes place in the first years after the end of World War II, a time when the US and European countries had to deal with the people affected by the war and with the anger of European residents due to the lack of resources and space towards the arrival of refugees. According to an article by Carol J. Oja, when West Side Story premiered on Broadway the show immediately became popular for its “daring artistic vision” (2014), dealing with issues like urban gang violence and xenophobia. The story of Tony and María began to gain popularity and to be increasingly heard in different parts of the United States. It became a call for tolerance and sympathy towards the situation that the immigrants faced. Unfortunately, despite the passing of the years, xenophobia towards immigrants still exists and this is one of the reasons Carol points out that West Side Story continues to be a story that resonates and continues to try to raise awareness of this impending problem. 

That’s how West Side Story catches you. A warm yet tragic love story between two young people who have to go through hard obstacles to be happy together. The combination of both factors make it a tale that lasts through time, and that is why in July our Performing Arts Program will retell this story. 

Our curriculum for this program is focused on clear objectives for the production of the musical, and we also have the addition of a special week of on-camera acting training which reinforces other stage skills for our students and ensures that our bilingual experience is accompanied by great professionals from the industry. As an organization, our goal is to awaken the creative side of our students. We wish to train them at a semi-professional level and also measure the progress and achievements of English language proficiency.

Don’t miss Spotlight Arts Company’s musical adaptation of West Side Story, coming soon to Barranco, Lima. For more information about the program, click here. here. 

References:

A.O.Scott (2021). West Side Story Review: In Love and War, 1957 Might Be Tonight. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/08/movies/west-side-story-review.html

Carol J, Oja (2014). An Out and Out Plea for Racial Tolerance: West Side Story, Civil Rights, and Immigration Politics. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/an-out-and-out-plea-for-racial-tolerance-west-side-story-civil-rights-and-immigration-politics-carnegie-hall/9AVByxXwWyd8Kg?hl=en

Guy Lodge (2021). West Side Story is a musical reboot that’s tinged with melancholy. https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/west-side-story-2021-musical-reboot-is-tinged-with-melancholy

Photograph obtained from https://wall.alphacoders.com/