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ARTHUR LAURENTS
West Side Story

click to enlarge

Ace, London, 1961
(first published in UK by William Heinemann, 1959)
price: 2/6; 128 pages

The blurb on the back:

'Mr Laurents' script provides, perhaps, one of the best scripts any musical has ever had. It proces again the truth that strong story well presented is the basis of all good things in the theatre.' - Times Educational Supplement

opening lines:
A suggestion of city streets and alleyways; a brick wall.

Not much I can say about this, really. You all know West Side Story, and here it is as a theatre script, complete with the song lyrics (surely the best thing Stephen Sondheim ever did?). This was originally published to tie in with the first British staging at Her Majesty’s Theatre in 1958, and reprinted presumably to coincide with the success of the 1961 movie.

It’s included here mostly because I love the atmosphere of the piece.

let's dance
a scene from the London production

ARTISTIC MERIT: 4/5
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 3/5
HIPNESS QUOTIENT: 3/5

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