West Side Story

Dive into the world of the iconic musical

In collaboration with

The inspiration behind the story

Teens & New York

The social impact of West Side Story

The original production

We were all novices. We really were. We didn't know a goddamn thing about doing a show. – Jerome Robbins

Meet the makers

From stage to screen

"In the olden days, everybody sang. You were expected to sing as well as talk. It was a mark of the cultured man to sing." – Leonard Bernstein

The legacy

The journey continues

The world of West Side Story on Google Expeditions

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In collaboration with

The inspiration behind the story

A modern day Romeo and Juliet

In fair New York, where we lay our scene

10 things you never knew about West Side Story

From the ‘East Side Story’ to Audrey Hepburn’s starring role

Teens & New York

Then and now

The teenage gangs of 1950's Brooklyn

The inspiration behind the Jets and the Sharks

The history of the West Side

How it became the setting of the musical

The social impact of West Side Story

Civil rights and immigration politics

How the musical engaged with social concerns of the day

From East Side to West Side

On the story’s development and New York immigration past and present

The legacy of stereotypes and prejudice

Why is West Side Story still beloved? Or is it?

How Puerto Ricans have reinvented and reinterpreted West Side Story

The poets, performers and artists who have made it their own

The original production

Behind the scenes

How West Side Story was almost East Side Story

A plea for racial tolerance through song and dance

A dramatic change in producers

How the show almost didn't make it

Interviews with the original Broadway cast

Looking back 60 years later

A Jet and a Shark swap stories

On the sofa with Marguerita and Clarice

Broadway at the time of West Side Story

The Tony award winners in 1958

Chita Rivera on making musical history

The Broadway legend on creating the character of Anita, meeting Obama, and making history

Meet the makers

The important figures who helped make the broadway play a hit

Leonard Bernstein

The composer

Stephen Sondheim

The songwriter

Arthur Laurents

The bookwriter

Jerome Robbins

The choreographer and director

Peter Gennaro

The co-choreographer

Martha Swope

The photographer of broadway

Leonard Bernstein and Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall

From stage to screen

West Side Story goes to Hollywood

From stage to screen

The legacy

The Somewhere Project

Songwriting workshops in NYC's communities

Contemporary West Side Story

Behind the scenes of Carnegie Hall's 2016 production

What makes West Side Story such an enduring work?

Reflections from one of Leonard Bernstein's students

The journey continues

Online exhibits

Videos

Historic photographs and archives

Collections

The world of West Side Story on Google Expeditions

Are you a teacher? With Google Expeditions, take your students on immersive, virtual journeys of the iconic locations of West Side Story