West
Side Story
Lecture notes: by Michael Moor
West Side Story raises many issues by:
•
Combining High Art and Popular Culture.
•
Exploring racial tension.
•
Challenging the norms of popular entertainment as ‘escapism’.
•
Extensive use of Dance.
•
Tragedy.
IT’S LONGEVITY SUGGESTS
•
That there is a discerning public out there.
•
That musical theatre can be an effective forum for ‘serious’
issues.
West Side Story must be seen in the
context of the civil rights movement….
….Martin
Luther King became active around the mid 1950’s for example ..
It can also be seen as another example
of American cultural dominance…
It
is in all elements a ‘confident’ and ‘self assured’ work … big
vibrant, clever and innovative. All American!!!
FURTHER READING:
•
ATKINSON(70) P.446-47
•
LERNER(86)P.188-189
•
GANZL(95) P.174-75