A winner of an incredible 10 Academy Awards, WEST SIDE STORY remains one of the most influential, enduring musicals of all time. Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus? “Buoyed by Robert Wise’s dazzling direction, Leonard Bernstein’s score, and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, West Side Story remains perhaps the most iconic of all the Shakespeare adaptations to visit the big screen.” This Romeo and Juliet-esque tale stars Natalie Wood as Maria and Richard Beymer as Tony, and features a performance from one of the most enduring actresses of modern cinema: Rita Moreno, in her Oscar winning performance as Anita. Her Academy Awards acceptance speech may well have been the shortest in history. Take a journey back in time with this clip from her 1962 win:

Did you know that Moreno wore the very same dress to the 2018 Academy Awards?! Check out this clip from the red carpet:

Moreno, who currently wrapped her role as Lydia on Netflix’s One Day at a Time, is currently in pre-production for a remake of this classic musical, set to be directed by Steven Spielberg.

In this clip from Busy Tonight, Rita Moreno spills the tea on the reboot of West Side Story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jovzbbdYDc0

About WEST SIDE STORY:

A love affair is fated for tragedy amidst the vicious rivalry of two street gangs: the Jets and the Sharks. Filled with iconic choreography by Jerome Robins and set to Leonard Bernstein’s phenomenal score, featuring classics such as “America”, “Somewhere” and “Cool”, this academy-award-winning film dives into the complexities of gang warfare and love in an ever-changing city.

See it & sing along:

Sing along with WEST SIDE STORY in our #MusicalMondays series at Reading Cinemas Grossmont! Monday, 4/1, at 7:00pm.

Need a refresh on the soundtrack? We’ve got you covered. Click here to listen, and don’t forget to grab your tickets!