The Evolution of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Through Music

The Evolution of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet through Music

The two required performances that are compared in this essay are the Broadway play West Side Story scored by Leonard Bernstein and the Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet performed by the Bolshoi ballet company. West Side Story is another adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and doomed star crossed lovers. West Side Story follows the same format as the original until the last scene when Maria threatens to shoot Tony's killers and then unable to kill herself as Juliet had. Prokofiev's ballet is a classical rendition of William Shakespeare's work without character changes or modern day influences. The three threads covered and answered are the differences in the musical scores between Bernstein and Prokofiev musical scores, the settings between the play and ballet, and how hip-hop or R&B music is represented in or by modern gang.

When the play opened on Broadway in 1957, it met with critical acclaim and some have said that the musical score was perhaps the best composition Bernstein ever created. The play was influenced by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but with a modern twist. It was not the classical feud between two wealthy families. The play delved into the darker side of race, immigration, and socio-economics. Instead of Verona, Italy West Side Story is set in the Upper West Side of New York City during the late 1950's.

"The works he composed for the musical were influenced by classical, jazz, and popular styles, including music composed by Hispanics" (Americas Library). Classical operetta arias were heard in the songs Maria, I feel Pretty, and Somewhere, popular styles in Gee, Officer Krupke, jazzy tunes in Cool, and Latin overtones in America and Mambo.

The play did not rely on just the music, songs, or dance moves to express and evoke emotions. Hands clapping and finger snapping were indicators that the tone of the play was about to change, a fight, or a change in music at a...