Is There ‘a Place’ for West Side Story Anymore?
By Diana Vidals
There are two things that come to mind when I think of the first time I watched West Side Story (1961). The first is the heartbreak that overcame me when I realized Natalie Wood was not a Latina…or that tan. The second is the moment I became infatuated with the powerhouse, Rita Moreno.
Photo Source: The Everett Collection
I think many fans of West Side Story have a similar experience and a similar relationship with the beloved adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Accompanied by a classic score by Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story retells the tragic love story of Tony and Maria, two lovers caught in a violent rivalry between their communities. It is a complicated twist of emotions, joy, anger, and guilt in a single experience. There is so much to love about it and yet there is no denying that the musical/movie is lightyears away from the progress Latinos have made in the media.
Since it first debuted on Broadway in 1957, West Side Story has cemented itself as a classic with 2 films (1961, 2021) and numerous on-stage iterations. The show was first conceived by Jerome Roberts (who would later direct and choreograph it) and created as a musical with a book written by Authur Laurents, a score by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. This creative team noticeably lacked diversity, something that comes across as very apparent in the show’s uneducated portrayal of Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans.
Famously the show has had many issues with its casting, often having white actors with painted skin to portray its Puerto Rican characters. In fact, in the entire cast that made up the Sharks in the 1961 film, only Rita Moreno was Puerto Rican.
The show heavily reinforces stereotypes of its Puerto Rican characters, depicting them as gang members and criminals. A prominent stereotype throughout the show is the “Latina Spitfire,” seen through the character Anita. Like much of the story, Anita’s character is so ingrained in the hypersexual and exoticizing stereotype, that it is almost impossible to “fix it” without completely changing her character. It doesn’t help that these characters are depicted to have unfavorable opinions of their home country, scorning it with lyrics such as “You ugly island, Island of tropical diseases” (this lyric was later changed for the 1961 film). Despite attempts in the 2021 film, it takes more than just Latino actors with fake accents to address the story’s issues.
While there is so much more to say about the things West Side Story does wrong, there is no denying the impact it has had. At its initial debut in 1957, West Side Story was one the earliest and most prominent portrayals of Puerto Rico in mainstream media, providing visibility to the social issues faced by Puerto Ricans in the U.S. In fact, it was the first theatrical production that I saw that featured Latino characters at its forefront and had a Latina as the lead love interest.
Photo Source: 20th Century Studios
The classic story has also helped shine a light on the talents of Latino performers such as Rachel Zegler and the iconic Rita Moreno. Following her performance as Anita in the 1961 film, Moreno won her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first Latina to win an Oscar. 60 years later, Ariana DeBose would win Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita as well. Additionally, modern adaptations have helped push boundaries and place Latinidad at the forefront of the story, such as the 2009 Broadway revival that featured dialogue and entire songs translated into Spanish. This move was also seen in the 2021 film remake, intentionally featuring dialogue in Spanish without subtitles, a move that Spielberg was proud of, giving something for just the Spanish-speaking viewers.
Photo Source: Pinterest
West Side Story’s impact and flaws are undeniable, to this day it is one of my favorite musicals but is there a need to make it yet another one? Even with changes made to each adaptation whether it be a bilingual book or an ethnically accurate cast, ’s issues persist and cannot seem to be fixed. Rather than put more effort and funding into righting past wrongs, studios, and producers should focus on funding projects that do what West Side Story can and can’t, shedding light on projects made for Latinos BY Latinos. I think what is most important to recognize in this conversation is that West Side Story has already cemented itself as a classic, rather highlighting the need to focus on creating and celebrating stories for Latinos BY Latinos.
