Spielberg is a household name, as is ‘West Side Story,’ so marrying the two together may seem like an obvious choice in terms of gusto. However, Spielberg along, with playwright Tony Kushner, not only wanted to re-vamp the classic story, but also fix what they could when it came to casting, dialogue and the overall message of the storyline.
The plot is widely known, the songs have been sung a countless number of times, but there were some updates that needed to be made. Steven Sondheim, the Broadway giant who just passed away, has even spoken on his time as lyricist on the show with some disdain in terms of cultural insensitivity. But, this film is far from a cover-up of mistakes, it’s more of an embrace of what should have been — just ask the cast.
