WEST SIDE STORY – The Jets, the Sharks and the Making of a Classic – Richard Barrios (Running Press – ISBN: 978-0-7624-6948-2)
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
With the latest West Side Story movie being released this Christmas, Richard Barrios’ book couldn’t be more timely. And what a lovely book it is.
Two hundred and 21 pages in length, full of wonderful photographs and lots of juicy information regarding the making of the 1961 film version of West Side Story, this book is a must for anyone interested in this classic musical – of which there are millions, I’m sure.
Barrios takes us from the original conception for the musical through the Broadway production, the buying of the film rights, planning the movie, casting it and the exceptionally lengthy process of actually filming. It is packed with all the information you could possibly want to know, much of it supplied by cast members. If you ever thought the making of a film was straightforward, especially with a proven Broadway hit, then think again. We learn exactly what it was like working under the great Jerome Robbins, the amount of film that was wasted, the doubling of the budget, the shenanigans the Jets and Sharks got up to when not filming, the icy relationship between the two leads and much more.
This is a beautiful book from cover to cover (including the dust jacket) and no expense has been spared on the quality of the paper and the photographic reproductions. I was addicted to it as soon as I finished the first chapter – didn’t want to put it down. The hardcover version retails around £20 with a Kindle version being available for half the price. I would advise buying the hardcover version if you can afford it as the photographs alone are worth the expense.
Nick Wakeham
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