life:
October 18 marks the 50th anniversary of West Side Story, the acclaimed musical about two star-crossed lovers in 1950s New York City and the racial prejudices that keep them apart. In honor of the occasion, LIFE.com takes a look back at the evolution of the show—which made its Broadway debut in 1957 and was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie in 1961—from stage to screen.
(see more — ‘West Side Story’ A Look Back)
i spent a good portion of my childhood wanting to be Maria, star-crossed love and all. i can still sing/hum this movie from beginning to end. i know all the parts of Quintet and sing both Maria & Anita’s parts of A Boy Like That. her dress for the dance is the dress i compare every party dress to. someday i’ll just have a replica made. i was upset when someone bought me the WSS soundtrack cassette and it was the Broadway version, but after a while i grew to love it and i can now tell you all of the minor/major differences in the two.
also, i cried when my mom told me about how Natalie Wood died (i was very young) and she is most likely where my love of the name for my future daughter “Natalie” began.
(via my-own-melt)
