When Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents originally conceived of writing a musical version of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, they planned to call it East Side Story and center it on a star-crossed romance between a Jewish boy and an Italian Catholic girl. Because of other commitments, however, they were forced to shelve the project for six years, and by the time they returned to it, they decided the idea had lost its social relevancy. Instead, they would tell the story of a native-born Polish boy and a Puerto Rican girl newly arrived in America – and they would set it against the backdrop of clashing street gangs on the city’s West Side. At this point, Bernstein decided against writing his own lyrics and offered the job to a virtually unknown lyricist named Stephen Sondheim. The musical received rave reviews for its unflinching portrayal of gang life. West Side Story opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on Sep. 26, 1957, and ran for 732 performances before going on tour. The 1961 film version featured Richard Beymer, Natalie Wood, George Chakiris and Rita Moreno.
Here is a clip from “America”
Three years after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, which officially ended public-school segregation, a federal court ordered the city of Little Rock, Ark., to comply. On Sep. 4, 1957, Gov. Orval Faubus defied the court, calling in the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine African-American students – the “Little Rock Nine” – from entering their school. Ten days later in a meeting with President Eisenhower, Faubus agreed to use the National Guard to protect the African-American teenagers, but on returning to Little Rock, he dismissed the troops, leaving the African-American students exposed to an angry white mob. Within hours, the jeering, brick-throwing mob had beaten several reporters and smashed many of the school’s windows and doors. By noon, local police were forced to evacuate the nine students. When Faubus did not restore order, President Eisenhower dispatched 101st Airborne Division paratroopers to Little Rock and put the Arkansas National Guard under federal command. By 3 a.m., soldiers surrounded the school, bayonets fixed.
In 1987, gay rights activist Cleve Jones was inspired to create a memorial for the large number of people dying from the AIDS pandemic. Creating the NAMES Project Foundation with a group of supporters, he solicited 3-foot by 6-foot panels that gave tribute to an individual lost to AIDS. The largest ongoing community arts project in the world, the quilt was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and has continued to grow, adding panels from every U.S. state and many countries. Displayed several times on the National Mall, the quilt has also made several tours of the U.S. and raised millions of dollars for AIDS organizations. As the foundation grew, the quilt became a symbol through its “unique creation” as an “uncommon and uplifting response to the tragic loss of human life.” The arts community was devastated by the AIDS pandemic. Artists lost beloved collaborators in the music industry (Peter Allen) to film (Rock Hudson, Court Miller) to theater (Michael Bennett, Charles Ludlam, Wilford Leach, Ethyl Eichelberger, Larry Kert, Charles Pierce) to dance (Jim Rixie).
