An entertaining, exuberant experience, West Side Story tells a Romeo and Juliet-inspired tale set in mid-century New York City, where a Puerto Rican gang and a white one battle for turf. One wishes for a spicier Tony and Maria than Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood, both of whom had to have their singing dubbed as the star-crossed lovers, but whenever the camera pulls away from them to capture the dazzling colors and intricate choreography that takes place on the elaborate urban sets, the movie leaps to life. Adapted from the stage musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. That production was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins; as co-director (with Robert Wise) and choreographer here, he’s the star. The push and pull between coiled energy and acrobatic exhilaration is nothing short of ecstatic.
