9 Unbelievable Fun Facts About West Side Story You Never Knew!

1. East Side Story Turned West

Before Tony and Maria went westward bound, they were penciled in to duke it out in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of: The original concept for "West Side Story" was set on the east side of Manhattan, but it was later shifted to the Upper West Side, involving rival Puerto Rican and white gangs, ultimately propelling the musical to skyrocketing success and an everlasting impact on musical theater.
Source => wrti.org

2. Perfectionist Director's Downfall

When Jerome Robbins' directing was called "Cool," the West Side Story cast took it literally, as they spent more time nursing their bruised knees than singing and dancing in sync: Robbins' relentless pursuit of perfection led to numerous exhausting takes, pushing the dancers to rebel by ceremoniously burning their kneepads and ultimately getting him replaced by the sagacious Robert Wise, who seamlessly helmed the 1961 classic to stardom.
Source => cheatsheet.com

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3. Doubts About the Broadway Cast Album

West Side Story, where the Jets meet the Sharks, the lyrics swim upstream, and the cast dances to the beat of their own conga drum – literally! This Broadway sensation almost didn't have the chance to grace our ears with the sound of music: the intricate score and lyrics had Columbia Records questioning whether to record a Broadway cast album at all. With a never-before-heard Latin sound and wildly complex choreography, the performing artist's synchronization proved to be as elusive as a ten-dollar lottery ticket.
Source => history.com

4. Gang Identities' Plot Twist

Before getting all Jet-set and Shark-tanked: The street gangs in "West Side Story" originally flexed their Polish and Irish muscles but switched to Puerto Rican and American identities in a plot twist inspired by the influx of Latino immigrants to New York City during the 1950s.
Source => mtishows.com

5. Master of Voice-Disguise, Marni Nixon

You've heard of photobombing, but have you ever heard of voice-bombing? The mastermind behind this daring switcheroo is none other than Marni Nixon, an expert in vocal disguise: Nixon not only ghost sang for Natalie Wood's Maria in the film West Side Story but also for Rita Moreno's Anita, all while keeping Wood in the dark about the arrangement until the film's release. Nevertheless, Wood can still claim all the dancing and acting credit for her portrayal of Maria, making her performance pirouette its way into our hearts.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Sneaky Singing Substitutes

Talk about faking it 'til you make it: In the classic 1961 film "West Side Story," lovers Maria and Tony, portrayed by Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, may have swept audiences off their feet with their passionate on-screen chemistry, but those swoon-worthy vocals were actually the handiwork of behind-the-scenes heroes Marni Nixon and Jimmy Bryant. Our musical masterminds sang live with the orchestra, even breaking tradition when Nixon negotiated for a royalty percentage on the soundtrack, forever changing the game for future voiceover supremos.
Source => westsidestory.livejournal.com

7. Bilingual Bonding and Method Acting

In a time when communication was key and bilingual coaches were the original "duo-lingo", West Side Story's rival gangs were encouraged to bond in an effort to make their hostility more believable – you might call it a method acting rumble: Behind the scenes, director Jerome Robbins cultivated a sense of family within the Jets and Sharks by assigning bilingual coaches to the cast, ultimately making their on-stage and on-screen confrontations all the more intense. This tactic paid off, as the film smashed records with its 10 Oscar wins, including Best Picture.
Source => nctheatre.com

8. Choreographer's Pressure Cooker of Perfection

While the Sharks and Jets didn't call for a time-out in their dance rumble, one cast member was feeling the pressure cooker of perfection behind the scenes: Jerome Robbins, choreographer and co-director, was notorious for demanding countless retakes of the spectacular dance numbers, leading to an over-budget production and a delayed schedule, ultimately getting him kicked to the sideline before the final whistle blew on filming.
Source => filmsufi.com

9. Record-Breaking Oscar Wins

When the Sharks and Jets danced their way into the hearts of Academy members in a turf war-worthy display of awards dominance: West Side Story, the beloved 1961 film, snagged a whopping 10 Oscars out of its 11 nominations – catapulting it into the history books as one of the most successful musicals ever to grace the silver screen, with wins including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best Original Score, among others all the while snagging multiple Golden Globe nods and a Grammy to boot!
Source => westsidestory.com