If you were worried that the remake wouldn’t live up to the original, relax. If you were worried that the remake would change the story of the original, chill out. If you were worried that Steven Spielberg couldn’t/wouldn’t do justice to the original, forget about it.

There’s only one word needed to describe Spielberg’s West Side Story…..SPECTACULAR!!!

The music you remember from fifty years ago is still there. The singing is beautiful. The dance routines are marvelously choreographed. Yeah, the story is cheesy, (rumbles? really?) but it was cheesy fifty years ago, too.

You aren’t going to remember this version of West Side Story for the acting, although there will probably be Academy Award nominations for Rachel Zegler and the ageless Rita Moreno. You’ll leave the theater with the songs stuck in your head. It’s the same as the early 1960s when I would sing “Gee, Officer Krupke, Krup you!” over and over again because that is what ten-year-old boys do. This version definitely brought back memories of that special youthful time.

I always felt that when it came to musicals, West Side Story was level above the rest. Making a new version of this classic was always going to be risky. But if anyone could pull it off, it would be Steven Spielberg…and he did!

The new version of West Side Story pays off in big-time entertainment for its audience. Don’t be surprised when it also pays off big-time in Oscar nominations and awards.

Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.