Question 1

True or false: Leonard Bernstein wrote the music for 'West Side Story' as a direct adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' set in 1920s New York.

Accepted Answer

False. The setting was contemporary 1950s New York, not the 1920s. The idea originated with Jerome Robbins and was updated to reflect then-current gang rivalries.

Question 2

True or false: Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the lyrics for 'West Side Story,' was only 27 years old when the show opened on Broadway.

Accepted Answer

True. Sondheim was born in 1930, and the show opened in 1957. He had previously worked as a lyricist but this was his major Broadway debut.

Question 3

True or false: The Sharks and Jets gangs in 'West Side Story' were originally based on real New York street gangs from the 1940s called the 'Sharks' and 'Jets.'

Accepted Answer

False. The gang names were invented for the show. Real New York gangs of the era had different names (like the Jesters or the Emeralds). The creators chose 'Sharks' and 'Jets' for their aggressive, modern sound.

Question 4

True or false: In the 1961 film, all the actors who played the Sharks and Jets actually performed their own singing and dancing without any dubbing.

Accepted Answer

False. Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer were dubbed by Marni Nixon and Jimmy Bryant, respectively. Most of the dancers did perform their own dancing, but singing was often replaced.

Question 5

True or false: The original 1957 Broadway production of 'West Side Story' won a Tony for Best Choreography but lost Best Musical to 'The Music Man.'

Accepted Answer

True. 'The Music Man' won Best Musical in 1958; 'West Side Story' did win the choreography Tony for Jerome Robbins, but it was a surprise underdog at the time.

Question 6

True or false: The iconic song 'Somewhere' was originally written for a different musical called 'East Side Story' before being repurposed.

Accepted Answer

False. 'Somewhere' was always part of 'West Side Story.' 'East Side Story' was an early working title that was abandoned, but the song wasn't recycled from elsewhere.

Question 7

True or false: The role of Maria was originally offered to Audrey Hepburn for the 1961 film adaptation, but she turned it down due to pregnancy.

Accepted Answer

True. Hepburn was pregnant and could not commit. Natalie Wood, who is not Latina, was cast instead, which sparked later controversy about representation.

Question 8

True or false: Jerome Robbins, the original choreographer, was fired from the 1961 film but was later rehired after the studio realized they needed his expertise.

Accepted Answer

True. Robbins was initially let go due to budget and schedule conflicts, but after a few weeks of filming without him, the studio brought him back to choreograph the dance numbers.

West Side Story Trivia Questions