Movie classic West Side Story to screen with live music by the NZSO

The beloved 1961 film West Side Story returns to the big screen in 2023 as a movie experience like no other, featuring live music from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

This iconic film has won 10 Academy AwardsÒ, including Best Picture. Bernstein’s electrifying score is performed live, featuring memorable songs with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, while the newly re-mastered film is shown in glorious high definition on the big screen with the original vocals and dialogue intact.

This classic romantic tragedy, one of the greatest achievements in the history of movie musicals, features breath-taking choreography by Jerome Robbins, a masterful script by Arthur Laurents and screenplay by Ernest Lehman.

MGM presents West Side Story Film with Live Orchestra on Saturday, 18 February sees the NZSO led by renowned Singaporean conductor Joshua Tan for two performances. Maestro Tan previously conducted West Side Story Film with Live Orchestra to acclaim with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 2018.

From the hit songs Maria, America, I Feel Pretty and Somewhere, to the breathless and iconic choreography, West Side Story is one of the greatest film adaptations of any Broadway musical in history. Directed by Robert Wise, it has been deemed “culturally significant” by the United States Library of Congress.

The film and musical continue to resonate, with Steven Spielberg’s version released in 2021 and Bradley Cooper to direct and star in Maestro, a film about Leonard Bernstein, to be released next year.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, street gangs The Jets and The Sharks battle for control of New York’s Upper West Side, only for the Jets’ Tony (Richard Beymer) to fall in love with Maria (Natalie Wood), sister of the Sharks’ leader Bernardo (George Chakiris).

West Side Story Film with Live Orchestra has the blessing of Bernstein’s family. “For devotees of the movie, it's a revelation to hear the Bernstein score in such a dynamic, visceral way,” says his daughter Jamie.

“And for those who experience the film for the first time, there could be no better way to see, hear and fall in love with it. As a result, West Side Story Film with Live Orchestra is an ideal excursion for families. What better way to get your kids into those finger snaps? And what better way to experience that amazing music? And equally important: what better way to have a conversation with your kids about the forces of hatred and intolerance which still affect our societies today?”