- Person
- Jerome Robbins
- Lived
- 1918–1998
- Field
- Choreography
- From
- American
The story
Jerome Robbins was born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz in 1918 in the Jewish Maternity Hospital on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the son of Harry and Lena Rabinowitz. He became one of the great American choreographers and directors, working in both ballet and Broadway, and later drew on his own family's religious roots when he directed and choreographed Fiddler on the Roof.
In 1949 Robbins proposed to the composer Leonard Bernstein and the writer Arthur Laurents a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet. The first idea, called East Side Story, centred on conflict between Catholics and Jews. When the project was revived several years later, the story moved to the Upper West Side, and the lovers came from opposite sides of a feud between the Jets, a white gang, and the Sharks, recent migrants from Puerto Rico. Stephen Sondheim joined as lyricist.
West Side Story opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on 26 September 1957 and ran for 732 performances. Robbins conceived, directed and choreographed it, and dance was not decoration but the main way the story was told: the gangs' rivalry, fear and longing all came through movement. Time magazine observed that putting choreography foremost might prove a milestone in musical drama, and the show is described as marking a turning point in musical theatre. Critics have noted how it confronts bigotry and cultural misunderstanding, showing young audiences where hatred between communities can lead.
Robbins co-directed the 1961 film with Robert Wise, and it won ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture; Robbins received an honorary award for his choreography on film. The show has returned to Broadway in 1980, 2009 and 2020, and Steven Spielberg's 2021 film brought it to yet another generation.
Through West Side Story, Robbins showed that a musical could tackle a serious social problem and that dance itself could carry a drama, ideas that shaped much of the musical theatre that followed.
Why it matters
West Side Story is still staged by schools, community theatres and professional companies around the world, carrying its warning about prejudice and its dance-driven storytelling to new audiences.
About Jerome Robbins
Choreographer and director of West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof, born Jerome Rabinowitz to Jewish immigrant parents, who fused ballet with Broadway and American life.
More about Jerome Robbins
Sources
- West Side Story Wikipedia
- Jerome Robbins Wikipedia
- Jerome Robbins New York City Ballet
Another act of tikkun olam. This is part of tikkun olam, the Jewish idea of repairing the world, and every one of us can add to it.