West Side Story - Tonight (Original Soundtrack)

West Side Story is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, the story is set in the mid-1950s in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, then a multiracial, blue-collar neighborhood. The musical explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. The Sharks, who are recent migrants from Puerto Rico, and the Jets, who are white, vie for dominance of the neighborhood, and the police try to keep order. The young protagonist, Tony, a former member of the Jets and best friend of the gang's leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, tragic love story, and focus on social problems marked a turning point in musical theatre.
The original 1957 Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Robbins, marked Sondheim's Broadway debut. It ran for 732 performances before going on tour. The production was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, in 1958, winning two. The show had an even longer-running West End production, a number of revivals, and international productions. A 1961 musical film adaptation, co-directed by Robert Wise and Robbins, was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won ten, including Best Picture. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same title, which in turn was inspired by Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris and was photographed by Daniel L. Fapp in Super Panavision 70. The music was composed by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
Released on October 18, 1961, through United Artists, the film received praise from critics and viewers, and became the highest-grossing film of 1961. It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10, including Best Picture (in addition to a special award for Robbins), becoming the record holder for the most wins for a musical. West Side Story is regarded as one of the greatest musical films of all time. The film was designated as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1997. A second film adaptation of the same name by Steven Spielberg was released in December 2021.
The female part is featured by Gloria (2024). This is an original cover of the broadway version from 1957. Song Lyrics :
Maria:
Only you, you're the only thing I'll see forever
In my eyes in my words and in everything I do
Nothing else but you
Ever
Tony:
And there's nothing for me but Maria
Every sight that I see is Maria
Maria:
Tony, Tony
Tony:
Always you, every thought I'll ever know
Everywhere I go you'll be
Maria:
All the world is only you and me
Maria:
Tonight, tonight
It all began tonight
I saw you and the world went away
Tonight, tonight
There's only you tonight
What you are, what you do, what you say Tony:
Today, all day I had the feeling
A miracle would happen
I know now I was right
Tony :
For here you are
And what was just a world is a star
Tonight
Tony & Maria:
Tonight, tonight
The world is full of light
With suns and moons all over the place
Tonight, tonight
The world is wild and bright
Going mad
Shooting sparks into space
Today, the world was just an address
A place for me to live in
No better than all right
But here you are
And what was just a world is a star
Tonight
Good night, good night
Sleep well and when you dream
Dream of me
Tonight