English 9

West Side Story & Other Spinoffs

For fans of Romeo and Juliet, and/or fans of the musical genre, I recommend renting and watching the West Side Story, a musical which came out in 1961 and was based on the R&J plot line. At that time in America, large numbers of immigrants were coming in from Puerto Rico, and ethnic tensions flared, especially in the big cities.

The first time I watched it, I nearly split my pants when the gangs started dancing. More men in tights!! However, I do love this film too. It's songs are real classics from American musical theater.

There are other spin-offs of R&J to look into too.

• Romiette and Julio (book and movie -- the plot line changes)
• Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo: a documentary about a Muslim Bosniak and a Christian Serbian who fell in love and were shot while trying to escape the city together. The transcript is here.
• Romeo + Juliet (1996 movie with Leonardo DiCaprio)
• Twilight (Yes, this is a spinoff of the themes found in Romeo & Juliet!)