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A Place for Us: “West Side Story” and New York Hardcover – October 24, 2016

by Julia L. Foulkes (Author)

6 customer reviews

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From its Broadway debut to the Oscar-winning film to countless amateur productions, West Side Story is nothing less than an American touchstone—an updating of Shakespeare vividly realized in a rapidly changing postwar New York.

That vision of postwar New York is at the heart of Julia L. Foulkes’s A Place for Us. A lifelong fan of the show, Foulkes became interested in its history when she made an unexpected discovery: scenes for the iconic film version were shot on the demolition site destined to become part of the Lincoln Center redevelopment area—a crowning jewel of postwar urban renewal. Foulkes interweaves the story of the creation of the musical and film with the remaking of the Upper West Side and the larger tale of New York’s postwar aspirations. Making unprecedented use of director and choreographer Jerome Robbins’s revelatory papers, she shows the crucial role played by the political commitments of Robbins and his fellow gay, Jewish collaborators, Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents. Their determination to evoke life in New York as it was actually lived helped give West Side Story its unshakable sense of place even as it put forward a vision of a new, vigorous, determinedly multicultural American city.

Beautifully written and full of surprises for even the most dedicated West Side Story fan, A Place for Us is a revelatory new exploration of an American classic.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Foulkes's approach is chronological, but this is no pedantic march through time. Rather it is a fascinating read focusing equally on the show and the world into which it was born. . . . . Essential."

(Choice)

"A Place for Us tells a new story about one of US theater's most important plays. A skillful historian, Julia Foulkes delves deeply into the archive to recover the details and dynamics of West Side Story from its conception and production to its film adaptation and global circulation. In doing so, she connects that story to the contemporaneous events and cultural anxieties that made the musical both timely and timeless."

(Shane Vogel, author of The Scene of Harlem Cabaret)

"An excellent account of West Side Story and its central role as a play and movie in American musical history and in American culture more generally. What makes the book unique is its focus on New York and the urban experience as central to the story's appeal at a time when the city was undergoing massive urban renewal, particularly on the West Side, throwing the urban poor into ethnic and racial conflict over rapidly decreasing turf. A lively, well-written book that will appeal to fans of theater and American history alike."

(Lewis A. Erenberg, author of Swingin' the Dream)

About the Author

Julia L. Foulkes is professor of history at the New School in New York and the author of Modern Bodies: Dance and American Modernism from Martha Graham to Alvin Ailey and To the City: Urban Photographs of the New Deal.

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: University of Chicago Press; 1 edition (October 24, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 022630180X
ISBN-13: 978-0226301808
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 6 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,136,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #559 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > Broadway & Musicals
- #734 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Musicals
- #3458 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Movies > History & Criticism

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ejg

Perfectly Positioned

January 19, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book, like the play itself, comes at the perfect moment in history. Make no mistake: without West Side Story, there might not be a Hamilton. WWS broke ground on Broadway and around the world, bringing critical social issues to audiences through its own unique lens. A Place for Us makes it clear that this production was no walk on the beach. Through meticulous investigation, it exposes the struggle to create and produce this play – struggles between the brilliantly talented (but often tormented) creators, struggles between them and the Broadway hegemony, and struggles between the ethnic groups that vied for their place in America. Foulkes’ book offers a wealth of new insights about the play and its place in the Broadway pantheon. Lovers of theater, lovers of West Side Story and lovers of thorough historical documentation will all enjoy this eminently readable book.

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Tight and insightful

December 29, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Great book! I read a lot of nonfiction and too often find that authors schlep when they should zing, pan out when they need to zoom in and digress for needs other than advancing the reader’s understanding. This book is tight, insightful and sensitive of readers’ needs for shifting, but not drifting, focus. Many historical pix to further liven up the read.

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Laurie K

A must read for fans of "West Side Story"

January 17, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I consider myself a bit of a theatre geek. I certainly thought I knew pretty much all there was to know about “West Side Story.” Well I didn’t. Certainly not from the perspective of this terrific book. Foulkes goes WAY behind the scenes delving into the social and economic climate that, literally, became the earth within which this work of art grew. It covers the time from the first germ of an idea (really from before the first germ of an idea) through its theatrical run to the film (and all that ensued after). Right up to the present day. It discusses world-wide political influences on "West Side Story" throughout its life on stage and screen as well as influences "West Side Story" has had on the world in all sorts of political and artistic ways. A fascinating, informative read. I kept emailing/texting/calling friends (all of whom are theatre geeks) to say “did you know ...?” There are countless moments in this book no one knew. Having the opportunity to "see" this entire theatrical creation through the lens of history was right up my own personal alley. Heaven.

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Mary Anne Papale

But he didn't like it, or specifically

January 15, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

My husband requested this book, since he is an avid West Side Story fan. But he didn't like it, or specifically, didn't learn anything new from it

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September 16, 2017

Format: Hardcover

The music to West Side Story never ceases to move me and I was excited to read this book. A Place for Us is beautifully written, full of fascinating information and revealed aspects about the culture of the city of New York in the 1950s that deepened my appreciation for the landmark musical. As a history of a truly iconic work of art, its brilliant creators and the musical theater landscape of the time, this book more than delivers.

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Brian Kane

You will learn a great deal about this iconic production

January 16, 2017

Format: Hardcover

Something new and insightful on each page! You will learn a great deal about this iconic production. A true gem!

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