Winter Garden Theatre, NYC, 732 performances
Sondheim, choreography by Jerome Robbins and a book by
Arthur Laurents, this classic American musical (originally
titled Gangway, and then East Side Story) retells the story
of Romeo and Juliet in the context of Hell's Kitchen, New
York City. Full of architectural references to Italian classicism
(as shown particularly in the rough sketches for its scenery),
its source material ranged from the drawings of Piranesi to
the brick walls, construction sites, and hanging laundry of
New York in the 1950s.