WEST SIDE STORY Lyricist and Broadway Legend Stephen Sondheim Says He Prefers Spielberg's Remake to the Original

Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, composer and lyricist of renowned musicals including West Side Story, Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods, among others, has given his opinion on the remake of the 1961 film version of West Side Story. This new version, headed our way this December, was directed by another legend, Steven Spielberg, and Sondheim was able to see the film ahead of its release.

In a recent interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Sondheim gave the film a glowing review, saying:

"It's really terrific. Everybody go. You'll really have a good time. And for those of you who know the show, there's going to be some real surprises."

Sondheim went on to talk about the film’s writer, Tony Kushner (Munich, Lincoln), saying he "has done some really imaginative and surprising things with the way the songs are used in the story, and the whole thing has real sparkle to it and real energy, and it feels fresh." He continued, "It's really first-grade, and movie musicals are hard to do and this one, Spielberg and Kushner really, really nailed it."

That’s promising to hear from the guy who wrote the lyrics, which, in my opinion, is the best part of the original.

West Side Story is set to hit theaters on December 10th.