…about Steven Spielberg‘s West Side Story (20th Century, 12.7) are the occasionally creaky song lyrics, particularly in a pair of Jets tunes — “Gee, Officer Krupke” (“With all the marijuana, they won’t give me a puff,” “leapin’ lizards”) and “Be Cool” (“Daddy-o,” “go man go”). I can’t imagine these James Dean-era expressions not sounding wrong to Millennial and Zoomer ears.
Then again those demos aren’t expected to attend in great numbers. Or do I have that wrong?
Another thing: Gang-wise, the WSS narrative obviously favors (i.e., identifies with) Jets over Sharks. Two Jets-huddle songs — one reviewing their dysfunctional, low-rent upbringing, another their post-rumble anxieties — but none for the Puerto Rican Sharks indicates ethnic bias. If Romeo and Juliet were to be adapted today into a street-gang musical, an absolute even-steven approach — no favoring the Montagues over Capulets — would be the rule.