When the curtain went up at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 26, 1957, nobody in the audience was truly ready for what they were about to see. It wasn't just another musical. It was a street fight set to a tritone. The original cast of West Side Story Broadway didn't just perform a show; they survived it. They were a group of young, mostly unknown dancers and singers who had to execute Jerome Robbins’ punishing choreography while navigating a score by Leonard Bernstein that was, frankly, more difficult than most operas of the time.
You’ve likely seen the movies. Maybe you’ve seen the Spielberg version or the classic 1961 film. But those are polished, cinematic experiences. The original Broadway stage production was raw. It was dangerous. In fact, during rehearsals, the "Jets" and the "Sharks" were kept separated. Jerome Robbins was notorious for this kind of method-acting psychological warfare. He didn't want the actors grabbing coffee together. He wanted real tension. He wanted them to look at each other with genuine suspicion. And it worked.
The Faces Behind the Finger Snaps
Larry Kert was Tony. It’s funny because Kert wasn't actually the first choice—he auditioned multiple times before landing the role. He had this specific kind of vulnerability that worked perfectly for a guy trying to get out of a gang. Opposite him was Carol Lawrence as Maria. Lawrence brought a certain operatic clarity to the role that set the standard for every Maria that followed. People often forget that back in '57, these two were essentially the "it" couple of the theater world, even though the show itself didn't sweep the Tonys like everyone assumes it did. The Music Man actually beat it out for Best Musical that year. Can you believe that? A show about a trombone-playing con man won over a masterpiece that redefined the American theater.
Then there was Chita Rivera. Honestly, if you want to talk about the original cast of West Side Story Broadway, you have to start and end with Chita. She played Anita. She was electric. Before she became a literal legend of the stage, she was the one high-kicking her way through "America" every night. She brought a sharpness to the role—a mix of cynical wisdom and deep-seated passion—that made Anita arguably the most complex character in the whole show. Rivera often talked about how exhausting the show was. The dancers were constantly nursing shin splints and bruises.
Ken Le Roy played Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, and Mickey Calin (later known as Michael Callan) was Riff. These guys weren't just actors who could move; they were world-class dancers who had to look like they’d kill you for stepping on their turf. The physical demand was staggering. Robbins demanded perfection, and if you weren't hitting the angles, you were out.
Why the Original Cast of West Side Story Broadway Was Different
Most people think of Broadway casts as a monolith, but this group was a melting pot of backgrounds. You had classical ballet dancers trying to look like street toughs. You had singers trying to navigate Bernstein’s "Maria," which features a B-flat that has terrified tenors for decades.
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- The Jets: This group included David Winters (Baby John) and Tony Mordente (Action). Mordente actually ended up marrying Chita Rivera later.
- The Sharks: These roles were harder to cast because the industry at the time wasn't exactly brimming with Latino representation. This is a point of modern critique, of course. While the show was groundbreaking for putting Puerto Rican characters center stage, many of the original "Sharks" were actually white actors in dark makeup. It’s a complicated legacy to look back on now, but in 1957, the focus was primarily on the "outsider" status of the characters regardless of the actors' actual heritage.
- The Adults: We can't forget Art Smith as Doc. He was the moral compass of the show, the one person trying to tell these kids that they were burning their lives down for nothing.
The "cool" factor wasn't just an aesthetic. It was a requirement. If a dancer looked too "pretty," Robbins would tear them apart. He wanted sweat. He wanted the audience to smell the asphalt.
The Psychological Toll of the "War"
Jerome Robbins was a genius, but he was also a bit of a nightmare to work for. To keep the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks authentic, he forbade the groups from eating lunch together. He’d post "Jet" and "Shark" signs on dressing room doors. He encouraged them to play pranks on the opposing side.
This isn't just theater lore. Cast members have corroborated these stories for years. By the time they got to the "Rumble" at the end of Act I, the adrenaline was real. They weren't just executing steps; they were releasing hours of built-up frustration. This is why that original production felt so jagged and urgent compared to later, softer revivals.
Bernstein’s Impossible Score
Leonard Bernstein didn't write "show tunes." He wrote a complex, symphonic masterpiece that happened to have lyrics (by a very young Stephen Sondheim, who actually didn't want to do the show at first because he wanted to write music, not just words).
The original cast of West Side Story Broadway had to sing intervals that were unheard of in musical comedy. Take "The Jet Song." It’s jazzy, but the time signatures keep shifting. Or "Somewhere," which requires a level of vocal control that usually belongs in a concert hall. The cast had to be triple threats before that term was even a cliché. They had to act with the intensity of a Method actor, dance like they were in the New York City Ballet, and sing like they were at the Met.
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The Legacy of the 1957 Winter Garden Run
The show ran for 732 performances before going on tour. That’s a decent run, but again, it wasn't the "blockbuster" we think of it as today until the movie came out in 1961 and won ten Oscars. The Broadway cast paved the way for that success. They did the heavy lifting. They proved that you could have a tragic ending in a musical—where the lead character dies on stage—and people would still buy tickets.
Before West Side Story, musicals were mostly "musical comedies." This was "musical drama." It changed the DNA of the industry. Without the original cast proving it could be done, we probably wouldn't have Les Misérables, Rent, or Hamilton.
What You Should Know About the Recording
If you really want to hear what this cast was capable of, you have to listen to the 1957 Original Broadway Cast Recording. Don't go to the movies first. Listen to Larry Kert’s "Something’s Coming." There’s a brightness and an anxiety in his voice that perfectly captures a teenager on the edge of a life change.
Listen to Chita Rivera in "A Boy Like That." The sheer grit in her voice when she tells Maria to "stick to your own kind" is chilling. It’s not just singing; it’s storytelling through pure, unadulterated emotion.
Moving Beyond the Myth
There’s a common misconception that the show was an instant, unanimous hit. It wasn't. Some critics thought it was too grim. Others thought the dancing was "too much." But the audience knew. The young people in 1957 saw themselves in the Jets and the Sharks. They saw the restlessness.
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The original cast wasn't just playing roles; they were representing a shift in American culture. The post-war optimism was fading, replaced by urban tension and a generational divide. These actors were the faces of that shift.
How to Appreciate the History Today
If you're a theater nerd or just a casual fan, there are a few things you can do to really dive into the history of this specific cast:
- Watch the "Broadway: The Golden Age" documentary. It features several original cast members talking about the grueling rehearsal process.
- Compare the cast albums. Listen to the 1957 recording side-by-side with the 2009 or 2020 revivals. You'll notice the 1957 version is often faster, more frenetic, and feels "hungrier."
- Read "The Making of West Side Story" by Keith Garebian. It goes into the nitty-gritty of the casting calls and the tension on set.
The original cast of West Side Story Broadway set a bar that is still used as a measuring stick today. Every time a new "Tony" or "Maria" is cast, they are inevitably compared to Kert and Lawrence. Every "Anita" lives in the shadow of Chita Rivera’s purple dress. It’s a heavy legacy, but one that continues to inspire anyone who thinks that musical theater is just about jazz hands and happy endings.
It was about blood, sweat, and a very specific kind of New York magic that can't be replicated, only remembered. If you want to understand modern theater, you have to understand what happened at the Winter Garden in 1957. Those performers didn't just sing "Tonight"—they made everyone believe that "tonight" was the only night that mattered.
To truly honor this history, look for archival footage of the original choreography on YouTube or at the Library of Performing Arts. Seeing how these specific dancers moved—with a certain stiffness and aggression that was lost in later, more "fluid" versions—is a masterclass in character-driven movement. Don't just settle for the movies; the raw energy of the original stage performers is where the heartbeat of the show truly lies.