Are You A "West Side Story" Fan? These 10 Facts Are Everything You Ever Needed To Know

The director requested that the cast rehearse for 8 weeks. Most musical casts in the late 50s were only given 4-6 weeks of rehearsal time. 

Seven months after the film was released, it won 10 Academy Awards, which was more than any other musical in history. 

The creators of the musical felt that the Catholic-Jewish story line wasn't fresh enough so they settled on a Puerto Rican v.s. American gang narrative. 

Stephen Sondheim wanted to include the "F" word in some of the songs, but Columbia Records talked him out of it, because it wouldn't prevented the play from touring throughout the nation. Instead they used the phrase "Krup you!"

Maria's suicide was featured in an early draft, but the writers were talked out of it when they realized that she was dead inside already after all that she'd experienced. 

Composer Leonard Bernstein was writing the score for West Side Story and Candide at the same time. One Hand, One Heart was supposed to be for Candide, but instead he turned it into a romantic duet for West Side Story. 

She was offered the role, but turned it down because she was pregnant at the time. 

Bernstein and Sondheim added "Something's Coming" just 12 days before the musical was set to premiere in D.C. 

It ran for 748 performances. 

The directors tried to generate real hostility between the actors.