Maria (West Side Story) after he meets and kisses Maria for the first time. Her name is sung 29 times in total. Natalie Wood was not the first choice to play Maria in the 1961 film version. Audrey Hepburn was considered, but she did not take it due to her pregnancy. Like Wood, Hepburn was not Puerto Rican; she was British, Dutch, and Austrian. Oh Maria, Maria / She remind me of a West Side story. Maria (West Side Story) Maria is the leading female character in the film "West Side Story". Maria is in her late teens when she arrives on the US
Kenton's West Side Story very limited by the theatrical content of the music and Johnny Richards trying to stay true to the music with his orchestrations. The "Kenton's West Side Story" LP charted for 26 weeks in Billboard starting in October 1961, peaking at #16 in November on the Billboard Magazine Hot 100 albums. Stan Kenton is listed in Today's Top Record Talent honor roll in Billboard's April 4, 1963 issue citing both "Adventures In Jazz" and "Kenton's West Side Story" as top selling hits. Grammy Awards "Arranger Johnny Richards is responsible for the sometimes wild, sometimes mournful, but always interesting reading by the