Wild Side Story multimedia experience. Recorded narration was added in Los Angeles in 1977 to help audiences grasp plot continuity. Costumes especially designed and created in 1976 by Maria Knutsson of Sweden's popular Gul&Blå boutiques have continued to be used since then, and the same body language that the director found in the young Cubans already in 1972 has also been preserved to a large extent. With about half the music from the classic musical "West Side Story", in several versions including instrumentals and comedy renditions, of course that musical is parodied, especially its suicidal "Romeo and Juliet " theme. Other songs are
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