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 to compete with newer, popular music artists such as Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin and The Platters. The nadir of this decline was around 1958 and coincided with a recession that was effecting the entire country. There were far fewer big bands on the road and live music venues were hard to book for the Kenton orchestra. The band ended 1959 beaten up by poor attendance at concerts and having to rely far more on dance halls than real jazz concerts. The band reformed in 1960 with a new look and new sound, "West Side Story" was one of the first