Ep. 5 - Moving Beyond WEST SIDE STORY
(left to right) Chita Rivera (1957) as Anita in the Broadway production of West Side Story. Rita Moreno as Anita (1961) in the film adaptation. Ariana DeBose (2021) as Anita in West Side Story directed by Steven Spielberg with script by Tony Kushner.
The release of a new film production of West Side Story (directed by Steven Spielberg with script by Tony Kushner) sparked this conversation with Felix Sanchez, chair and co-founder of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, about representation of Latinos in film and dramatic series.
Felix Sanchez
Felix Sanchez is the Chairman and Co-founder of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA), a veteran media and communications expert, who consults regularly on Latino programming and content. NHFA was launched in 1997 by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. NHFA co-founders include: Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales and Merel Julia. NHFA ambassadors include: Melissa Barrera (Starz’s VIDA) and Ryan Guzman (Fox’s 9-1-1).
Felix has created a number of programs that have had an impact on creating diverse content and a new generation of diverse content creators. He launched the NHFA scholarship program with eight universities: NYU, Columbia, Harvard, Yale, Northwestern, USC, UCLA and UT Austin. He also created “Pitch” programs for NY, DC and LA with the New York Office of Motion Pictures and Television, NBCUniversal, DC Mayor’s Office of Latino Affairs, and VIACOMCBS to cultivate and connect NHFA artists and talent with industry leaders in television, cable and streaming platforms.
Felix also launched: “Coctelitos con Rita Moreno and then-Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Joaquín Castro, D-TX;” along with a program highlighting emerging high school talent in a homage to the play: “In the Heights.”
As NHFA Chairman, Felix led the fight to desegregate the honors and awards programs of major cultural and entertainment institutions. His work resulted in major administrative and personnel changes at the Kennedy Center, and yielded new Latino honorees for Kennedy Center Honors, along with the induction of 22 new Latino members into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars). He was also the force behind convincing NBC’s Saturday Night Live to hire Melissa Villaseñor, the first Latina cast member in the show’s then-47-year history.
BACKGROUND: Director Steven Spielberg’s new adaptation of the musical West Side Story is set in New York’s San Juan Hill in 1957 just as Robert Moses’ urban renewal or removal wrecking ball is about to demolish the neighborhood and displace the people who live there to make way for Lincoln Center and new high rise apartments.
1957 is also the year the original West Side Story opened on Broadway scored by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents, and choreography by Jerome Robbins. The creators, all white Jewish men, wrote a contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet replacing the family feud with a turf battle between two street gangs, the Sharks, Puerto Rican newcomers to the mainland; and the Jets, the neighborhood’s poor white immigrant offspring. Chita Rivera (Puerto Rican, Scottish-Italian) played Anita in the original Broadway production.
The first West Side Story film was released in 1961 winning 10 Academy Awards including best picture, and best supporting actress for Rita Moreno—who is Puerto Rican —for her role as Anita. Moreno was one of the few Latin@ actors cast in the film. Marina Jimenez Henley played one of the Shark girls and the late Jose DeVega (Filipino/Colombian) played Chino and was also in the Broadway cast.
The 2021 West Side Story retains Bernstein’s score and Sondheim’s lyrics with choreography by Justin Peck and script by playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner who penned Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012) script. The 2021 film team set a goal to address the inadequacies and cultural insensitivity towards the Puerto Rican characters in previous versions by giving characters more backstory, cultural context and including Spanish language dialogue with no subtitles.
The Puerto Rican characters are played by Latin@ actors: Maria is played by newcomer Rachel Zegler (Colombian). Ariana DeBose (Afro-Puerto Rican) plays Anita; David Alvarez (Cuban from Canada) plays Bernardo, Jose Andrés Rivera (Puerto Rican) is Chino. And a new Puerto Rican character is introduced played by Rita Moreno who has an executive producer credit on the film.
In addition the 2021 West Side Story brought in Latin@ advisors, including dialogue coach Victor Cruz; Julio Monge, a Puerto Rican Broadway dancer, choreographer, and director (who worked with Jerome Robbins); and historian Virginia Sánchez Korrol who has written extensively about New York Puerto Rican and Latino American history.
West Side Story (2021) is currently in movie theaters and will be available on major streaming platforms after its theatrical run.
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The following films and series mentioned in this podcast episode are available for streaming with a subscription or for purchase/rental.
In the Heights (2021) by Lin Manuel Miranda - available on HBO Max
Vida (series) available for streaming on STARZ
Roma (2018) by Alfonso Cuarón - available on Netflix
One Day at a Time (2017) Seasons 1-3 available on Netflix
Desperate Housewives (2004-2012) Seasons 1-8 available on Hulu
The West Wing (1999 - 2006) Seasons 1-7 available on HBO Max
Piñero (2001) by Leon Ichaso available on Amazon Prime
Selena (1997) by Gregory Nava - available for rent on Amazon Prime
La Bamba (1987) by Luis Valdez - available on Netflix, Amazon Prime
(no fee) Vicente Fernandez with Tony Bennett (2012) “Regressa a Mí/Return to Me” is available on YouTube
Also check your local library for some of the titles mentioned in this podcast that may be on DVD and available to check out —El Cantante by Leon Ichaso with Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, Mi Familia/My Family”by Gregory Nava, and LA Law (series) starring Jimmy Smits.