Leonard Bernstein is one of the most important conductors and composers of our time. Even though he himself died in 1990, his works survive to this day. Probably his best-known musical is “West Side Story”, which is not only performed again and again on Broadway and was recently adapted into a film by Stephen Spielberg. A fresh version of it will soon even go on a world tour and stop in cities like Paris, Tokyo and Munich.
On this occasion, ntv.de met Leonard Bernstein’s son Alexander Bernstein at the end of June in the family apartment near New York’s Central Park. The 67-year-old is the composer’s second of three children and is involved in all projects that preserve his father’s memory. In an interview, he reveals what “West Side Story” means to him personally and how it feels to send his father’s work around the world.
ntv.de: Mr. Bernstein, you were only two years old when “West Side Story” premiered in 1957. When did you first consciously come into contact with it?
Alexander Bernstein: I can’t remember exactly, but it must have been around the time we had the record at home and my sister and I played it all the time. So I knew the music first. And then, when the film came out in 1961 – I was six years old then – I saw the people dancing and acting to it for the first time.
Can’t you remember how it made you feel?
It was super exciting because I knew the music so well. Seeing the action was just amazing.
What has “West Side Story” meant to you since then?
This show is an important part of my life in many ways. I taught in elementary school and then did theater through middle school. A year after my father died, we did a production of West Side Story with the high school. I directed and also acted myself. That was extraordinary. I had no idea beforehand how difficult this show is.
What was the biggest challenge about it?
Anything to be honest. (laughs) It’s hard to sing. The music is difficult because the rhythms are constantly changing. So it’s hard to dance to too. And it’s difficult to act and anyway, to do all these things at the same time. At the age the students were, it’s hard to move like that anyway. It was a group effort that everyone worked so hard for. That was a great experience.
Now “West Side Story” will go on a world tour. To what extent are you involved from the development of this idea to its final implementation?
My sisters and I run the Bernstein company, so to speak. But I’m no longer involved in the creative work. I go to the meetings with the other authors – the representatives of the Sondheim estate (author Stephen Sondheim – ed.) and those of Jerome Robbins (choreographer – ed.). The Lawrence estate (Maria actress Carol Lawrence – editor’s note) collected all the data. And so we decide as a group who gets to do what. This is fantastic. We all get along well and make good decisions I think.
Which decisions are related to this tour?
The production is so good, so thorough, so professional. And they’re all such good people. So good you’re like, ‘How could we not want to do this?’ Especially director Lonny Price and his team of exceptional talent. I can’t wait to see the cast they are working on.
Especially since you have a long friendship with Lonny Price…
We’ve known each other for a very, very long time. In 1980 he starred in Stephen Sondheim’s musical Merrily We Roll Along. He was a very young man who played the role of Charlie. I was working as a production assistant on ABC Documentaries and we were making a film about the making of the show. It was my job to get to know the actors because I was the youngest on the team. I had to go to the parties, hang out with them. So I not only became friends with Lonny, but also with a bunch of other actors. But Lonny and I became particularly close that year, I think, and I’ve always stayed close to him. He’s one of the greatest people in the world and also happens to be a really talented director.
A year ago, a new “West Side Story” film by Stephen Spielberg was released. How does this happen? Does your phone ring, it’s Stephen pitching his idea?
So similar. (laughs) However, that was 13 years ago in this case. Back then, when we first met, he had told me that he had always wanted to make this film. And of course we said yes to that. But then it just took quite a while until he was ready and had everything he needed together. I think the film turned out really fantastic.
How many times have you seen him?
(laughs) A few times. I was even alone in the IMAX to see it. It was the first film I’ve been to the cinema for since the pandemic began. There were only 40 people there besides me, so keeping your distance wasn’t really a problem.
With the upcoming performances, it will definitely be full in the respective halls. How excited are you?
We are all so excited because the musical is going out into the world. While the show stays very true to the original, it’s a fresh vision and a young cast. “West Side Story” has always been very popular. And I think it always will be, because – unfortunately – it is so topical. But fortunately also because it is a timeless love story.
The show will stop in Tokyo and Paris, among other places. Do you think that audiences absorb and feel the story in a similar way everywhere? Or are there regional differences?
I think “West Side Story” is universal. And that’s why it’s such a popular and enduring work, because no matter where the show goes, people will see the Sharks and the Jets in one form or another. There will be a conflict like this everywhere. And there will be people who still love each other. No matter what culture. Everyone will have a personal relationship with it.
Will you be watching shows outside of the US yourself?
I think I’ll fly to Munich for the premiere.
Bradley Cooper is currently working on a film about her father called Maestro, in which he also plays him. How much do you know about it?
I spoke to Bradley a little, of course. He is unbelievable. He did a lot of research to impersonate my father. Sometimes he sends photos and asks questions. He wants the film to be as authentic as possible. And Carey Mulligan will be great as my mother too.
Who will you play?
I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that…
Alright… But doesn’t it all feel weird?
However. But it’s also very cool. Right now I can’t imagine anyone else playing my father, to be honest. But it’s easy for Bradley Cooper, he’s really into it.
Your job is to manage your father’s estate and to protect his memory. What exactly does that mean?
Well, there are different parts. Bernstein is the composer. There are the plays, there are the symphonies. So there is a lot of licensing work going on. Our company has a licensing department, a music editing department. And we have someone who knows all the music very well. So whoever plays my father’s music, that person knows it. And my father was an incredible teacher. All this and much more is his legacy. His legacy as an educator extends to the project known as Artful Learning. We are currently working with over 20 schools across the country and with educators to put the arts and artistic processes at the heart of teaching and learning across all subjects.
But is that a purely US project, or are there international offshoots as well?
That could happen at some point. We’d have to come up with something because it’s a face-to-face project. We have a team of trainers who go into the schools to conduct training for the local educators. But we have been working more and more online since the pandemic. So you never know…
After all, your father also had a special connection to Germany, if I’m not mistaken?
Absolutely. He spent some time in Northern Germany in the 80’s and co-founded the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. At the opening concert in 1986 he conducted the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir. And he directed the festival’s Orchestral Academy, referring to his early years at the Tanglewood Music Festival in Massachusetts.
Nicole Ankelmann spoke to Alexander Bernstein
The German performances of “West Side Story” start on December 8th in Düsseldorf (previews), followed by performances in Munich, Essen and Leipzig, among others. All dates and tickets are available here.
