Jess LeProtto Makes His Way to the Big Screen in West Side Story

Jess LeProtto has become a Broadway favorite, appearing in Carousel, Hello Dolly, Newsies and Cats to name but a few musicals. Now the triple threat can be found on screen in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 adaptation of West Side Story which promises an updated take on this classic tale of rivalry between The Sharks and The Jets starring Ansel Elgort as Tony, Rachel Zegler as Maria, Ariana DeBose as Anita as well as many others – with new trailer giving audiences an early look at iconic songs such as “Mambo” and “America”.

Now available is the soundtrack album for the movie. Featuring music composed by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim with vocal performances by cast members, including iconic songs such as “America,” “Gee, Officer Krupke,” and “Jet Song”, as well as selections from Broadway recordings like these classic tracks: America; Gee Officer Krupke,” Jet Song” among others – nominated for a Grammy as Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media! This album also showcases contemporary performers like Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony Luis Fonsi and Ruben Blades as well as traditional performers like Judy Garland and Laurence Olivier who performed during their careers! Nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media!

This year marks the 50th anniversary of West Side Story on Broadway, an unrivaled critical and commercial success, winning 10 Academy Awards and remaining the highest-grossing musical until it was outdone by Hamilton. “Titanic” remains the only film ever to win both the Best Picture Oscar and an unprecedented sweep of awards from the Academy Awards, including all five acting categories and director Robert Wise; best supporting actress Susan Sarandon; best screenplay; music & lyrics awards plus others. This film also stars several Broadway alumni from the original production. These include Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose – who all appeared in this musical’s initial run on Broadway. David Alvarez played Bernardo, Josh Andres Rivera played Chino and Tony nominee Brian d’Arcy James portrayed Officer Krupke. Corey Stoll played Lieutenant Schrank while Rita Moreno reprised her role of Anita from 1961 movie.

Many of the cast members have also made appearances on Broadway, such as Iris Menas (Anybodys), John Michael Fiumara (Big Deal), Jess LeProtto (A-Rab), Garrett Hawe (Skink), and Adriana Pierce (Natalie). Other noteworthy Broadway alumni include Sara Esty as Leigh-Anne; Myles Erlick as Snowboy; Iris Friedman as Jo from Jagged Little Pill; and John Michael Faist as George Chakiris from Mean Girls film version.