Google pays tribute to ‘West Side Story’ with VR pics and video
Audiences first got the chance to witness Tony’s and Maria’s tragic love story in Broadway 60 years ago. To pay tribute to the Romeo-and-Juliet-like romance, Google Arts and Culture has launched a virtual museum packed with the history behind West Side Side Story. It offers behind-the-scenes photos of the movie and original production, along with images of various productions over the years and of one of the latest renditions. You might also want to drop by the website on a VR headset if you want to visit iconic locations that inspired the musical’s sets through panoramic images or to watch Riff’s Get Cool, Boy number as a 360-degree video.
The museum also has something for those who want to go deeper than images and videos that make you want to sing Tonight. Since it tells the story of a local New Yorker falling in love with a Puerto Rican immigrant, it has essays and editorials you can read on how the musical tackled immigration, civil rights and racial stereotypes, as well as how it was seen as a “plea for racial tolerance.” You can find them all on Google’s West Side Story portal or on the Google Arts and Culture app for iOS and Android.
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