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West Side Story: Still Dancing After Five Decades 西城故事：永远的歌舞剧

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Standing face to face in an alley, two rival gangs square off. Members of one side snarl. Those on the other side look like bulls ready to charge. Suddenly, one boy whips out a switchblade. The opposing youths back away in unison before realizing it is only a comb. The boy pushes a greasy curl into his perfect hair. Behind him, fingers begin snapping to a catchy tune. As if on cue, both gangs thrust their left legs above their heads and spin around, kicking off a battle dance.

两个敌对帮派在小巷对峙，静待对方行动。其中一方有人发出咆哮。另外一方宛如公牛般随时准备向前冲。突然，一个男孩迅速抽出弹簧刀。敌对一方的青年一齐往后退之后才发现那其实只是一支梳子。男孩在梳理好的发型上用手顺了一下油亮的卷发。身后其他人跟着一首动听的曲子，用手指打着拍子。彷佛一声令下，双方人马抬起左腿越过头转了个圈，展开了一场战舞。

The Broadway musical West Side Story is a classic romantic tragedy, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for a more contemporary audience. The setting is post-WWII New York City, rather than seventeenth-century Italy. Instead of the Montagues and the Capulets, the feud is between the American-born Jets and a Puerto Rican gang known as the Sharks.

百老汇音乐剧《西城故事》是一出经典的爱情悲剧，改编自莎翁名剧《罗密欧与朱丽叶》以更符合当代的观众口味。故事背景是二次世界大战后的纽约市而非十七世纪的意大利。故事内容不再是蒙太鸠与卡普列特家族的世仇，而是美国本土「喷射帮」与波多黎各「鲨鱼帮」间的帮派恩怨。

Tony is a member of the Jets, while Maria is the sister of a Shark. One night in a dance hall, their eyes meet and their souls melt into one. Unfortunately, continued bloodshed between the gangs prevents them from being together. At the end, believing Maria to be dead, Tony roams the streets and shouts for the Sharks to come out. Lo and behold, who does he see but Maria? She is alive! But just as they move toward each other, Tony is shot dead. Maria, heartbroken and furious, blames the two gangs equally for her loss. Both sides, at least temporarily, cast aside their differences.

东尼是「喷射帮」的一员而玛莉亚则是「鲨鱼帮」一位成员的妹妹。有天晚上东尼和玛莉亚在舞会上视线相会，彼此一见钟情。很不幸地，两帮派间持续的流血冲突让他们无法在一起。最后，东尼以为玛丽亚死了，所以他在街上毫无目的游晃，大叫「鲨鱼帮」要他们出来。但他竟然看到了玛莉亚！她还活着！但当他们走向彼此时，东尼中枪死了。玛莉亚感到心碎又愤怒，她要两个帮派都为东尼的死负责。双方，至少暂时地放下了对彼此的成见。

Vocabulary

单词发音

rival [ˋraɪv!] adj. 竞争的

square [skwɛr] off 摆好打斗的架势 to assume a fighting stance; prepare to fight

on cue [kju]  提示; 就在这个时候 as if planned to happen exactly at that moment

in unison [ˋjunəsn] 一致的或协调的行动; 共同; 一起  together at the same time

adaptation [͵ædæpˋteʃən] n. 改编

contemporary [kənˋtɛmpə͵rɛrɪ] adj. 当代的

roam [rom] v. 漫步；漫游；流浪

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单词发音

alley [ˋælɪ] n. 小巷，胡同

snarl [snɑr!] v. 咆哮

charge [tʃɑrdʒ] v. 冲锋，向前冲

whip [hwɪp] out 突然拿出 to jerk something out

switchblade [ˋswɪtʃ͵bled] n. 弹簧刀

greasy [ˋgrizɪ] adj. 油腻的

snap [snæp] v. 使发劈啪声; 捻（手指）使劈啪作声

catchy [ˋkætʃɪ] adj. （曲调等）动听而易记的

thrust [θrʌst] v. 伸展

kick off 〔会议﹑事情等〕开始 to begin

feud [fjud] n.（部落或家属间的）世仇

bloodshed [ˋblʌd͵ʃɛd] n.〔常指在搏斗或战争中的〕流血﹐杀戮﹐残杀

lo and behold [bɪˋhold] 你瞧！（表示惊讶的感叹词）look or what a surprise

cast aside 抛弃; 排除  to throw something away

课文讲解

When it opened, West Side Story hit home with critics and audiences alike. Its characters’ bold dialogues reminded people of racism and other hardships facing new immigrants in America. It also highlighted America’s growing problem of gang warfare. Both themes came to life on stage through characters people could identify with and a plot that contrasted love with hatred.

《西城故事》一上演即受到评论家与观众很大的回响。角色间的大胆对话提醒人们有关种族歧视问题和美国移民所面临的困境。此剧也强调了美国日益高涨的帮派冲突问题。这两个主题透过可让人认同的角色，在舞台上鲜明呈现出爱情与仇恨的对比情节。

The story’s playwright Arthur Laurents, did not work alone to turn his story into an award-winning musical. Rather, he cooperated with many talented artists. New York Philharmonic director Leonard Bernstein wrote the toe-tapping tunes that people are still whistling today. They include “I Feel Pretty,” “Maria” and “America.” Choreographer Jerome Robbins and lyricist Stephen Sondheim also contributed. They used sharp dance moves and daring lyrics to prove that musicals could be a serious form of art.

故事的剧作家阿瑟．劳伦兹并非独自一人将这故事改编成得奖的音乐剧。反而他是与许多有才华的艺术家合作完成。纽约爱乐乐团指挥李奥纳德．伯恩斯坦写出了人们今日仍会吹着口哨、以脚尖轻打拍子的曲调。这些作品包括〈我感觉真好〉、〈玛莉亚〉、〈亚美利加〉。编舞家杰洛姆．罗宾斯和作词家史帝芬．桑坦也参与了作品的制作。他们使用鲜明的舞蹈动作，大胆的台词证明了音乐剧也是一种严肃的艺术形式。

The combined efforts of cast and crew earned West Side Story immense popularity. Seven-hundred and thirty-two shows followed its Broadway premiere before it went on tour. Later, the successful show was adapted into a movie, which earned eleven Academy Awards, including “Best Picture.” It also took home a Grammy for “Best Soundtrack.”

演员与剧组两方合力让《西城故事》广受欢迎。在展开巡回之前，《西城故事》在百老汇首演后，又继续演出732场。不久，这部成功的作品被改编成电影并赢得11座奥斯卡金像奖，其中包括「最佳影片」。它也赢得葛莱美奖的「最佳电影原声带」。

In a time when musicals were considered overdramatic, West Side Story demonstrated that they could deal with serious issues while still entertaining audiences. To this day, as it heads toward its Golden Anniversary, West Side Story remains one of the greatest musicals of all time.

当音乐剧被认为过分戏剧化的时期，《西城故事》证明其可以处理严肃的问题而仍然可以娱乐观众。直到今日，当其迈向其五十周年纪念，《西城故事》仍然为有史以来最伟大的音乐剧之一。

−by Amy Lovestrand and Matthew Wilson

Vocabulary

单词发音

racism [ˋresɪzəm] n. 种族歧视

highlight [ˋhaɪ͵laɪt] v. 使突出；强调

immense [ɪˋmɛns] adj. 极广大的,无边的,非常好的

demonstrate [ˋdɛmən͵stret] v. 证明

More Information

单词发音

hit home (指言语等) 产生预期的 (常为令人痛苦的)效果; 引起很大回响 to be understood completely and have a strong effect

come to life  变得有生命 to become animated; grow excited

warfare [ˋwɔr͵fɛr] n. 冲突；斗争

identify [aɪˋdɛntə͵faɪ] v. 感同身受[（+with）]

contrast [ˋkɑn͵træst] v. 使成对比﹐使成对照

philharmonic [ˌfɪlhɑrˈmɑnɪk] adj. 爱乐的〔用于管弦乐队的名称中〕

tap [tæp] v. 轻拍，轻叩，轻敲 to make a regular pattern of sounds with your fingers or feet, especially when you are listening to music

choreographer [͵korɪˋɑgrəfɚ] n. 编舞者

lyricist [ˋlɪrɪsɪst] n.（流行歌曲等的）歌词作者

sharp [ʃɑrp] adj. 轮廓鲜明的；明显的; 敏捷的，生气勃勃的

cast [kæst] n. 演员阵容

premiere [prɪˋmɪr] n. 初次上演

overdramatic [ovɚdrəˋmætɪk] adj. 过分夸大的 to present in an overly dramatic manner

golden anniversary 五十周年纪念 50th anniversary

Reading Questions

1.  Which of the following is NOT true about West Side Story?

A.  Following its success on stage, it was made into a movie.

B.  It was the result of cooperation between many talented artists.

C.  It is set in New York City right before the Second World War.

D.  Its story line is partially borrowed from Romeo and Juliet.

2.  Which of the following can be said of West Side Story?

A.  It has an enduring popularity that has lasted many years.

B.  It is mostly about the fashions and style of the 1950s.

C.  There is no place for musicals of its kind in today’s arts scene.

D.  Its messages are too dated to have any impact on today’s young people.

3.  What were two main themes in West Side Story, according to the passage?

A.  Romantic music and street dance.

B.  Growing up in New York and young love.

C.  Homeless people and domestic violence.

D.  Strained race relations and gang conflict.

4.  According to the author, what did West Side Story do for musicals?

A.  It showed that musicals were trivial and could not deal with serious issues.

B.  It showed that musicals could be serious and entertaining at the same time.

C.  It showed that musicals could also incorporate violence.

D.  It showed that musicals had too much drama and not enough comedy.

I Feel Pretty

Maria

America

Answer