West Side Story in Spain : The Transcultural Adaptation of an Iconic American Show

West Side Story first became famous in Spain when the Robert Wise film opened there in 1962, the version remaining popular for decades.

Brief international tours came to various cities in Spain in the 1980s, but their presence did not diminish memory of the film, which played a major influence on the country's first stage adaptation of the show in 1996.

Directed by Ricard Reguant and produced in Barcelona by Focus, the production also toured.

After another international tour played in three Spanish cities in summer 2009, the Madrid company SOM Produce mounted a rendition in 2018 directed and choreographed by Federico Barrios, the first Spanish stage version based on the original 1957 staging.

This Element compares the adaptations of the 1996 and 2018 versions in detail, illuminating issues encountered when translating a musical for another culture.