Over the weekend, Steven Spielberg's rendition of the classic musical "West Side Story" began screening for award voters ahead of its Christmas Day release. As the film's official premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles gets underway, the first reactions are coming in. Early reviews have praised Spielberg's direction as well as Rachel Zegler's performance as Maria in her film debut.
Stephen Sondheim (who penned the lyrics for the original production, with a book by Arthur Laurents and a score by Leonard Bernstein) died just days before the musical's premiere. The composer himself praised the new film version, appearing on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in September to discuss the most current stage production of "Company" and, of course, Spielberg's film.