Production Photographs Production Photographs: “The Dance at the Gym"

In spring of 1958, Look magazine had planned a feature spread on Carol Lawrence, the original Maria. Photographer Paul Fusco took hundreds of photographs of Ms. Lawrence, including dozens of production shots from West Side Story. Although Look never ran the article, the photographs, several of which are seen here for the first time, offer rare views of the original Broadway production. [The Library had the first prints made from the original negatives for this exhibition.]

“The Dance at the Gym,” an extended dance number full of energetic popular music styles from rock to mambo, includes a sequence where time seems to magically stop as Tony and Maria (played by Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence) first meet and lock eyes.