Jerome Robbins

Jerome Robbins


Jerome Robbins was an American choreographer and theatre producer who worked in classical ballet, on broadway and films.He worked on Peter Pan, West side story and the King and I. In 1957, he conceived, choreographed, and directed West Side Story.

West Side Story is a more contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet. West Side marked the first collaboration between Robbins and Stephen Sondheim. Jerome believed that the cast had to be equally skilled as actors, singers, and dancers. To help the cast improve and to get into the mindset of their roles, Robbins did not allow those playing members of Jets and Sharks to mix during the rehearsal process

According to one of the dancers, Linda Talcott Lee, Jerome would take his job extremely seriously and would “play psychological games" with the cast: "And he would plant rumors among one gang about the other, so they really hated each other." This would be due to Jerome wanting to have a realistic tense atmosphere between both groups to create an effective movie. 

West Side Story earned Robbins his second Tony Awards for choreography.

In 1961, Robbins directed the movie version of West Side Story. He was fired from the production as soon as photography for the cast was complete.Robbins was a homosexual man in the closet, which wasn’t uncommon at the time. Some people believed that he had been threatened from others in the business and began to buckle under the pressures. 

“Robbins had declared on the first day that the stage was a battleground” said by Carol Lawrence, who played the original broadway in 1957. “You were never allowed to walk on the stage unless at his request, he was an absolute dictator. They weren’t allowed to eat together. They were not supposed to socialise”