Stephen Sondheim Says New ‘West Side Story’ Is ‘Terrific’: ‘Spielberg and Kushner Really Nailed It’

While we’re not going to believe just anyone who says Steven Spielberg’s upcoming spin on “West Side Story” is terrific, maybe we ought to believe musical legend Stephen Sondheim.

Probably Broadway’s greatest composer, well, ever, Sondheim also wrote the lyrics to the original 1957 Broadway version of “West Side Story” (with a book by Arthur Laurents and music by Leonard Bernstein).

So while he’s never one to “tout my own work,” as he joked on last night’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” he assured audiences that Spielberg’s new movie is indeed excellent.“It’s really terrific,” Sondheim said of the film.

“Everybody go.

You’ll really have a good time.

And for those of you who know the show, there’s going to be some real surprises.”Sondheim said that’s because of Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Kushner, who has received two screenplay Oscar nominations

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