Simeone (historical musicology, U. of Sheffield, UK) examines the origins and creation of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. He discusses Bernstein's work in theater up to 1957, the collaborative process of the musical, early sketches and drafts of the score and script, and its musical characteristics and compositional techniques, such as motivic development, the use and reinvention of Broadway and other conventions, the creation of dramatic continuity, dissonance and rhythmic complexity, and the integration of Latin-American dance forms. He also addresses the musical's reception and financing and the making of the original Broadway cast recording, which is included on the accompanying CD. He does not discuss the film version. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)