Larry Kert as the Original Tony in West Side Story
The role that made Larry Kert internationally known—and the performance from which “Something's Coming,” “Maria” and “Tonight” first entered Broadway history.
The Audition That Found Tony and Maria
Kert was already an experienced singer and dancer when West Side Story was being cast. The surviving audition material and later recollections show that the creative team considered him for other roles before the final Tony/Maria pairing emerged.
Carol Lawrence later recalled an extraordinary joint audition in which Jerome Robbins had her hide on the stage while Kert sang “Maria” and searched for her. Their balcony-scene reading convinced the creative team that the pair worked together.
“Something's Coming” Was Written for Kert's Tony
Stephen Sondheim later explained that he and Leonard Bernstein wrote “Something's Coming” during the pre-Broadway tryout because they needed a song to introduce Tony and because the image of Kert in the role was already so vivid.
Sondheim also recalled Kert's Washington performance stopping the show.
Broadway and the Original Cast Recording
West Side Story opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on 26 September 1957. Kert's original Tony is preserved on the Broadway cast recording and in surviving photographs and television appearances.
