Even before an iconic distant whistle opened the first screenings of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, it was clear that musicals would factor into this year’s Oscar race.
Hollywood loves musicals, and the classic 1961 West Side Story, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, is the most honored in the genre, winning 10 Oscars, including best picture and director, plus crafts awards like cinematography, music and sound. “Look at West Side Story, All That Jazz, Singin’ in the Rain. Those are really good stories, great performances and music — these are well-crafted movies,” says recording mixer Michael Minkler, who is no stranger to musicals, having won two of his three Oscars for Chicago (2002) and Dreamgirls (2006). “Those are important ingredients that draw people to the movies.”
Rob Marshall’s Chicago…