One person did have serious issues with the song, and that person was its lyricist, the recently departed Stephen Sondheim.

The melody bounces and flutters along for a proper toe-tapping time before the emotionally charged climax and finale of the show. It is a delightful respite after the rumble that leaves the characters of Riff ( Mike Faist) and Bernardo ( David Alvarez) dead. 'I Feel Pretty,' for many, has no issues. RELATED: Steven Spielberg and Rachel Zegler on ‘West Side Story’ and Which of Spielberg’s Films Changed the Most In the Editing Room However, Spielberg elects to make a simple change that completely recontextualizes the entire song, and all he had to do was move the number from one location to another. The song, in which María expresses her exuberance at being in love with Tony ( Ansel Elgort), is still performed by the same character who originally performed it, takes place at the same time in the story as it usually does, and no lyrics are changed. That song is 'I Feel Pretty,' the uptempo comedic Act II opener sung by María, wonderfully played by Rachel Zegler. There is one number, though, that receives a minor change perhaps many would not clock. With something as well known and beloved as West Side Story, any change or tweak made to the material will stand out to a great number of people who know the Broadway show or 1961 film adaptation very well, and as a person who does come at the new film from that perspective, they only help to deepen a story that could easily be seen as glossy melodrama. They also made large structural changes to the piece by altering song orders and, in some cases, who actually performs the songs.

As it turns out, Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner had quite a lot of new ideas to infuse into the classic piece of musical theater, attacking subjects like gentrification, the intersections of race and class warfare, and the police with far greater aim than in the original iterations.

When it was announced that Steven Spielberg would helm a new film adaptation of West Side Story, there was a vast amount of skepticism as to what he could possibly bring new to this well known and beloved show that had already been adapted into a Best Picture-winning film in 1961 directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins.

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