Carol Lawrence

Carol Lawrence: (when asked for advice for performers just starting out) Have a great attitude. Keep the hope and the joy. Have the dedication and the passion. You have to work harder then you have ever worked in your life. You have to be dedicated to Dance, Singing and acting. West Side Story created the Triple threat and you have to have a combination all three. It all comes down to hard work as many will find out that if you don't work hard, have the passion and the dedication then a pretty face isn't going to get you anywhere. You have to keep your faith and look to a higher power and never ever give up.

Carol Lawrence: (on her thirteenth callback audition for West Side Story) Jerry [Jerome Robbins, the director] told Larry [Kert, who played Tony] to go offstage, so he couldn't hear. Then he told me to hide. He said that Larry would sing Maria, and, if he could find me, we'd do the balcony scene. There was a little iron platform that jutted out from a brick wall [onstage]. I climbed a rickety ladder and knelt on all fours. Larry sang, but he didn't see me. I whispered, "Tony." He whipped around and leapt -- like Spider Man. We clung to each other and did the whole balcony scene. And Lenny said, "That was the most mesmerizing auditions I've ever seen. You've got it!"