Theatre News

Ariana DeBose wins Oscar for West Side Story

The stage star won the award after picking up a BAFTA

Ariana DeBose
Ariana DeBose
© Disney

Ariana DeBose has won her first Oscar for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the classic musical West Side Story.

DeBose took home the Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actress category 60 years after her predecessor in the role, Rita Moreno, earned the statue herself. Leading up to the Oscar, DeBose won the BAFTA, Golden Globe, SAG, Critics' Choice, and various other critics' association awards for her performance.

WhatsOnStage's review lauded DeBose's performance, describing her Anita as a "stellar, star-making turn"

Written by Tony Kushner and directed by Spielberg, West Side Story has music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents.

Watch her perform "America" below: