Tonight is a show tune from the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It is a romantic duet between Tony and Maria, sung on Maria’s fire escape as a modern Romeo and Juliet balcony moment. The song first appeared in print in 1956 and was released on the original Broadway cast recording in 1957, with Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence as Tony and Maria. In the 1961 film adaptation it was performed by Marni Nixon dubbing Natalie Wood and Jimmy Bryant dubbing Richard Beymer. The 2021 film version features Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort. It has been covered by Ferrante & Teicher, Eddie Fisher, Shirley Bassey, Andy Williams, Sergio Franchi, The Drifters, We Five, and Porno for Pyros. Tonight is usually classified as a show tune or musical theatre ballad and appears on the West Side Story soundtrack albums. The song is ranked number 59 on AFI’s 100 Years...100 Songs list.
