West Side Story is a musical
with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was inspired
by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. The original 1957
Broadway production ran for 732 performances and was nominated for six Tony
Awards including Best Musical in 1957, but the award for Best Musical went to
Meredith Willson's The Music Man. A 1961 musical film of the same name, starred
Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards
and won ten, including Supporting Actor, Rita Moreno for Supporting Actress,
and Best Picture.
The story is set in the Upper West Side neighborhood in New York City in
the mid 1950s, an ethnic, blue-collar neighborhood. The musical explores the
rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different
ethnic backgrounds. The members of the Sharks, from Puerto Rico, are taunted by
the Jets, a white gang. The young protagonist, Tony, a former member of the
Jets and best friend of the gang's leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria, the
sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. The dark theme, sophisticated
music, extended dance scenes, and focus on social problems marked a turning
point in American musical theatre. Bernstein's score for the musical includes
"Something's Coming", "Maria", "America",
"Somewhere", "Tonight", "Jet Song", "I Feel
Pretty", "A Boy Like That", "One Hand, One Heart",
"Gee, Officer Krupke", and "Cool".
Act I
Two rival teenage gangs, the Jets (White Americans) and the Sharks (Puerto Rican immigrants), struggle for control of the neighborhood somewhere in the Upper West Side of New York City amidst the police (Prologue). They are warned by Lt. Schrank and Officer Krupke to stop fighting on their beat. The police chase the Sharks off, and then the Jets plan how they can assure their continued dominance of the street. The Jets' leader, Riff, suggests setting up a rumble with the Sharks. He plans to make the challenge to Bernardo, the Sharks' leader, that night at the neighborhood dance. Riff wants to convince his friend and former member of the Jets, Tony, to meet the Jets at the dance. Some of the Jets are unsure of his loyalty, but Riff is adamant that Tony is still one of them ("Jet Song"). Riff meets Tony while he's working at Doc's Drugstore to persuade him to come. Tony initially refuses, but Riff wins him over. Tony is convinced that something important is round the corner ("Something's Coming").
Maria works in a bridal shop with Anita, the girlfriend of her brother, Bernardo. Maria has just arrived from Puerto Rico for her arranged marriage to Chino, a friend of Bernardo's. Maria confesses to Anita that she is not in love with Chino. Anita makes Maria a dress to wear to the neighborhood dance.
At the dance, after introductions, the teenagers begin to dance; soon a
challenge dance is called ("Dance at the Gym"), during which Tony and
Maria (who aren't taking part in the challenge dance) see each other across the
room and are drawn to each other. They dance together, forgetting the tension in
the room, and fall in love, but Bernardo pulls his sister from Tony and sends
her home. Riff and Bernardo agree to meet for a War Council at Doc's, a drug
store which is considered neutral ground, but meanwhile, an infatuated and
happy Tony finds Maria's building and serenades her outside her bedroom
("Maria"). She appears on her fire escape, and the two profess their
love for one another ("Tonight"). Meanwhile, Anita, Rosalia, and the
other Shark girls discuss the differences between the territory of Puerto Rico
and the mainland United States of America, with Anita defending America, and
Rosalia yearning for Puerto Rico ("America").
The Jets get antsy while waiting for the Sharks inside Doc's Drug Store.
Riff helps them let out their aggression ("Cool"). The Sharks arrive
to discuss weapons to use in the rumble. Tony suggests "a fair fight"
(fists only), which the leaders agree to, despite the other members' protests.
Bernardo believes that he will fight Tony, but must settle for fighting Diesel,
Riff's second-in-command, instead. This is followed by a monologue by the
ineffective Lt. Schrank trying to find out the location of the rumble. Tony
tells Doc about Maria. Doc is worried for them while Tony is convinced that
nothing can go wrong; he is in love.
The next day, Maria is in a very happy mood at the bridal shop, as she
anticipates seeing Tony again. However, she learns about the upcoming rumble
from Anita and is dismayed. When Tony arrives, Maria asks him to stop the fight
altogether, which he agrees to do. Before he goes, they dream of their wedding
("One Hand, One Heart"). Tony, Maria, Anita, Bernardo and the Sharks,
and Riff and the Jets all anticipate the events to come that night
("Tonight Quintet"). The gangs meet under the highway and, as the
fight between Bernardo and Diesel begins, Tony arrives and tries to stop it.
Though Bernardo taunts and provokes Tony, ridiculing his attempt to make peace,
Tony keeps his composure. When Bernardo pushes Tony, Riff punches him in Tony's
defense. The two draw their switchblades and get in a fight ("The
Rumble"). Tony attempts to intervene, inadvertently leading to Riff being
fatally stabbed by Bernardo. Tony kills Bernardo in a fit of rage, which in
turn provokes an all-out fight like the fight in the Prologue. The sound of
approaching police sirens is heard, and everyone scatters, except Tony, who
stands in shock at what he has done. The tomboy Anybodys, who stubbornly wishes
that she could become a Jet, tells Tony to flee from the scene at the last
moment and flees with the knives. Only the bodies of Riff and Bernardo remain.
Act II
Blissfully unaware of the gangs' plans for that night, Maria daydreams with
her friends, Rosalia, Consuelo, Teresita and Francisca, about seeing Tony
("I Feel Pretty"). Later, as Maria dances on the roof happily because
she has seen Tony and believes he went to stop the rumble, Chino brings the
news that Tony has killed Bernardo. Maria flees to her bedroom, praying that
Chino is lying. Tony arrives to see Maria and she initially pounds on his chest
with rage, but she still loves him. They plan to run away together. As the
walls of Maria's bedroom disappear, they find themselves in a dreamlike world
of peace ("Somewhere").
Two of the Jets, A-Rab and Baby John, are set on by Officer Krupke, but
they manage to escape him. They meet the rest of the gang. To cheer themselves
up, they lampoon Officer Krupke, and the other adults who don't understand them
("Gee Officer Krupke"). Anybodys arrives and tells the Jets she has
been spying on the Puerto Ricans; she has discovered that Chino is looking for
Tony with a gun. The gang separates to find Tony. Action has taken charge; he
accepts Anybodys into the Jets and includes her in the search.
A grieving Anita arrives at Maria's apartment. As Tony leaves, he tells
Maria to meet him at Doc's so they can run away to the country. In spite of her
attempts to conceal it, Anita sees that Tony has been with Maria, and launches
an angry tirade against him ("A Boy Like That"). Maria counters by
telling Anita how powerful love is ("I Have a Love"), and Anita
realizes that Maria loves Tony as much as she had loved Bernardo. She admits
that Chino has a gun and is looking for Tony. Lt. Schrank arrives to question
Maria about her brother's death, and Anita agrees to go to Doc's to tell Tony
to wait. Unfortunately, the Jets, who have found Tony, have congregated at
Doc's, and they taunt Anita with racist slurs and eventually simulate rape. Doc
arrives and stops them. Anita is furious, and in anger spitefully delivers the
wrong message, telling the Jets that Chino has shot Maria dead.
Doc relates the news to Tony, who has been dreaming of heading to the
countryside to have children with Maria. Feeling there is no longer anything to
live for, Tony leaves to find Chino, begging for him to shoot him as well. Just
as Tony sees Maria alive, Chino arrives and shoots Tony. The Jets, Sharks, and
adults flock around the lovers. Maria holds Tony in her arms (and sings a
quiet, brief reprise of "Somewhere") as he dies. Angry at the death
of another friend, the Jets move towards the Sharks but Maria takes Chino's gun
and tells everyone that "all of [them]" killed Tony and the others
because of their hate for each other, and, "Now I can kill too, because
now I have hate!" she yells. However, she is unable to bring herself to
fire the gun and drops it, crying in grief. Gradually, all the members of both
gangs assemble on either side of Tony's body, showing that the feud is over.
The Jets and Sharks form a procession, and together carry Tony away, with Maria
the last one in the procession.
